Sichuan Dan Dan Mian — Traditional Street Version
Chengdu, Sichuan Province
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The working recipe — the Market List, the Method, and where it lives or dies
I
Origin
Chengdu, Sichuan Province
II
Description
The authentic Chengdu dan dan mian (担担面) bears little resemblance to its Americanised versions. Traditional dan dan mian is served in a small portion as a snack, almost dry — just enough spiced pork and sauce to coat the noodles without making them soupy. The name derives from the dan dan (shoulder pole) vendors carried through Chengdu streets. Served in a small bowl with less than 2 ladles of sauce.
III
The Thread
—Taiwanese scallion noodles — similarly minimal sauce-to-noodle ratio
—Japanese mazemen — dry-style ramen
—Indonesian mie goreng — intensely sauced noodles
IV
Flavour Context
Nutty sesame; forward chili heat; Sichuan numbing; sour from vinegar; savoury pork and preserved vegetable; a complex bowl in miniature
Pillars V — VII
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