The only noodle soup that has any cache in America is chicken noodle soup, which is usually found in cans on supermarket shelves. Typically, it’s an off-white, flat, salty concoction with soft, bloated noodles and dry nibs of chicken. It’s a marginal food that’s usually mentioned only when someone is sick, perhaps because when one’s nose is clogged with mucus one can’t really taste how bad the soup is. In stark contrast, the noodle soup in Asia is given a place of honor. In Japan you have ramen; in Korea, naengmyun; Vietnam, pho; and on and on, each a unique, complex, satisfying meal with countless kitchens vying in a heated competition for the best versions in their respective lands. Noodle soups are one of the chief reasons why Asia is such an amazing, and amazingly cheap, place to eat.

My latest discovery – and I don’t know how this escaped my radar for so long – is dan dan mein, which is originally from the Sichuan region but found throughout Hong Kong. Dan dan mein is a deceptive dish. What you see is plain wheat noodles folded in a bowl in a pool of a reddish broth with nothing more than sliced scallions and crushed peanuts for garnish. No chunks of meat, no mounds of fresh vegetables. But what you taste is a well balanced, rich soup that changes subtly over the course of the meal. The first few bites are piquant and bright yet balanced with a surprising richness from the meat broth and dried shrimp. The creamy body of the soup comes from the crushed peanuts and the starch from the noodles which leaches out slowly and thickens the soup as you eat. Broth becomes sauce by your last bite – a marvelous transformation.

Pork chop at Delicious Kitchen

There are many places to try dan dan mein, from hole-in-the-wall joints to the swanky Peninsula Hotel, but I keep returning to the same two restaurants, partly out of loyalty, partly out of convenience since they’re both within a 5 minute walk from my apartment. Of the two restaurants, the better version is found at Crystal Jade, a restaurant chain from Singapore that’s more known for it’s Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao). Theirs is slightly smoky from the use of toasted chilis and has a good measure of acid. You also get hand pulled noodles that are stretched and cut to order. The dan dan mein I eat most regularly, however, is at Delicious Kitchen. It’s not as good as the one at Crystal Jade, but it comes with a plate of fried pork chops, which, judging from how it glistens like a walrus lathered in cocoa butter, has to be bad for  you. They’re crispy, chewy, tender, sweet, salty, and heartbreakingly delicious. Literally – they’ll give you a heart attack sooner than later. The noodle soups at both restaurants cost less than US$5.

For very good reason the 20th century is called the American Century. America has been the forerunner in the intensifying race towards modernization; everyone else, especially the Asian nations, has been scrambling to catch up. But I hope that in the 21st century, America learns a thing or two from Asia. The noodle soup is a fine place to start.

If you live in Hong Kong, please let me know where you’ve had the best dan dan mein. Thanks!
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Dan dan mein at Crystal Jade

The dan dan mein at Delicious Kitchen is best eaten with pork chops and 'delicious pickles'

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