Dandan noodles have a cult following worldwide, and it’s easy to see why. These lush, spicy, meaty noodles, which originated as street food in China’s Sichuan province, combine a mouth-dizzying array of flavors. Chef Cory Bahr at Parish Restaurant in Monroe, La., is the source for this field-inspired variation, in which ground venison is dressed in a sweet-hot-sour-salty sauce before meeting a mouth-numbing chili oil. Bahr likes his noodles spicy—he’s a Louisianan, after all—but if you want to play it safe, use ¼ cup of the chili oil in step four. This is a great use for meat from an older deer, due to the riot of seasonings. Use any leftover chili oil as you would hot sauce. Added to eggs, it’ll wake you quicker than even the blackest coffee.
