Dan dan noodles is a classic dish of ChineseSichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables, chili oil, Sichuan peppers, pork, and scallions served over noodles. In American Chinese food and with many modern vendors, ground peanuts, peanut butter, or sesame paste are added, resulting in a stark contrast from the old, authentic version.
The same sauce is frequently served over poached chicken (called Bon Bon or Bong Bong Chicken), and on steamed, meat-filled dumplings in another Sichuan dish called suanla chaoshou.
A variety of English spellings are used. The first word may be either Dan, Dun, or Tan. There may or may not be a hyphen between the first two words. The last word may be Mein, Mian, or Noodles. The name refers to a type of carrying pole (a dan dan) that was used by ambulatory vendors who sold the dish on the streets. Quite literally, the name translates as Peddlar's noodles.
