Cold Noodles w/ Szechuan v. Dan Dan Mein

[BonVivant]

i have never had/seen dian dian mian as a soup in Sichuan. whenever i hear or see it 'brothy' i cringe and with peanuts... rarely.

[Alcuin]

i have never had/seen dian dian mian as a soup in Sichuan.  whenever i hear or see it 'brothy' i cringe   and with peanuts... rarely.

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Why cringe? "Authentic," maybe it isn't, but delicious--it is. It's one way of making noodles with "dan dan noodles" ingredients. The dry noodles are still delicious too, sometimes I just want a little soup.

[Ce'nedra]

Interesting to hear that.

I've always seen dan dan as soup based (weird). I'd imagine I would prefer the soup version simply because I'm a noodle soupie girl -love just about all (almost) varieties!

[BonVivant]

my last dan dan mian. at room temperature, never cold or warm, or soupy. the chili oil looks like a lot but not really. just mix everything well before eating. this place uses fresh greens but i've had it elsewhere with other dried greens or roots. everyone has their own recipes. the same green mixture is also used as a noodle soup condiment.

this one is probably the muslim version i had in Kunming. Hakka version in Hakka heartland. speaking of dried/preserved greens and roots, i think no one likes them more than the Hakka. [some photos of the vegs i put on one page here ]

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['shoulder pole noodle', a classic and much loved snack in Chengdu. in the old days it was sold by street vendors carrying baskets on a shoulder pole.]