Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
These vegan dan dan noodles are truly addictive. The tender noodles are served with a rich sauce that is nutty, spicy, and extra fragrant, with a hint of sweetness. It also comes with a vegan recipe for a flavorful “meat” topping that tastes great and clings to the noodles, just like real meat. {Gluten Free adaptable}You can make the dish gluten-free by replacing the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos, replacing the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry, using rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar, and using rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. Note, rice vinegar is much milder and will give the dish a very different taste.
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
Vegan meat topping
- 1/2 pound (225 grams) mushrooms
- 1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts)
- 3 green onions , coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , peeled
- 1/2 block tofu (1/2 pound / 225 grams)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai (*Footnote 1)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
Noodle sauce
- 4 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste (or unsweetened natural peanut butter)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 3 green onions , finely minced
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup (or sugar)
- 1/3 to 1 cup homemade chili oil with flakes (or to taste)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns
To assemble
- 10 ounces (300 grams) dried egg noodles (or 1 pound /450 grams fresh noodles)
- 1 small bunch leafy green vegetables , roughly chopped (spinach, chard, baby bok choy etc.)
- 1 cup roasted peanuts, crushed (Optional)
Instructions
Prepare sauce
- Whisk sesame paste and light soy sauce until fully incorporated. Add Chinkiang vinegar. Continue stirring until mixed. Then mix in garlic, green onion, and agave syrup.
- Add homemade chili oil, a tablespoon at a time, mix and taste the sauce. Add more chili oil if you want more spiciness.
- Add toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Taste as you mix, until you can taste the numbingness but can still handle it. The more chili oil you add, the more Sichuan peppercorns you will need.
- The consistency of the sauce can vary, depending on the thickness of the sesame paste (peanut butter). If the sauce is too thick, add some water and mix well.
Prepare toppings
- Combine the mushrooms, pecans, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Blend until the ingredients are chopped into small bits. Add the tofu. Pulse until the ingredients are evenly chopped into bits, but not into a very smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a skillet or a wok over medium heat until hot. Add Sui Mi Ya Cai. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
- Add the tofu mixture; cook and stir until the bottom of the pan looks dry, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and cooking wine. Use a spatula to release any bits that are stuck to the pan. Turn to medium to medium low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste thickens enough that you can shape it with your spatula, 10 minutes or so. And some of the mixture will be lightly browned.
- Transfer everything to a bowl and set aside.
Prepare the noodle bowl
- Cook noodles according to the instructions.
- Bring the vegetable stock to a boil.
- Briefly blanch the green leafy vegetables, drain, and set aside.
- For each noodle bowl, add the noodles, spoon some sauce onto them, add the vegan meat topping, sprinkle the crushed peanuts (if using), and mix well.
- Serve hot or cold.
Notes
- You can make the dish gluten-free by replacing the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos, replacing the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry, using rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar, and using rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. Note, rice vinegar is much milder and will give the dish a very different taste.
- If you cannot find Sui Mi Ya Cai, you can use fermented black beans (around 2 tablespoons) to add umami to the vegan meat. Also, you can rehydrate 2 to 3 shiitake mushrooms and add them to the meat mixture. Dried shiitake mushrooms will add an intense and hearty umami to the mixture.
Nutrition
Serving: 6g, Calories: 380kcal, Carbohydrates: 28.1g, Protein: 8.5g, Fat: 27.6g, Saturated Fat: 3.9g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 808mg, Potassium: 286mg, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugar: 3.9g, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2.5mg