The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

There’s a Chinese restaurant about an hour outside Vancouver in Richmond called Northern Delicacies that makes my absolute favorite Dan Dan noodles. They have a rich peanut broth flavored with chili oil, sesame seeds and soy and they are absolute magic. There is nothing I would rather eat during the winter months and I think everyone needs to try these ASAP. I have been thinking about attempting to reproduce this dish at home for quite some time because I’m not always so enthusiastic about the drive involved to get to Richmond and with the amount I crave this amazing bowl of Chinese magic it really just makes sense.

Last night I finally decided to give it go. With giant rain drops falling outside in normal Vancouver fashion, it was all I could think about eating and I knew I didn’t have the courage for the 45 minute drive to Richmond. I wasn’t feeling that confident at first, as I was sure there were some fairly complex flavor combinations behind my favorite soup that weren’t going to be easy to reproduce.

I’m one of those people who has an extensive collection of Chinese ingredients from chili oil to fish sauce to rice vinegar, I can usually find what I need either in my fridge or pantry without having to run around looking for ingredients. But I kept thinking that there has to be more to it than just the perfect ratio of ingredients I was familiar working with, some secret ingredient, something I didn’t know about.

After working at getting the flavor of the broth as close to what I wanted as possible, the outcome was a lot better than I expected for a first try. They turned out really good. Surprisingly good. I gave myself a pat on the back for that one as I would say these noodles are in the ball park of 80%, which may not deserve a metal, but definitely merit making again.

Spicy Peanut and Sesame Dan Dan Noodles – Serves 6

This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth for either vegetable broth or miso. You could also substitute the ground pork for some tofu.

10 cups low sodium chicken broth, miso might also be good for a vegetarian version

1 whole white onion, peeled

1 whole fresh garlic clove, peeled

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup Asian peanut sauce

1/4 cup Asian sesame sauce, or tahini

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons chili oil

small bunch of broccolini, blanched

4 small Japanese cucumbers, julienned

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

1/2 cup black sesame seeds, toasted

1-2 packages of kamut soba noodles

sesame oil

sea salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking the soba noodles.

In a large heavy bottomed pot combine the chicken stock, whole garlic clove, whole onion, bring up to a boil and then reduce and allow to simmer for 10 – 20 minutes to infuse the broth. Remove the onion and garlic and discard, keeping the remaining broth at a simmer. Season to taste.

Whisk in the peanut butter, peanut sauce, sesame sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, lemon juice, and chili oil and stir to combine. Keep at a low simmer while you get the rest of the ingredients together.

Cook the soba noodles in the prepared boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes and then drain. I blanched the broccolini in the same pot while the noodles are cooking, by just placing them into a small sieve and into the water for 1-2 minutes. When you remove them from the boiling water, place them immediately into an ice bath to reserve their color.

Fry up the ground pork in a little sesame oil until browned, season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

To assemble, place some noodles into the bottom of 6 individual serving bowls and ladle over some of the hot spicy peanut broth. Place a few pieces of the broccolini around the side, top with a few tablespoons of the ground pork and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, toasted black sesame seeds, green onion and a bunch of the julienned cucumber.

Finish with a little drizzle of sesame oil and sea salt.

Serve immediately.