Dan Dan-Style Noodles
with tofu / mushrooms / mustard greens
Smarts: The versatile sauce on this dish has a slight nutty flavor that comes from Tahini (a sesame paste usually used in Mediterranean cooking) or from any number of other substitutes listed below - Chinese sesame paste, Chinese black bean paste or peanut butter. Feel free to skip it if you don't have any of these on hand.
Ingredients
- Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
- Stock, any low-sodium variety - 1/2 cup (sub water)
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1/4 cup
- Cornstarch - 1 Tbsp
- Brown sugar - 1 Tbsp
- Vinegar, rice - 2 Tbsp
- Oil, toasted sesame - 2 Tbsp
- Tahini - 2 tsp (opt; sub Chinese sesame paste, black bean paste, or peanut butter)
- Chili garlic sauce - 2 tsp, more or less to taste (sub any hot sauce)
- Tofu, extra-firm - 16 oz (vacuum-packed preferable)
- Peanuts - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Mustard greens - 8 oz, chopped into 1” / 2.5cm pieces (sub chard, baby bok choy, or broccoli florets)
- Green onions - 3, chopped, green and white parts combined
- Mushrooms, any brown - 8 oz (like button or shiitake)
- Chinese egg noodles, fresh or frozen - 6 oz (sub linguini or spaghetti)
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Tofu - If tofu is packaged in water, press out liquid. (Can be done up 1 day ahead)
- Garlic / Peanuts / Mustard greens - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make sauce - Combine garlic, stock, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, toasted sesame oil and tahini. Add chili garlic sauce (the amount listed will make a fairly spicy sauce, so reduce if you prefer less heat or add more if you want it super spicy). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Green onions - Chop green and white parts of onions and combine. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Chop tofu and mushrooms - Finely dice tofu and mushrooms or combine them in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Make sure to just pulse or it may result in a paste. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make
- Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat a wok or skillet with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add mustard greens and saute until bright green and tender. (If using broccoli florets or baby bok choy, add a splash of water and cover with a lid or plate. Steam vegetables until tender, ~4 minutes.) Season with a pinch of salt. Set greens aside and return wok to heat.
- Add second part of cooking oil to heated wok and then tofu and mushrooms. Saute until moisture from the mushrooms has cooked off and tofu / mushrooms are starting to brown on the bottom of the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Give sauce a stir and add it to the pan. Simmer until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Divide mushrooms and tofu / sauce between serving bowls. Top with noodles, greens, green onions and peanuts. (The noodles are served on top of the sauce in this dish so you can combine them as you eat.)
- Let everyone use chopsticks to toss everything in their bowl together at the table. Add some extra red pepper flakes or some hot sauce if you’d like more heat. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
91 reviews
All-time favorite recipe so far. Made many times. (One time I used a trader joes chili garlic sauce and did NOT like that ingredient. Buy other chili garlic sauce.)
0 HelpfulWas great. But could have used some tips on how to get the noodles not to clump. Seemed way more prone than regular noodles, even with a few spoonfulls of sauce. The four "nests" of noodles never really untangled and noodles were hard to mix with other components.
0 HelpfulInstant favorite with the husband. I made it with a load of baby bok choy from my garden and he already wants to know when I'll make it again. Lovely level of heat in the sauce and comes together quickly.
0 HelpfulCouldn’t find mustard greens or bok choy so subbed Napa cabbage and shredded carrots. Still super yum!
0 HelpfulLove these noodle bowls. We used 1 1/2 lb ground pork and peanut butter and 3 packs of ramen noodles. We used the baby bok choy but 2 bunches was not enough for 4 people. I would just add 2 more bunches. Definitely a fav!
0 HelpfulAlso agreed not as spicy as we were worried it might be but super flavorful and added a little red pepper flake after taste tasting and was perfect! One of our favorite meals yet!
0 Helpful