Dan Dan Noodles
I have been noticing a really unique phenomenon around me — full circles. Full circles are very interesting. For the unacquainted, full circles are a series of developments that lead back to the original source, position, or situation or to a complete reversal of the original position. For some reason, this year has been a timeline of full circles both at work and in my personal life. I’ll use the work ones for another blog post, but I do want to talk about a recent full circle moment from a personal front. High school (Circa 2009-2013) to for me was one of the most stressful times in my life. More so than being gainfully unemployed in America, failing to find work opportunities back home, or even my ever-ending tryst with losing weight. High school made me feel helpless. Academics were fine but not great given that I took a pure science stream when the only thing I was interested in was biology. This just made me hate what I did. And 16 hours of my day felt like a waste constantly.
At the time, my dad was very interested in me becoming an engineer. He never pushed it as hard as some other families tend to but there were some interest generation activities that were constantly in the background. It started in the tenth grade itself with him taking me to the nearest FIITJEE to our house where we discussed my prospects of getting into IIT, the hard work it will take, and then the sales pitch— how FIITJEE will make it happen for you. My dad was convinced but looking at my face (and academic track record) we decided against in-person classes but opted for an online study course — which in 2010 consisted of 8 books and 7 CDs. I happily took them and placed them nicely into be a cupboard, never to be read again. In the eleventh grade (2011), dad changed strategies. He moved from a study material as motivation approach to the dangling carrot approach. The top prize was very interesting- a luxury watch of my choice if I get into IIT or a top Ivy League college. I hate dangling carrots. They seem more like childish displays of motivation than a holistic approach to understanding desire and mapping it back to measures of success. I happily ignored it. A watch was not a desirable product for me at the time (the Apple Watch had not come out yet).
Fast forward to my college graduation in May 2017, dad and I found ourselves in New York City having 18% alcohol beers, amazing food, and watching The Book of Mormon on Broadway. We walked all through Midtown and along the way reached the World Trade Center. While going down the beautiful foyer of the Oculus Rift, we found an Apple Store. And while there, dad started asking if I wanted anything? At the time, I had just purchased the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and the need for any new hardware seemed meek. And that’s when I saw the Apple Watch. Dad, excited to get me something for graduation purchased it in minutes and as we left the store, it hit me— the full circle. His dangling carrot of a luxury watch was finally complete as I matriculated from college. Now, it wasn’t an IIT or an Ivy League institute but in many ways, it finally signified success in his eyes. It’s been five years since this event but it remains fresh in my head because of a recent event— my watch got an upgrade! I finally retired my Apple Watch Series 2 and my dad purchased the Apple Watch Series 7. It’s kind of beautiful — the full circle has turned into a tradition.
Now I can’t find a way to create a smooth transition to the story with the dish but let’s try anyway. There is something perfect about Dan Dan Noodles. Sure they have a great broth, the protein is well seasoned, and adding some greens only elevates the whole dish but the thing that makes this dish perfect is the ratio of broth to noodle. Ramen tends to be more broth focussed with the goal being to consume the broth through the noodles. The broth is also what carries all of the flavours. However, in Dan Dan Noodles the broth is a supporting actor playing a vital but balanced role in the entire ensemble. In many ways, this makes the broth both easy to make and less stressful if you mess up. There are many versions to this dish and mine is nowhere close to being the truest to form, however, I believe it’s the best version of the dish given what I find locally in my stores and what I believe would make all of you the happiest too! I hope you try this recipe and as always, Happy cooking!
Glimpses from the week
Recipe
Ingredients
350 grams minced chicken
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine (optional)
2 tablespoons of homemade chilli oil
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of ginger, minced
3-4 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons of any neutral oil (I used Sunflower oil)
A handful of egg noodles, or any noodles of your choice
Method
Start by cooking off your minced chicken. In a frying pan on medium to high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and add your red chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Let them temper in the oil for a minute and then drop the chicken, stirring constantly for anywhere between 10-15 minute
Halfway through the process, add a tablespoon of soy sauce and any greens that you have at home (I chose to add some bok choy). Cook well.
On the side, add water to a pot and set to boil. Add your noodles and cook them off based on the package instructions. Before draining the water, take some of the water out and use it for the sauce
For the sauce, in a saucepan on medium heat, add the remaining oil and add the minced ginger and garlic. Cook-off until the aromatics are gone and add the remaining ingredients — peanut butter, rice vinegar, cooking wine, chilli oil, and the noodle broth. Mix well and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Now for plating, in a bowl, add half the broth topped with the noodles and finally the chicken on top. Serve hot!
