Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles defy tradition since the traditional topping for the fiery noodles normally starts with
Authentic dan dan noodles are made with Chinese wheat noodles like lo mein. The noodles are tossed in a sauce made of Chinese sesame paste, garlic, hot chili oil, black vinegar, and shiaoxing wine.
The noodles are then topped with ground pork that has been sauteed with ginger, scallions, preserved mustard greens (ya cai) and Sichuan peppercorns. Sometimes broth is added to the bowl to make it soupy.
Can you make authentic vegetarian dan dan noodles?
It may not be authentic, but I make vegetarian dan dan noodles by replacing the pork with crumbled tofu and minced shiitake mushrooms.
This combination of golden-brown caramelized shallots and garlic, ginger, scallions, fermented black beans, pickled mustard greens, soy sauce, and shiaoxing wine, is delicious. I honestly like the tofu version even better than the meaty original.
Can I make vegan dan dan noodles?
I use honey to add a touch of sweetness to the sauce, but you can easily replace that with sugar or another sweetener in order to make it vegan.
What ingredients do you need to make dan dan noodles?
The ingredients for vegetarian dan dan noodles are mostly things you likely have in your kitchen. Some might require a special trip to a Chinese or Asian market or an online shopping spree.
The basics include tofu, shallots, garlic, ginger, scallions, peanuts, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and vegetable oil.
A few specialty ingredients can be found online or in Asian markets
To make a good vegetarian version of dan dan noodles, you will also need the following. I’ve included easy substitutions, too, in case you don’t have access to a Chinese grocery:
- Shiitake mushrooms (you can substitute button or cremini mushrooms). Learn how to clean mushrooms the right way and then finely chop them to mimic ground meat.
- Chinese salted or fermented black beans (find these at a Chinese or Asian market or buy online. You can leave these out if you don’t have them, adding additional soy sauce for salt)
- Preserved mustard greens (ya
cai ) (find at a Chinese or Asian market or buy online. You can substitute chopped kimchi or any kind of winter greens) - Chinese or Japanese sesame paste (find at a Chinese or Asian market or buy online or substitute natural peanut butter mixed with sesame oil)
Shiaoxing cooking wine (or substitute dry sherry or dry white wine)- Chili oil (either homemade or store-bought)
- Chinese wheat noodles or egg noodles (or spaghetti or linguine), cooked according to the package instructions.
What does dan dan mean in Chinese?
Dandan is type of over-the-shoulder carrying pole that street vendors used to tote the noodles and sauce (which hung from baskets on either end of the pole). So dan dan noodles essentially means “street vendor noodles.”
Can you make dan dan noodles ahead of time?
While this recipe has several parts—noodles, topping, and sauce—each of the parts can be cooked separately. You can the toppings and/or sauce ahead and keep them in the fridge. Cook the noodles just before you’re ready to eat.
Or you can make everything in advance and enjoy it all cold or at room temperature. Vegetarian
Store the sauce, toppings, and noodles separately so that the noodles don’t absorb all of the
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Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles
Ingredients
- For the topping
- 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 shallots thinly sliced (or red onion)
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms finely chopped (or button or cremini mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Chinese salted black beans rinsed and chopped (optional)
- 1/3 cup preserved mustard greens or chopped kimchi
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry or dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
- For the sauce
- ¼ cup Chinese or Japanese sesame paste or no-sugar-added peanut butter + 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey or substitute coconut sugar for vegan
- 2 scallions sliced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons homemade or store-bought chili oil or more to taste
- For the noodles and serving
- 16 ounces fresh Chinese wheat noodles or spaghetti or linguine
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the package, pouring off
the water from the package. Wrap the tofu in a clean
dish towel and set it on a plate. Place another plate or a baking dish on top and add cans or other heavy items to weight it down. Let stand for 30 to 45 minutes to press out excess water. - Make the sauce by whisking together the sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey until well combined. Stir in the scallion and add the chile oil a little at a time until you achieve your desired level of spice.
- To cook the topping, heat the cooking oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the
mushrooms have released their liquid and turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. - Crumble the tofu and add it to the pan and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, scallion, black beans, preserved mustard greens, wine, and soy sauce and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. - While the tofu is cooking, cook the noodles according to the package instructions (usually about 3 minutes in boiling water for fresh noodles). Drain.
- To serve, place a serving of noodles in a serving bowl and spoon some of the sauce over them. Toss to coat the noodles well and then top with some of the tofu topping. Garnish with scallions and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I used a different kind of egg noodle found in the Philippines, and followed the rest of the recipe. It did taste very good. The sauce was full of flavors and it complemented the noodles perfectly.
I used the coconut sugar and sherry options, and these noodles came out great! I couldn’t find the fermented black beans. I’ve never tried them, but I’m intrigued. Will definitely look for those and add them next time, though I’d be happy without them. It was already perfect as is! Thanks.
This recipe was so tasty. I didn’t have any tofu so I just used the mushrooms, but that wasn’t a problem for me. We are huge mushroom fans. The noodles were super flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
These noodles were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. The noodles were full of flavor and my whole family liked them!
My first attempt at making Dan Dan noodles, and now I’m obsessed! It is so easy and flavorful. I’m definitely going to make this again next week and have my family try it. Thanks!