Vegan Dan Dan Noodles Recipe

I’m not sure I’ve ever tried to make any type of Chinese food, which is strange, because I love it. It’s all about the sauce that make this type of food so good. I may even consider picking up a Chinese food cookbook one day because after putting the dish I’ll share with you below together, I have come to understand that while something seems out of my range of expertise, it actually may not be.

The Recipe

These Dan Dan Noodles are super easy to prepare. There’s no meat in this recipe, which is nice. The meat has been substituted for finely chopped mushrooms and celery, which gives the dish a robust texture. There’s something to chew on there. The spices are spot on in this dish too. I mean really. The sauce is awesome. As I was blending it up in my food processor, I knew it was going to be good. And that was confirmed during my first taste. The sauce consists of garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce and peanuts. If you’re a Chinese food lover and if you’re familiar with what that sauce might taste like, I’m sure you’re going to be interested in making these noodles. They’re very good.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

For the Noodles

1 Pound Spaghetti
1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil
2 Celery Stalks, Finely Chopped
12 Ounces Mushrooms, Cleaned and Finely Chopped
2 Cups Packed Baby Spinach
2 Scallions, Thinly Sliced
Salt

For the Sauce

2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Hot Chili Oil
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Shelled Peanuts
2 1/2 Teaspoons Sugar

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Pickled Plum for this recipe. This is just one of many incredible recipes on their website and I’m definitely going to be making this one again.

Cook the Spaghetti

Bring four quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add one tablespoon salt to the water. When it’s boiling, add in the spaghetti, stir and let cook for nine minutes or until it’s al dente. When it’s ready, reserve one cup of water for later use and then strain the spaghetti through a colander. Rinse the spaghetti under cold water and then transfer it to a large bowl.

Brown the Mushrooms & Celery

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, mushrooms and celery to the skillet and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring intermittently. The mushrooms will release their liquid, which will need to boil off. After that, they will begin to brown. You’ll know this step is complete when you don’t see anymore liquid in the pan and you begin to smell the mushrooms browning.

Make the Sauce

Add the garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce, peanuts and sugar to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Combine Ingredients

Add the sauce to the spaghetti and mix well until all the noodles are coated. If they seem too dry, add a bit of the reserved water to loosen things up.

After that, add in the mushroom and celery mixture, along with the baby spinach and the scallions. Mix everything together well and use the reserved water again if need be.

Plate & Serve

Divide the noodles between plates and serve. Enjoy!

The Final Dan Dan Noodles

So basically, to prepare this recipe, all you need to do is make the spaghetti, brown the mushrooms and celery and blend up the sauce. After you put it all together, it’s done. I don’t know I’m intimidated by Asian cooking, but I do know I shouldn’t be. I love the stuff, so I’m going to be looking into it more. I do have an Asian cookbook that I’ll be digging into.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!