Peanut-Sesame Noodles

Over the years, I’ve experimented with many, many different recipes, still trying to replicate the dandan noodles I loved so much. This recipe comes pretty close. I hope you’ll try it. Kids love it when it’s called simply “peanut butter noodles.” Best of all, this is a really quick and simple dish to prepare.

Ted Scheffler

June 26, 2020

When I lived in New York City, there was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Division Street in Chinatown — the name of which I’ve long since forgotten — that served up the best sesame noodles I’ve ever tasted. These noodles — called dandan or dan dan in China — are a specialty of the Sichuan region, but are popular and sold by street vendors all over China. Over the years, I’ve experimented with many, many different recipes, still trying to replicate those Chinatown noodles I loved so much. This recipe comes pretty close. I hope you’ll try it. Kids love it when it’s called simply “peanut butter noodles.” Best of all, this is a really quick and simple dish to prepare.

Ingredients:

8 oz. fresh Chinese egg noodles (preferred) or dried soba udon noodles
Salt
1/4 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter (I prefer crunchy for the added texture)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Hot Asian chili sauce, to taste (I like to use Sriracha for this dish)
Minced green onions for garnish
Chopped roasted peanuts for garnish

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce until smoothly blended.
Next, cook the noodles according to package directions in generously salted water. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.
Toss the noodles in the bowl with the peanut sauce and garnish with green onions and chopped peanuts

Serve the noodles chilled or at room temperature (I prefer room temperature) as a side dish.

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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.

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Utah Stories

Chinese food, cooking at home, noodles, recipe

Ted Scheffler

Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine, and travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, music, and reading, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers. Ted is also the author of the Utah Bites newsletter, which is published in partnership with Utah Stories. Before moving to Utah, Ted lived in New York City, and numerous states in the US, as well as in various countries overseas, Spain, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. He earned a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research.

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