Dan Dan Noodles
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4 portions
20mAbsolutely one of my favorite dishes. Unfortunately, you can't find good Chinese food or ingredients just anywhere. I've made some adjustments here to make for a dish that satisfies my Dan Dan expectations using only ingredients you can easily find in your typical local grocery store.
What you will need
1 lb Ramen Noodles
4 cloves Garlic
3" Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Ground Cardamom
1 Tbsp Chili Oil
1 lb Ground Pork
2 Tbsp Honey
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar
1 bunch Spinach
(Nutritional facts 277 calories, 16.15 g fat, 23.4 g carbohydrates, 10.64 g protein, 20 mg cholesterol, 828 mg sodium)How to cook
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Peel garlic cloves and chop or grate to a fine paste.
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Peel ginger with a spoon and grate or chop to a fine paste.
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Heat the sesame oil in a pan over medium heat.
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Add the chili oil. The amount I've called for here should be about right in the middle in terms of heat. If you're a fan of spicy food, bump it up a little. If not, back it off.
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Stir in the crushed garlic.
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Stir in the crushed ginger.
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Add the cardamom. Cardamom here is a very rough substitute for Sichuan peppercorns. There really is no perfect substitute for the cooling heat of Sichuan peppercorns, but they can be really difficult to find.
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Add the ground pork and break it apart with a wooden spoon as you cook, stirring often, until browned through.
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Add the honey.
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Add the sherry vinegar.
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Add the soy sauce. Give it a few minutes to reduce.
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Start folding in the spinach. You might not be able to fit all of the spinach at once, but it should wilt quickly.
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Add the peanut butter. Stir it into the sauce.
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Cook the ramen noodles in ample boiling water as indicated on the package. If you end up loving this dish as much as I do and you want to take it to the next level, try making your own noodles next time. It's easier than you might think.
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Strain the noodles and toss with the sauce.
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Ramen Noodles
Outside of a major city, it can be tough to find fresh ramen noodles. However, you can make them with just 2 very common ingredients. I should warn you though that you will also need a couple of specialized tools: a basic pasta machine and a good kitchen scale.