Okay!!!! I’m still in the making things from scraps mode, and I had quite a few sad veggie scraps that I thought I could turn into a delicious noodle dish. But I wanted something just a little bit different, so I thought I would attempt to make a vegan version of dan dan noodles using up the mushrooms and cabbage I had.
I know that it is not an authentic version by any means, but does anyone really care right now?! I just wanted to have something delicious and comforting, and something that the kids would eat happily.
I have to admit, while it uses lots of traditional flavors (ginger, garlic, soy, sesame) I LOVE the addition of the cinnamon and the star anise, which give it a really interesting dimension. I absolutely think you should feel like you have options to enhance those flavors. You could add more cinnamon or agave for a sweeter dish or more pepper flakes or chili for something hotter! Adjust acidity with the rice vinegar if you feel like it! And don’t feel like you can’t switch up the veggies you use too- While we are in quarantine, I really encourage you to keep using what you have and being creative. Make substitutions where you need to and enjoy the fruits of your labor (i.e., enjoy your meals!)
Let me know if you have any special requests too!
- 1 pound gluten free spaghetti
- Dan Dan Mushrooms:
- 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon peeled minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Sesame Sauce:
- 1 red chili, minced (or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons ginger, finely minced or grated
- 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons agave
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dan Dan Veggies:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 onion, small diced
- 2 star anise
- 1 bell pepper, small diced
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- To Garnish:
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- Chili oil
- To begin, you want to marinate the mushrooms: In a medium bowl, combine the mushrooms with the garlic, ginger, gluten-free soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Set aside.
- In the jar of a blender, make the sesame sauce. Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and puree until creamy. You may want to add a few tablespoons of hot water to thin the sauce. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick pan or heavy skillet over high heat, add one tablespoon sesame oil, the onion and the two star anise. Stir often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the marinated mushrooms to the pan and cook another 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti until al dente according to the manufacturer's directions, and then drain the pasta, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and wash the extra starch off the pasta and then drain again.
- Add the bell pepper and cabbage to the pan and stir to combine, cooking until the cabbage is tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss the noodles with sauce in a bowl until well coated. Add half the green onions.
- Then add the noodles to the pan and toss with the vegetables, mixing well. Serve with chili oil and the rest of the fresh green onions.
Print Recipe
I’m sorry but this is not a good recipe for dandan noodles and leaves out several key ingredients. First of all zhi Mai jiang which is toasted sesame paste should be used instead of tahini. The taste is completely different and if you use tahini then this dish will taste like middle eastern food and not Chinese. Second of all, another key ingredients is zasai which is pickled mustard greens. This can be substituted with a spicy mustard, but the mustard flavor is essential to this soup. Another huge problem with this recipe is the omission of Szechuan peppercorns which is perhaps the most distinctive flavor of this dish and in my opinion what makes it. Most recipes also call for peanut butter and soy milk, but if you want it to be peanut free then that is fine. People without allergies to these things should use them because it makes the dish much better. Below is my recipe which you should try.
1 cup mushrooms of choice
1 medium sweet potato
1 head broccoli
Or other vegetables of choice
10g spicy mustard or finely chopped Zasai (pickled mustard greens, available at Asian market)
5 cm 2 inch finely chopped shallots or onions (white part)
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white miso paste
2 tbsp Chimajyan/zhi mai jiang sesame paste (toasted sesame paste, available at Asian markets)
2 heaping tbsp of smooth, unsweetened peanut butter
1 tbsp Rayu Japanese chili oil or guchujiang (available at Asian super market)
2 tablespoons of green and or red Szechuan peppercorns or more if desired (available at Asian markets)
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
300 ml water or more if needed
150 ml soy milk or almond milk
Hi Kenneth, If you haven’t noticed- we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Not all of us could run out to the local specialty store since we are in the middle of three months of SHELTERING IN PLACE. I acknowledge that this was a heavily modified non-authentic recipe. It’s a pandemic version. But thank you for your input- hopefully, it helps someone.
Looks yummy and healthy. Another noodles recipe to try.