Vegetarian Sichuan noodles
Sunday night dinners at our house are often lazy, simple affairs. Mid-week to Saturday, I'm all about spending lots of time and effort to cook something, but that feeling is over by Sunday. Good thing that by the time Sunday rolls around, there are leftover items in the fridge that can be used up in a stir-fry or other similarly versatile dish.
Last week I had tons of veggies--half a pepper here, a few stalks of scallions there. I opted to make a vegetarian dish with some egg noodles (thus, not vegan) I had in the pantry. A 'Szechuan Noodles' recipe from Barefoot Contessa seemed interesting, if not terribly authentic. Her recipe uses pasta and peanut butter, which is...weird? And it also has cayenne, which is definitely a western ingredient. (I admit, though, I'm more familiar with Cantonese-style food. China's a huge country, with so many different styles of cooking.)
My modified Sichuan Noodles recipe--based on personal preferences and replacing or omitting some western ingredients--is below. I find the sauce makes very generous portions. I originally made noodles for 4 servings, and had about 2 servings of sauce left over. I've changed the amount of noodles below to compensate. Also, the sauce is very rich, so I might even thin it out a bit next time. It would be a nice marinade for grilled chicken, I think. As a vegan option, one can use rice noodles or perhaps even bean vermicelli instead of egg noodles.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
**I used dried mushrooms, so I soaked them for a few hours first.
Note: This recipe serves 6.
Directions
Last week I had tons of veggies--half a pepper here, a few stalks of scallions there. I opted to make a vegetarian dish with some egg noodles (thus, not vegan) I had in the pantry. A 'Szechuan Noodles' recipe from Barefoot Contessa seemed interesting, if not terribly authentic. Her recipe uses pasta and peanut butter, which is...weird? And it also has cayenne, which is definitely a western ingredient. (I admit, though, I'm more familiar with Cantonese-style food. China's a huge country, with so many different styles of cooking.)
My modified Sichuan Noodles recipe--based on personal preferences and replacing or omitting some western ingredients--is below. I find the sauce makes very generous portions. I originally made noodles for 4 servings, and had about 2 servings of sauce left over. I've changed the amount of noodles below to compensate. Also, the sauce is very rich, so I might even thin it out a bit next time. It would be a nice marinade for grilled chicken, I think. As a vegan option, one can use rice noodles or perhaps even bean vermicelli instead of egg noodles.
Vegetarian Sichuan Noodles
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup tahini/ground sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 teaspoon hot chili oil
- 1 1/3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
- 1/3 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 300 grams egg noodles
- 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/4 green bell pepper, sliced
- 2 scallions, sliced diagonally
- 2-3 stalks of yu choi, torn*
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced**
- cilantro for garnish
- hot sauce on the side, if desired (I used Sriracha hot sauce)
**I used dried mushrooms, so I soaked them for a few hours first.
Note: This recipe serves 6.
Directions
- Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Boil the egg noodles according to the package instructions until just cooked. Do NOT overcook.
- Drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
- In a wok, stir-fry the vegetables lightly in canola oil over medium heat until the peppers are fragrant.
- Add the sauce and stir-fry a minute or two more.
- Add the noodles and stir quickly to combine everything.
- Remove from heat, garnish, and serve immediately.
