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Dan Dan Inspired Noodles

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Calories: 520kcal
Servings: 5 People
Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Beef

  • 750 g Beef Mince 5% Fat
  • 5 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
  • 25 g Ginger Grated
  • 30 ml Shaoxing Wine
  • 15 ml Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 15 ml Low Sodium Dark Soy Sauce
  • 5 ml Avocado or Neutral Oil

Dan Dan Sauce

  • 48 g Peanut Butter
  • 30 ml Chilli Crisp
  • 8 g Sugar
  • 30 ml Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 15 ml Low Sodium Dark Soy Sauce
  • 5 Garlic Cloves Grated
  • 5 ml Sesame Oil
  • 15 ml Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 50 ml Reserved Noodle Water

Noodles & Garnish

  • 450 g Ramen Noodles
  • 2 Bok Choy Halved
  • Cucumber Julienned
  • Chilli Crisp To Serve

Method

  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil.
  • Grate the garlic into a bowl and add the peanut butter, chilli crisp, sugar, both soy sauces, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Mix until completely smooth and set aside.
  • Finely grate the ginger. Finely slice the white parts of the spring onions. Place the green stems into ice cold water and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add the beef mince and leave completely undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until a deep brown crust forms. Break it up and cook until no longer pink, well coloured all the way through, and reaching an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F).
  • Add the white parts of the spring onion and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add both soy sauces and deglaze with Shaoxing wine, scraping up all the caramelised bits. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the beef is glossy and tight. Remove from heat.
  • Blanch the bok choy in the boiling water for 60 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Cook the ramen noodles in the same water according to packet instructions. Reserve 50ml of noodle water before draining.
  • Whisk the reserved noodle water into the Dan Dan sauce until smooth and pourable. Drain the noodles and toss immediately into the sauce until every strand is fully coated.
  • Divide the noodles between containers. Top with the beef mince, bok choy and spring onion greens from the ice water. Finish with extra chilli crisp.
Chef's Tips
Grating the garlic and ginger rather than chopping means they fully incorporate into the sauce and beef — every mouthful gets the full flavour rather than an uneven hit.
Sesame oil is added to the sauce raw deliberately — heat destroys its delicate aroma almost immediately, so keeping it raw means you actually taste it in the finished dish.
Drop the spring onion greens into ice-cold water to keep them crisp and vibrant green — it makes a real difference to the final dish.
Storage & Reheating
Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce develops and deepens in flavour every day it sits — this dish genuinely tastes better on day three than it does on day one. Freeze for up to 1 month — the cucumber and bok choy are best added fresh after reheating rather than frozen with the dish. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway. Add a splash of water if the noodles have dried out, and extra chilli crisp after reheating for a fresh hit of heat.
Serving 340gCalories 520kcalCarbohydrates 33.6gProtein 48.8gFat 20.3gSaturated Fat 6.3gPolyunsaturated Fat 2.9gMonounsaturated Fat 8.05gTrans Fat 0.3gCholesterol 132mgSodium 1225.8mgPotassium 737mgFiber 3.5gSugar 7.5gVitamin A 397.2IUVitamin C 21.11mgCalcium 76.8mgIron 5.2mg