Recipes

Vegan Dan Dan Noodles

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 15 mins

| Cook Time: 30 mins

| Total Time: 45 mins

You may need: Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper

Discover The Recipe

Close your eyes and imagine silky noodles topped with a richly flavored Tempeh and mushroom mixture, drenched in a spicy sauce. Now open your eyes and your mouth and try our Vegan version of classic Chinese dish Dan Dan Noodles. This recipe results in a layered, complex flavored dish expertly seasoned with our Piquant Post Chinese Salt & 2 Pepper blend made with sea salt, freshly-ground white peppercorn, and Sichuan pepper. This spice provides a unique peppery bite that is so much more flavorful than a basic salt and pepper seasoning. White peppercorn adds a spicy heat and Sichuan pepper adds a distinct, lemony tingle to the Dan Dan sauce, leaving your tastebuds wanting more.

Serve vegan Dan Dan Noodles either cold, room temperature, or hot, making this the perfect dish for a picnic or an evening meal. If you can't find protein-rich Tempeh, try substituting extra firm tofu instead. Dan Dan Noodles get their name from the traditional pole (called a dan dan) that the street vendors carried across their shoulders. The pole had a pot of these spicy noodles on either end. It wasn't long before locals started referring to this simple, filling dish as Dan Dan, and the name of the dish stuck.

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti or thin rice noodles
1 Tbsp sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
1 block tempeh, chopped
2 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Scallions, chopped for garnish
Peanuts for garnish
For the Dan Dan Sauce:
1/3 cup tahini
3 Tbsp water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 Tbsp chili oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Ume plum vinegar (or rice vinegar)
1 tsp Piquant Post Chinese Salt and 2 Pepper

Notes

This dish is very spicy! If you are sensitive to heat, omit the chili oil. Or add the chili oil to the sauce a little at a time until it has the desired amount of heat.

Dan Dan Noodles are served hot, room temperature or cold. We love the contrast of the spicy sauce with the chilled noodles, especially on a hot summer day!

This dish is traditionally made with Chinese egg noodles or even thick ramen noodles. You can use regular spaghetti instead if you have trouble finding them. Read more about different styles of Chinese noodles here.

Tempeh is made from fermented soy that is formed into a cake. It has a distinctive nutty flavor and is very high in protein. You can use extra firm tofu instead if you can’t get your hands on some.

Instructions

Fill a pot with water and add a large spoonful of salt to the water. Bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. After the spaghetti is cooked and drained, rinse well with cool water to stop the pasta from cooking. Lightly coat with oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the chopped tempeh and chopped mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms and tempeh are browned and tender. Add the tamari and balsamic vinegar to the pan, stir well and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the sauce, whisk together the ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.

Toss the noodles with as much sauce as desired and divide between 4 bowls. Top with the tempeh and mushroom mixture, and garnish with chopped scallions and peanuts.

Alternatives & Substitutions

For a gluten free option, you can use rice noodles instead of wheat based noodles.
Dan Dan Noodles are usually topped with pork rather than tempeh and mushrooms. Go ahead and try this dish with pork if you eat meat! We also love our Chinese Salt & Pepper Ribs recipe!
Our Salt and 2 pepper blend is a versatile seasoning and works great as a finishing salt on just about anything where you want an exotic twist! Try this blend in any stir-fries, soups, stews, and on meats, fish, and even roasted veggies.
If you like salt and pepper calamari or shrimp, try making our Salt and 2 Pepper Shrimp recipe!
Use the Salt and 2 pepper blend to make a Chinese comfort food: Chicken Congee (Chinese rice porridge). Or, try making an exotic Sichuan pepper burger with garlic and ginger mayo! Use 1 tsp of salt and 2 pepper blend and 1 tsp of our Chinese Five Spice blend in place of all the listed spices.
Vegetarians, try this 2 Pepper Tofu. Or this Sichuan-style asparagus and tofu recipe . Or this Silken Tofu with Cilantro and Celery salad. Again, just use our salt and 2 pepper blend as a finishing salt or to your taste in the dish.
Want more Chinese noodle recipes? Try our Spicy Beef Lo Mein!
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