Vegan Dan Dan Noodles

Prep Time: 20m | Cook Time: 10m | Servings: 2

Ingredients

Chilli Oil

• 1/4 cup korean red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp chinese five spice
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns ground
• 1 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 cup high heat oil such as sunflower, canola or vegetable

Noodle Sauce

• 3 tbsp peanut butter natural, crunchy
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tbsp chinkiang vinegar
• 2 cloves cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp sichuan pepper
• 3-4 tsp sugar add less and then TASTE – add more if needed
• 1/2 cup chilli oil, above
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Minced Meat

• 1 cup soymince (tvp)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp mushroom powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp hoisin
• 2 tbsp dark mushroom sauce
• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup sui mi ya cai packed

Instructions

Prep Mince

Place soy mince into a bowl and sprinkle with the mushroom powder. Add the boiling water and stir well. Allow to hydrate while you make the chilli oil and sauce.

Chilli Oil

In a large ceramic or glass bowl (large enough to allow for hot oil to bubble up!), place the red pepper flakes, ground sichuan peppercorns, toasted sesame seeds, five spice, star anise, bay leaf and salt. Mix well.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the slice of ginger. Once it turns golden brown and cooked all over, the oil is hot enough to pour over your spices. Remove the ginger and CAREFULLY pour the hot oil over the dry mix and it should bubble immediately and rapidly. Stir gently until bubbling stops, remove the star anise and bay lea and allow to cool.

Noodle Sauce

Simply mix all noodle sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Cook Mince

In a large frypan, heat the oil. Once hot, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the mince, hoisin, dark mushroom sauce, shaoxing wine, and Sui Mi Ya Cai and mix until the mince is an beautiful even dark brown colour. Once mix is cooked through and hot, remove from the heat and set aside until assembly.

Cook Noodles

Cool your noodles in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes until al dente (take a noodle out to try – that’s the best way haha). Strain and rinse with cold water and get ready to plate!

Assembly

To plate, pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the bowl. Top with a serving of noodles, a scoop of your mince, some fresh cucumber and sprinkle with spring onions and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with extra chilli oil if desired and INHALE THIS BOWL OF DELICIOUSNESS!!!!