Chungking Success: Dandan Noodles That Drip With Authenticity

Please, don’t laugh. For while many of you would never consider a stall in a basement food court worth writing about, there is always an exception.

A common sight in Sichuan and Chongqing alleyways is the noodle peddler carrying a shoulder-pole (danzi 担子), essentially a mobile kitchen. The name dandan mian (担担面) comes from this piece of equipment. Some of these hawkers appear to have settled inside Shin Kong Place, where Xinyudu Tantan Noodle looks as unremarkable as any other stock food court eatery. However, a fuwuyuan’s holler of “dandan mian” – spoken in the rising tones of the Chongqing dialect rather than the standard Mandarin tones – caught my ear with its inherent promise of authenticity.

A nimble Chongqing waitress and three neatly-uniformed Chongqing chefs are running a brisk business here – ten orders within seven minutes. Among these were four dandan mian, three hot-and-sour potato noodles (suanla fen 酸 辣 粉 ), two hot and numbing noodles (mala xiaomian 麻辣小面), and a solitary order of pea paste noodles (wandou zajiang mian 豌 豆杂酱面). I decided to follow the majority and swipe away 15 kuai of my prepaid card on the dandan mian.

I was shocked by the generous portion – it was almost three times a typical Chengdu serving. The black dongcai (冬菜) atop the noodles was another good omen. This preserved vegetable is an essential ingredient, one that is grown around Chongqing. As a result, many food experts have claimed dandan mian originates from the east of Sichuan, rather than Chengdu, where popular mythology tends to place the dish.

Xinyudu’s dandan mian is dry, as it should be, rather than soupy. But when the toppings (dongcai, minced pork, shredded scallion and peanut crumbs) are evenly mixed with the sauce, a sophisticated fragrance emerges. The first slurp was satisfying. A touch of nutty sesame paste strengthened the savory flavor, and the glistening red chilli oil was gentler than it looked. The second bite was well-balanced by a subtle sweetness, lingering around a numbing aftertaste from the crushed huajiao peppercorns.

I’m not one for pedantic notions of authenticity – taste is more important. But these dandan mian are both true to tradition and delectable. I mopped them up.

Xinyudu Tantan Noodle 鑫渝都摊摊面
Daily 10am-10pm. B1/F, Shin Kong Place, 87 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (no tel)
朝阳区建国路87号新光 天地地下1层

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