Dan Dan Mein (Noodle)

So... My sister and I recently talked about the Dan Dan Mein that our mom made when we were young. Back in the day, I wasn't so keen on the dish, but for some reason, I have been craving/wondering about it. So, I decided to give it a shot today. It was semi-successful, but... I have never been a huge fan of peanut butter, just never developed a taste for it! So, I have to wonder, is my lack of enthusiasm for the end result because I didn't get it quite right or because I just found it too peanut buttery? In any case, here's how I made it and then how I've decided to modify it.

DAN DAN MEIN
(No special tools required)

Ingredients:

Peanut butter, approximately 1/4-1/3c (I used reduced fat)
Water
Ginger, grated
Garlic Powder
1-2T Cooking or Olive Oil
Salt
Fried shallots (optional)
approx. 1 tsp red chili flakes in oil
1-2 T soy sauce
Pepper
Sesame Oil
chopped spring onion

Noodles!

Start cooking your noodles ahead of time, as the sauce doesn't take very long to cool. Take your peanut butter some water and make a smoother peanut butter paste. I didn't add much in the beginning, probably a little less than a 1:1 ratio. In a small pot, add oil, grated ginger (I don't believe that you can really have too much ginger, but maybe a 1/4-1/2 tsp?), garlic powder, fried shallots, and the red chili pepper flakes with oil and heat over very low heat. Be ready to add your peanut butter mixture quickly as the oil will heat quickly. Once you have added the peanut butter, stir. You may need to add more water at this point, depending on how thin you like the sauce. I didn't need to add too much, maybe a couple of tablespoons. I then added the soy sauce, a little green onion, and salt as needed. When your sauce is done, add a little sesame oil for flavor and texture. For serving, add some sauce to the bottom of a bowl, the noodles on top, mix, put a little spring onion on top for aesthetics and viola - done!

Cooking Time: 4 min for sauce. With noodles, 10 min.
Serves: 4 people



So, after eating my meal, I thought it was okay. (Again, was it the dish or the peanut butter? Not sure.) So, I decided to make a few changes. First, I thought to add more water to try and cut some of the peanut buttery-ness. Not sure it will help, but ended up adding another 1/4 c. or so. Then, thinking about Honey Roasted Peanuts, I decided to add some honey to the mixture. Not too much, about 1-2 tsp. Also, after adding all that extra water, I decided that it needed more salt, ginger (another 1/4 tsp), red chili pepper oil (1/2 tsp), and garlic powder. We'll see how it fares tomorrow as I can't eat any more right now!