The Dan Dan Obsession

So if you live in Philadelphia, or maybe even came to visit for a short time, there's a strong possibility you've heard of a restaurant called Han Dynasty, well known for its fiery dishes, each coming with a spice level choice ranging from 1 - 10 - let's just say that my max is 6, and even then I can barely finish the entire dish. Nonetheless, there is one dish in particular, that littered the Yelp reviews and almost every article I read about Han Dynasty before going, and it's called "Dan Dan Noodles". I'm not even sure I can describe the dish to it's justice, but for you I will try. It is served in a medium sized bowl steaming with a pile of flour noodles topped with bits of succulent fried ground pork, but the key - the key is the sauce, the most amazing sauce, patiently waiting at the bottom of the bowl for you to combine the three components and go into Asian Cuisine heaven.

So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that PYT was teaming up with Han Dynasty to create a Dan Dan noodle inspired burger served with Sichuan fries, offered for one week only. On the last day of course, the beau and I headed down to our old stomping grounds in NoLibs to experience what everyone on social media was describing as life changing.

I barely looked at the menu, but clearly I should have looked a little longer, seeing as how when I asked for the Dan Dan burger, the server looked at me a bit confused. "Oh, excuse, I mean the Handy Nasty burger." Which you can find the description for below...

We shared a pitcher of Golden Monkey to pass the time, clearly accustomed to waiting at PYT. After a while our burgers finally arrived, I waited anxiously as they put the plates down....

...and in typical PYT style, there was barely a 5 oz patty sitting on a huge "soft white Chinese bun". o_O...Despite being off put by the apparent size of the burger, I dug in and was further disappointed to find a bland - not even spicy, but basic tasting meat patty overpowered by watery cucumbers and soggy sugary bread. Womp! I will say that the Sichuan fries were quite tasty, so much so that the beau tried to order just another batch of fries, but to our dismay they were "no longer selling them separately." At this point, we were pretty much over it.

Having not quite had my Dan Dan fix that I was expecting, I decided to have a serious go at the Original Han Dynasty Dan Dan Noodle recipe that I'd found online a few months ago, but sadly couldn't pin to Pinterest because there was no picture, devastating, right? Anyway, when I say I really hit the nail on this, it's by far the closest I've ever come to recreating a restaurant dish. So good! Had to share it with you all, with pictures! So you can pin to your heart's desire. Enjoy!


Dan Dan Noodles (Adapted from Philly.com)
4 serving(s)

2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 ounces ground pork (I actually used about 8 oz, left over from dumpling night ;) )
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons preserved Chinese vegetables (available at Asian markets)
1/3 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons sesame paste
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chile oil
1/2 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn oil (available at Asian markets)
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound flour noodles (I used fresh ones from the refrigerated section, but any pasta will work!)

1. In a wok over high heat, heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Brown pork and garlic. Add preserved vegetables and 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce. Remove from heat.

2. In a bowl, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and sesame paste until emulsified. Add remaining 1/3 cup soy sauce, water, chile oil, peppercorn oil, and sugar, and whisk until emulsified.

3. Cook flour noodles according to package instructions.
4. Pour sauce into an empty serving bowl, add cooked noodles, and top with ground pork. Toss tableside.

And then dig in!