Dan Dan Noodles

Sometimes you just want that taste of spicy.  You crave something to get your adrenaline going, to perk up your taste buds, and to give you a bolt of energy.  We’ve been seeing and enjoying these noodles in local Chinese restaurants over the last couple years for their unique, and highly addictive, taste, and we just couldn’t resist the urge to try and perfect our own recipe.  These noodles represent the surprisingly harmonious combination of aromatic, creamy, umami, and spicy flavors.

Ingredients

2 leaves bok choy, julienned

1 celery rib, julienned

1 carrot, julienned

2 scallions, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground chicken

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

dash white pepper

 2 teaspoons peanut oil

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 teaspoons chile paste

1 teaspoon honey

1½ teaspoons oyster sauce

¾ cup chicken broth

12 ounces cooked spaghetti

additional sauce:

2 teaspoons chile paste

2 teaspoons tahini

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

Using a fork, mix chicken with soy sauce, rice wine and a bit of white pepper.  Heat oil over medium high heat in wok and brown chicken, sprinkling the cinnamon as it cooks.  In a bowl, whisk tahini, vinegar, broth, chile paste, honey and oyster sauce.  Once chicken is cooked, turn heat to low and add garlic.  Cook for about a minute, or until it becomes fragrant.  Add the tahini mixture and chicken broth, simmering until the sauce thickens.  Add the bok choy, carrot, celery and scallions.  Add the cooked spaghetti to the meat mixture.  Whisk the additional sauce ingredients in a bowl and coat the spaghetti and vegetables.