Dan Dan Noodles
Summers are always busy, and everyone is always on the go. When we are home, we tend to grill a lot; simple chicken breast with a side salad and we are happy campers. But in the midst of the summer rush, I started missing the kitchen and found myself reaching for one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s certainly not gourmet, and the pictures aren’t even that pretty. But I have made this recipe a dozen times over the years and it always hits the spot.
Dan Dan Noodles (adapted from Cuisine at Home)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (can also use beef broth)
- 3 Tbls peanut butter
- 2 Tbls soy sauce
- 1 Tbls brown sugar
- 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tbls fresh ginger, grated
- 2 Tbls garlic, minced
- 1 package thin stir-fry noodles
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
- 12 oz ground turkey breast (I’m careful to buy ground turkey breast, which is much lower in fat that regular ground turkey)
- Green onion, sliced
This dish cooks pretty quickly and since the above mixture requires quite a few ingredients, I like to get the sauce ready and the vegetables cut. Once everything is prepared, heat a medium-large non-stick skillet with a little bit of oil. Place turkey into pan in large chunks and brown on all sides. When I first read this recipe, I thought this technique was a little strange but I’ve followed this method whenever I’ve made this dish and it works every time.
Add in red pepper and continue to saute. Once peppers are soft, add in the sauce and break apart the turkey breast. Bring the sauce to a boil and let simmer until the turkey is fully cooked.
While simmering, add the noodles to boiling water. These noodles are so thin they will cook in no time. Be careful not to over cook or they will be sticky and a little mushy. Once sauce has thickened and noodles are cooked, strain the noodles, spoon the turkey with sauce over the noodles and top with sliced green onions.
I like to make a large portion of this dish, as it reheats well for leftovers but is also great cold. I find myself making this during any season and it really has become one of my favorite recipes. I have made it with all of the ingredients, but have also managed to improvise when I didn’t have everything at my fingertips. I find I use a lot of ginger, and I like to top with a lot of green onion. This recipe is very adaptable and after you make it once, you will have a good idea of which flavors you want to taste more (or less). Bon appetite!
What’s your favorite go-to recipe?
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