Till now, each time my Hong Kong friends mentioned Dan-Dan Noodles (擔擔麵) as they mean Shanghai Noodle, I'm quite not used to it, actually we never have noodle called Dan-Dan in Shanghai, and as all I know, the name Dan-Dan comes from normal egg noodle in Sichuan/Cheng Du cuisine. So, what is Shanghainese favorite noodle? Dry noodle with special soy sauce, I shall rank this one as the No.1.
It is a very simple noodle dish, with normal round-shape egg noodle which should be soft, elastic but still chewy and not sticky. Just to use a lot fried spring onion and secret sauce made from soy sauce, (sesame) oil, sugar and other ingredients, to dress up the warm noodle. It is without soup, but the noodle is fully covered with enough sauce and oil, so you won't have a 'dry' taste. The beauty of this easy noodle is its incredible fragrance and smooth taste. We call it Cong-You-Ban-Mian (蔥油拌面).
