Dan Dan Noodles of Noodle Hut

Dan Dan Mian

It is our first time to have Dan Dan Noodles and what a treat, it tasted real good! I’m not sure if others would share the same sentiment, but it has instantly become one of my favorite noodle dishes. (Be warned though that it is really spicy, even without the sliced chili that they usually top it with. )

Dan dan noodles or Sichuan Spicy Noodles is a Chinese classic dish of Szechuan or Sichuan Cuisine. According to Wikipedia, it usually consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables, chili oil, Sichuan pepper, pork, and scallions served over noodles.

What we had last night was a slight variation of the usual dan dan noodles. It is one of the two Kung Fu Noodles selections on the Noodle Hut’s menu. Btw, the Noodle Hut is located at the food court of Khalidiya Mall, which just opened a couple of months back. Yesterday was our second sampling of their dishes. The charming lady at the counter recommended that we try dan dan noodles and said that it is one of their best tasting noodles, and she did not fail us.

Going back to what I was saying, the difference of the dan dan noodles on the Noodle Hut’s menu from the usual that was described on Wikipedia was the roasted duck. I couldn’t compare at the moment which one is better, pork or duck. I only hope that I could also taste the pork version in the future.

Smitten by it, I did a little research for the recipe, which I hope to prepare in the future. Meanwhile the recipe links below would serve as a record to check out with when I finally gain the courage to prepare it.

The links also discussed a few facts and history of this Spicy Sichuan Noodles. Most of these recipes are dry version, the nearest to what we had was the one from Chinesefoodfans.com.

• Dan Dan Noodles Recipe by Foodandwine.com  (It is one of the recipes in their 100 Tastes to Try in 2007)
• Spicy Szechuan Noodles: Dan Dan Mian by Emeril Lagasse of Foodnetwork.com  (I used to watch Emeril Live! shows on TV)
• Dan Dan Mian - Sichuan Spicy Noodles by Appetiteforchina.com
• Dan Dan noodles by Chinesefoodfans.com  (This is probably the nearest recipe to what we had at the Noodle Hut)
• Dan Dan Mian Recipe by KitchenChick.com

Sardines with Misua

I prepared one quick and easy recipe for a late lunch today. It is the second day of no lunch breaks policy at work to give respect to the fasting traditions of Ramadan. I got home from work with a really hungry stomach at past 2pm. Anything in the cupboard or fridge that can be cooked and eaten was appetizing for me but it had to be done quickly. I initially thought of opening a can of sardines and eat it right away but I had a better idea. Besides hubby is still on his way home so I had to wait a little more. I enhanced the plain sardines in can dish and cooked it with misua.

Sardines with Misua
Misua is made of wheat flour and one of the varieties of Chinese noodles. It is very fine and brittle.

I finished cooking in no less than 15 minutes. It is recommended though that the sardines should be in tomato base but the only available can of sardines we had in the cupboard is in oil. I cooked it anyway with a little twist. I sautéed 2 large ripe chopped tomatoes to satisfy the tomato base. I was brave with the experiment and it tasted just as delicious as in using a tomato base sardines in can!

Here’s the recipe for my Sardines with Misua:

Ingredients:
1 small can sardines
50 grams misua
2 large chopped tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fish sauce
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1-2 cups water
cooking oil

Cooking Instructions:
1) Heat oil in a small cooking pot.
2) When the oil is hot enough, sauté garlic until light brown.
3) Add chopped onions and cooked until translucent.
4) Put in the chopped tomatoes. Cook until saucy under medium heat.
5) Add the sardines, fish sauce and ground pepper. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
6) Add the water and let boil.
7) Put in misua and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
8) Remove from heat, then serve in a bowl.
9) If desired, garnish with toasted garlic and chopped spring onion.

Patola Misua Soup

Soups are often served as starter for main meals when dining in a posh restaurant but for the underprivileged Filipino family, soup can already be the main meal.

One of the least expensive ways of making a soup is misua soup. It is one of the most popular soups among Pinoys. It can be prepared with vegetable or meat balls. For a healthy treat, patola misua soup is best. It’s simple and quick to prepare.

Misua (or miswa) is made of wheat flour and one of the varieties of Chinese noodles. It is very fine and brittle.

Patola comes from the family of gourd vegetables. It is commonly known in English as ridged gourd or loofah. This vegetable is rich in fiber and a good source of calcium, iron and phosphorus. It can be easily found in any major supermarkets in Abu Dhabi when in season or during summer months.

Here’s the recipe for my Patola Misua Soup.

Ingredients:
1/2 small pack Misua
3 large pieces Patola, peeled and sliced crosswise at ½ inch size
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Fish sauce
Vegetable stock or water

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oil in a casserole. Sauté garlic and onion. Add fish sauce and stir for 5 seconds. Add water or vegetable stock and let it boil. Add sliced patola and cook until it turns bright green. Add misua noodles. Stir constantly until misua is cooked (which will take only about 2 minutes or even less).

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes or less
Serving size: 5

Useful Info:
Misua makes the soup very thick when it is cooked so consider using a lesser quantity only to enjoy the soup more.

Pansit Guisado Recipe

Boq and I bought rice noodles some couple of weeks back and used a few strands for rice noodle soup (I'll post the recipe here in the future). We did not know what to do with the rest of the noodles so I suggested why not make a pansit guisado instead.

Pansit is a popular noodle dish in the Philippines, which is commonly served during fiestas, birthday occasions and widely celebrated holidays.

The typical pansit guisado recipe consists of very thin rice noodles stir-fried with chopped vegetables, soy sauce and some variations of sliced meat (e.g. chicken, pork & shrimps). When eaten, it is normally seasoned with black pepper powder, lemon/kalamansi (citrus) and patis (fish sauce).

In this recipe, I used chicken and liver for the meat ingredient. Chicken liver is tastier than the chicken meat in my opinion. And since it is also ideal to cook pansit guisado using two kinds of noodles I used pansit bihon and pansit canton together.

Ingredients:

200g pansit bihon (rice noodles or vermicelli)

200g pansit canton (Chinese noodle)

100g chicken meat, boiled and cut into strips

150g liver meat, boiled and diced

1/2 kilo cabbage, shredded

200g green beans, sliced thinly

1 medium-sized carrot, cut into strips

1 medium-sized onion, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

green bell pepper, cut into strips (optional)

soy sauce to taste

chicken bouillon cubes or chicken stock

vegetable or palm oil

water

For seasoning: lemon/kalamansi (citrus), black pepper powder and fish sauce

Procedure:
1)Heat oil in a large wok or pot.
2)Sauté garlic until light brown then add onion.
3)Add the chicken strips and diced liver.
4)Then add the vegetable ingredients in the following order: green beans, carrots, cabbage and bell pepper.
5)Season with soy sauce then add water and chicken cubes or chicken stock.
6)Add the vermicelli and noodles. Add more water/chicken stock, if desired. Stir continuously until cooked.

Useful Info:
1) To eliminate the difficulty of mixing, boil and cook first the Chinese noodles to make it pliant in a separate pot.
2) Similarly, soak the rice noodles or vermicelli in the water 2-3 minutes to make it pliant.
3) Use a large wok or pot when cooking pansit guisado as the mixing is a bit rigorous.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 45-60 minutes
Serving size: 6-8 persons