cooking / mains

Vegan Dan Dan Noodles with Eggplant

serves 4 · 30 minutes · 10 minutes hands on · easy

Why This Works

Covered cooking steams and caramelizes chunky eggplant pieces at the same time, standing in for the traditional pork, while reserved noodle water thins the thick tahini-chile sauce into something that coats every strand.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons black vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup tahini (or Chinese/Japanese sesame paste)
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
  • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, finely grated or chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chile oil, chile crisp, or doubanjiang
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Eggplant and noodles

  • 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed
  • Kosher salt
  • 12 ounces dried thin wheat noodles (lo mein or Shanghai-style)
  • 2+ tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts separated, finely sliced
  • Generous pinch of granulated sugar

For serving

  • Handful of cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • Chile oil or chile crisp

Method

  1. Sauce: whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, tahini, garlic, ginger, chile oil, and sugar in a bowl. It will be thick — it thins with pasta water later.
  2. Eggplant prep: slice crosswise into 3/4-inch rounds, then cut each round into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Keep them chunky.
  3. Noodles: cook in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain, and rinse just a few seconds (they should stay hot). Drain well.
  4. Eggplant: heat a wok or large deep skillet over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons oil, the eggplant, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper; toss. Cover and cook 6-7 minutes, tossing every 60 seconds (drop to medium if it starts to burn), until caramelized and cooked through but still intact — don't let it go mushy. Uncover, add the Sichuan peppercorns, scallion whites, a pinch of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; toss 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
  5. Assemble: whisk the reserved noodle water into the sauce. Divide the sauce among four bowls, top with noodles, then eggplant, scallion greens, cilantro, and peanuts.
  6. Serve: toss everything together at the table and top with more chile oil or crisp.

Notes

  • Chinkiang black vinegar is traditional and adds depth; rice vinegar substitutes fine. Chinese sesame paste (toasted seeds) is richer, but tahini works great.
  • Sichuan peppercorns are worth finding for their numbing quality.
  • If scaling up, cook the eggplant in batches so it caramelizes instead of steaming.
  • Sauce keeps 3 days ahead (refrigerate, bring to room temperature before using). Store leftover noodles, eggplant, and sauce separately.
  • Pairs well with smashed cucumber salad or edamame.