These bowls are inspired by Dan Dan noodles, a street food originating in the Sichuan province of China. They’re a delicious, hearty and classic comfort food with a hit of heat. To achieve delectable crispy edges on the beef and a rich, caramelized sauce, cook the ground beef on high heat and avoid stirring too much as it cooks.
Ingredients
Sesame Noodle Sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp (10 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) Chinese five-spice powder
½ tsp (2 mL) freshly cracked Sichuan peppercorns
⅔ cup (150 mL) tahini
2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
2 tsp (10 mL) chili oil
Beef
1 tsp (5 mL) Chinese five-spice powder
½ cup (125 mL) hoisin sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) Shaoxing wine or mirin
1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola or sunflower oil
1 lb (500 g) Medium Ground Beef
Bowls
1 lb (500 g) fresh Chinese wheat noodles (or 8 oz/250 g dry spaghetti)
4 baby bok choy
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola or sunflower oil
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped roasted peanuts
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Chili oil
Directions
1. Sesame Noodle Sauce: Whisk together garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns, tahini, soy sauce and chili oil. Set aside.
2. Beef: Whisk together five-spice powder, hoisin, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Turn kitchen fan to HIGH. Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Add beef and spread out over skillet; cook, without stirring, for about 7 minutes or until brown and crispy on the bottom. Cook, stirring and breaking up beef into chunks, for about 3 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and well browned. Stir in sauce; cook until beef is well coated. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
4. Bowls: Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions.
5. Meanwhile, trim off bottoms from bok choy and separate leaves. Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add bok choy and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, just until bright green and wilted. Remove from heat.
6. Drain noodles, reserving ½ cup (125 mL) cooking water. Return noodles to pot, add Sesame Noodle Sauce and toss to coat, adding enough of the reserved water just to make saucy. Divide evenly among 4 serving bowls.
7. Top noodles with beef mixture and bok choy. Sprinkle with peanuts and green onion; drizzle with chili oil to taste.
Notes
For an authentic taste, add ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped preserved mustard green (Sui Mi Ya Cai) to the beef with the sauce in step 3. They’re available at Chinese grocery stores and some well-stocked supermarkets