DanDan Udon

Ingredients: 

• 1lb Ground pork or 1lb mushrooms (mix of white button, brown, shiitake, oyster, maitake)

• 1 knuckle ginger 2” long

• 3-5 cloves of garlic

• Optional: serrano pepper

• 3-5 green onions

• ½ head cabbage (napa cabbage the best for this but any green will be fine) 

• ½ white or yellow onion

• Sesame oil 

• Mirin

• Soy sauce or tamari 

• Red pepper flakes

• Peanut butter

• Fresh udon noodles in the package are the best but dried will do just fine too

• Sesame seeds

• Veg oil or avocado oil 

Instructions: 

1. If using, chop up mushrooms into small pieces

2. Chop cabbage into desired size pieces, i usually go for 2” squares

3. Cut onion into desired size pieces, i usually go for slicing lengthwise NOT crosswise 

4. Chop green onion into thin slices

5. Peel ginger and garlic and grate them on a zester, microplane or the smallest size on a cheesegrater 

6. If using, mince serrano pepper

7. Add a glug of veg oil, (maybe 2 tablespoons) to a pan and bring to medium-high heat

8. Add cabbage and onions to pan and toss in oil, let them get really nice and brown and carmelized, around 5-8 mins. Check them every 2-3 mins and stir when one side gets too brown, but don't stir too much so they have time to brown.

9. Once they are cooked to your liking remove them from a pan and put in a bowl. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of sesame oil onto the cabbage and toss well. 

10. To the hot pan add either meat, or 1 more tablespoon of veg oil and add mushrooms with a pinch of salt

11. Cook until meat is completely browned all over 8-10 mins, or until mushrooms are completely softened, broken down and browned all over 10-15 mins

12. If making udon from dried go ahead and do that now. Follow the package instructions but usually it's boil some water, adding a pinch of salt to the water, boil for 8-10 minutes (most say 10-12 but i find thats too long), drain and rinse with cold water 

13. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mean/mushroom pan and mix well. 

14. Add green onions to meat for about 30 seconds

15. Add ginger and garlic to pan for another 30 seconds to a minute, don't let them burn but they should get very fragrant

16. Add maybe ¼-⅓ cup of mirin and soy sauce to the pan and mix well

17. Add two hefty spoonfuls of peanut butter, maybe ⅓-½ cup of peanut butter to pan and mix well

18. Add cabbage/onions back into the mix and mix well

19. Add either fresh udon or the previously made rehydrated udon to the pan and mix well

20. Garnish liberally with sesame seeds and more green onion if you have it