Dan dan noodles, served cold on purpose

Name: Dan dan noodles, served cold on purpose
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 10 oz baby bok choy (about 4); 10 oz ramen noodles, fresh or frozen; 2 cups corn kernels (fresh, canned or thawed from frozen); 2 tbsp sesame paste or tahini; 2 tbsp chili crisp, plus more to finish (or chile oil); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) (or rice vinegar for something brighter); 2 tsp sugar; 1 clove garlic, grated; 3 tbsp water (2 to 3 tbsp, to loosen the dressing); 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; sea salt

The sesame and chile sauce is bossy enough to work as a dressing, so the noodles never need to be hot.

At a Glance

Time

25 min

Serves

Story

Everything cooks in the one pot of boiling water on a stagger, which is the part to pay attention to. The noodles go in first, the white bok choy stems and the corn join them for the last minute and a half, and the leaves get twenty seconds at the end. Then the whole lot is drained and run under cold water, which stops the cooking dead and keeps the stems squeaky rather than limp.

Ingredients

10 oz baby bok choyabout 4
10 oz ramen noodlesfresh or frozen
2 cups corn kernelsfresh, canned or thawed from frozen
2 tbsp sesame paste or tahini
2 tbsp chili crispplus more to finish (or chile oil)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang)or rice vinegar for something brighter
2 tsp sugar
1 clove garlicgrated
3 tbsp water2 to 3 tbsp, to loosen the dressing
2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
2 scallionsthinly sliced
sea salt

Method

Dan dan noodles are a Sichuan street dish, and the sauce is the reason anybody remembers them: sesame paste, chile oil, vinegar, a little sugar, enough garlic to announce itself. Loosened with a splash of water it stops being a sauce and turns into a dressing, and then the whole thing is happiest at room temperature.

Curly ramen is the noodle to use. The kinks hold the dressing where a smooth noodle lets it slide off.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Separate the white parts of the bok choy from the green. Slice the white parts into thick pieces, rinse them well under the tap, and drain. Grit hides down in the base of a bok choy and nothing ruins a cold noodle dish faster.
Cook the ramen to al dente per the packet. A minute and a half before it is ready, add the white bok choy and the corn. In the last 20 seconds, throw in the green leaves. Drain the lot, run it under cold water until cool, and leave it to drain properly.
Whisk the sesame paste, chili crisp, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and garlic to a chunky paste. Add 2 tbsp water and whisk again, adding the last tablespoon if it needs it, until it runs like cream. Black vinegar is the one to use if you have it, malty and dark where rice vinegar is sharp and bright.
Tip the noodles, greens and corn into a wide shallow bowl, pour over the dressing and toss until the dressing is on everything. Top with the sesame seeds, the scallions and a few more drops of chili crisp. Taste for salt.

The dressing keeps in a sealed jar for 2 days and will set firm in the cold. Loosen it with a splash of water before it meets the noodles.

On the pass