super special ambiguous dan dan mian
one tablespoon each
- toasted sesame paste
- chili oil (preferably home-made w/ aromatics)
- dill pickle brine/vinegar
half teaspoon each
- sichuan peppercorn oil
- fermented black soybean
- sesame oil (kadoya brand good)
to taste
- one to two tablespoons soy sauce
- half to one teaspoon sugar
- half to one teaspoon msg (very important)
chili oil
- 150g sichuan chili flakes (medium/coarse grind)
- 2 cups neutral oil (peanut/canola/veg)
- 2 slices of ginger
- 1-2 green onion/scallion
- 5 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoon sichuan peppercorn
- 1 crushed black cardamom pod (8-10 cadamom seeds otherwise)
- 8-10 cloves
- 1 teaspoon fennel/caraway seed
how 2 cook oil
- very important to have a candy thermometer to monitor oil temp
- heat all aromatics in 2 cups of oil at 225-250F for 30 minutes
- remove aromatics after 30 minutes, should be browned and very fragrant
- in separate bowl have chili flakes ground to a med/fine texture and
- pour hot oil over that while mixing
- let cool and refrigerate overnight
references
How to Make Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles, using a homemade from-scratch Red Chili Oil by u/mthmchris
How to Make Chili Oil - An Essential Chinese Recipe by Kaitlin Leung
Very Fresh Noodles' Very Spicy Dan Dan Mian (emailed them for some pointers and they kindly obliged)
