I found this delicious Jamie Oliver recipe a few weeks ago on the internet and have been wanting to try it since then. I am so glad I did because this is one fantastic little noodle dish! I have no idea how close it is to traditional Dan Dan Noodles but I can't say I care because its delicious anyway. I had to substitute a few ingredients as I couldn't get hold of them or had just (typically) run out of them.

As I used a chili paste and wasn't sure how strong chili oil is, I erred on the side of caution and only added 3 tbsp. I think I could have handled 1 more but it was hot enough. Probably best to just stick with your own spice tolerance level!

In the western Sichuan province of China, they make this dish in huge buckets that they carry on poles over their shoulders. “Dan” means pole, so these are, quite literally, “pole pole” noodles. It’s a simple dish, full of soft, silky noodles, lovely veg, some great crispy meat and a wonderful hum from the raw garlic. So there is a load of punchy flavours here, and then, of course, you’ve got the Sichuan pepper and the wonderful chilli.