Dandan noodles

Dandan noodles
Dandan noodles
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	擔擔麵
Simplified Chinese	担担面
Literal meaning	"carrying-pole noodles"
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	dàndànmiàn
IPA	[tântânmjɛ̂n]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	daam1 daam 1 min6
Japanese name
Kanji	担々麺
Kana	タンタンメン
Romanization
Transcriptions
Romanization	Tantanmen

Dandan noodles
	Hong Kong–style dandan noodle soup (擔擔湯麵) from a Sichuanese restaurant in Shanghai, with red chili oil, pork, and spring onions
Alternative names	Dandanmian, Tantanmen
Type	Noodles, noodle soup
Course	Main
Place of origin	China
Region or state	Sichuan
Serving temperature	Hot, cold
Main ingredients	Chinese noodles, chili oil
Variations	Jinsimian
	Media: Dandan noodles;

Dandan noodles or dandanmian (traditional Chinese: 擔擔麵; simplified Chinese: 担担面), literally "carrying-pole noodles",^[2] is a Chinese noodle dish originating from Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce usually containing preserved vegetables, such as zha cai (lower mustard stems) or ya cai (upper mustard stems), as well as chili oil, Sichuan pepper, minced pork, and scallions served over noodles.^[3] The dish can either be served dry or as a noodle soup.

Dandanmian originated in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. The original dish is served with no soup in a small bowl covered in a mala meat sauce and pickled vegetables, with peanuts and spring onions served on top. The soup variant is from Hong Kong and is more widespread across the rest of China but it is uncommon in Sichuan itself where the traditional style dominates.

Sesame paste or peanut butter is sometimes added, and occasionally replaces the spicy sauce, usually in the American Chinese style of the dish.^[4] In this case, dandanmian is considered a variation of ma jiang mian (麻醬麵), sesame sauce noodles, although ma jiang mian usually refers to a specific Shanghainese dish.

Origin and name

Dandan refers to a type of carrying pole that was used by walking street vendors who sold the dish to passers-by. The pole was carried over the shoulder, with two baskets containing noodles and sauce attached at either end.^[3] As the noodles were affordable due to their low cost, the local people gradually came to call them dandan noodles, referencing the street vendors. The name translates directly as 'noodles carried on a pole', but may be better translated as 'peddler's noodles'.^[3]

A variety of English spellings are used. The first word may be either dandan, dundun or tantan. The last word mian (noodle) may also be spelled mein in Cantonese pronunciation.

Related dishes

The same sauce is frequently served over Bang bang chicken, and on steamed, meat-filled dumplings in another Sichuan dish called suanla chaoshou.

The dish was introduced to Japan by Sichuanese chef Chen Kenmin.^[5] It is known as tantan-men in Japanese, formally written 担担麺, as in Chinese, but often written with an iteration mark as 担々麺, or with 坦 instead of 担. It is sometimes considered a form of ramen.

Jinsimian

Jinsimian (金絲麵) or "gold thread noodle" is a variation of the dandan noodles, which was invented by chef Li Hong-kai (李紅凱) in 1989.^[6] Using a special kneading technique, Li was able to make a dough consistency that does not become mushy when cooking even if cut really thin. The noodles are cut so thin they can be threaded through a needle. Li was registered in Guinness World Records for the most noodles (45) thread through a needle,^[6] which was beaten by Li Enhai in 2010 by adding two more threads.^[7] The latter also holds the record of the thinnest noodle at 0,18 mm.^[8] As of 2024, there are other chefs as well, who cook the dandan dish using jinsimian.^[9]