There seem to be endless variations of this dish, how does you guys make it? Personally I love a recipe from Fuschia Dunlop's 'Land of Plenty' (Sichuan Cookery to everyone outside the US or Canada) for Xie Lao Ban dan dan noodles which off the top of my head for one portion goes something as follows -

150g noodles
50g minced beef
1/2 tbsp Tianjin preserved vegetables
1/4 tsp whole Sichuan pepper
3 dried Sichuan chillis deseeded
2 tsp sesame paste
1/2 tsp roasted and ground Sichuan pepper
1/2 tbsp each of dark and light soy
1 tbsp chilli oil with sediment


Combine dark and light soy, ground Sichuan pepper, sesame paste and chilli oil in a serving bowl. Heat a little oil in a wok and add whole Sichuan pepper and chillis and stir fry until fragrant (DO NOT BURN). Add rinsed Tianjin veg and stir fry for 30 seconds before adding the beef and a few splashes of light soy (to taste) and cook until well browned and a bit crispy. Set aside and cook noodles according to the instructions, drain and add to the serving bowl, scatter over the beef topping, mix well and serve