The hotel where I didn’t eat anything except for noodles.
When I went to China in 2019, we stayed at a resort that had a noodle bar open every meal. After discovering it on the second day, I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of my stay.
Even now, I eat rice maybe 3 times a week for dinner and noodles the other 4. I like noodles more than rice, more than bread, more than any other carb. Given this, I thought it only fit that they have their own series.
Chinese cooking has a variety of noodle types and recipes–rice and wheat noodles, cold and hot dishes, broth and sauce based, to name a few. I could very well dedicate this entire year to trying different recipes, but I’ve decided on the three dishes I make for myself most commonly. This week: 担担面.
The closest American equivalent I can think of is spaghetti and meatballs–similar in that there are a few different components that make up the dish.
In the parts that make up most of the flavor in the dish, there are two pieces:
- The sauce. The base is usually tahini or peanut butter, though I’m sure any other nut butter can be used as a substitute if the
The best black vinegar brand, no contest.
flavor profile isn’t too offensive. It’s flavored mainly with a combination of soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and sugar, with other ingredients added optionally. These three seasonings balance each other out and make up most of the flavor in the dish so it’s important to make sure the proportions are well done.
- Chili oil. This dish is native to Sichuan. My last blog post briefly mentions the cuisine and its emphasis on spice and peppercorns. This dish is no exception, the pepper in the chili oil provides both heat and the peppercorn gives the iconic numbing sensation. I make my own chili oil and it has an array of other ingredients, but the only two ingredients necessary for this dish are the chili and Sichuan peppercorn. With the two ingredient version, it’s actually easy enough to make for one time use and there’s no need to pre-make it.
The creaminess that comes from tahini and peanut butter and the spice form the chili oil work very well together. The sauce helps make the spice tolerable and not painful, and the spice cuts through the richness of the sauce.
Other flavor is derived from various toppings:
- Textural elements: Toasted peanuts are probably most common, but I like fried garlic and shallots as well. A nice crunch pairs well with the rest of the dish. As with most things, a lot of this is boiled down to preference. If you are allergic to peanuts, do not add them. If you don’t like garlic, don’t add any and then seek help.
- Vegetables: Typically bok choy is added, but I use spinach because I like it more and I have a calcium deficiency that necessitates dark leafy greens in my diet. Vegetables give it freshness and brighten up the otherwise very savory dish.
- Meat: Seasoned ground pork usually tops the dish. Since I didn’t have any ground pork, I swapped it out for a slab of this polish smoked meat that my dad bought last week. It’s pretty similar to bacon and I think the flavor works really well as a
replacement. I’d also consider trying Italian sausage, the bottomline being the meat should be pretty fine in texture and very well seasoned. Other than that, the requirement is pretty open.
Many of the substitutes I make or toppings I choose to add are not traditional. Even though I’m sure there are conventional toppings, there’s no reason to not get creative or adjust based on personal preference for a dish at home.
Lastly, the heart of the dish is, of course, the noodles. Ideally, they’ll be East Asian and have a good chew, but really anything is fine. Linguine functions virtually the same as Wei Chuan’s thin noodles, and it’s not the end of the world if they’re overcooked and limp.
担担面 topped with spinach, polish bacon, garlic, peanuts, chili oil, and green onion.
I only remember having 担担面 once in China, and if I’m being totally honest I don’t think it was anything too special since I don’t remember what it was like all that well. I never make this for special occasions or anything like that, and my recipe isn’t nit-picky at all. When I make this, it’s usually just a way to use up what’s in the fridge, but I think that’s valuable in its own right. I don’t think cooking has to constantly be special and novel; sometimes, a bowl of spicy noodles topped with a mess of refrigerator fixings is the best kind of meal.
2 Comments
Hey Kathryn, I totally loved your blog in so many ways. Noodles are just absolutely the best and I’m so beyond jealous that your hotel had a noodle bar; I would probably exclusively eat there if I was in your shoes too.
Before we begin, I’m really torn with your statement about noodles being the superior carb. The filipino part of me is screaming that rice is best, but the pastaholic in me that made bolognese last night for no reason is also wildly obsessed with the idea of a noodle-dominant society, but I digress.
I really like how you broke down the flavor. Giving your blog a non-English title was necessary to do the dish justice, but it definitely confused some of us, so I’m glad the rest of the blog had a clear outline. Your wording of “isn’t too offensive” really hits home; it’s not about being super authentic, but rather making something that tastes good and is in the same world as the original dish. Once again, the filipino in me would much rather use a cane or palm vinegar, but this sauce base still sounds boss. I also like how you broke down the rest of the elements; every ingredient has a clear purpose, whether it be heat, texture, or protein, and I’m a fan all the way.
I could go on, but I’m out of words. Long story short, I love it and I want it. Moore will have to make an exception I fully plan on eating this during class with you this week. Thanks for a great post.
Hi Kathryn! For starters, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I would love to know what hotel you stayed in because a noodle bar sounds like the absolute best thing in the world. For me, I wouldn’t necessarily say that noodles are the absolute best, especially because I love rice, but I would say that they’re about the same in terms of ranking. I loved the way you broke the dish down and described each part while also making note of the importance it has when it all comes together. I definitely agree with the black vinegar statement because that vinegar is SO GOOD and I also agree with “seek help” for the garlic because honestly garlic in any dish is great and if anyone says otherwise I would violently disagree. I’m honestly kind of ashamed to say that I don’t think I’ve ever actually had 担担面 here or in China when we go back, which I feel like is extremely unfortunate and I should definitely get to trying it the next time I return to taste the authentic noodles. Either way, please bring me some the next time you make it, I would greatly appreciate and adore you for the rest of the day, and thank you for your post!