VEGETABLE CHOW FUN
The Woks of Life readers who are vegetarians will love this Vegetable Chow Fun recipe! There are times when the meat-eaters get it all: Beef Chow Fun, Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken, and so on.
An excellent vegetarian chow fun noodle dish has been a long time in the making. You don’t have to settle for the dreary dish of noodles and vegetables that the chef hurriedly concocts to accommodate the occasional vegan or vegetarian customer. You’re wrong if you’re a carnivore who’s wary of this dish because it doesn’t contain any meat!
To give the meal a fuller texture, I combined it with eggplant, which I lightly fried. Additionally, the umami flavor profile is completed when combined with shiitake mushrooms. And speaking of vegetarian oyster sauce, I urge you to do so immediately if you haven’t tried it yet. For vegans, this is a game changer.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb. of fresh rice noodles
- salt
- ¼ tsp. of sugar
- 2 tsp. of hot water
- 2 tsp. of soy sauce
- 1 tsp. of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. of oyster sauce
- ½ tsp. of sesame oil
- Freshly ground white pepper
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil (plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- 1 tbsp. of all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. of cornstarch
- 1 Japanese eggplant (sliced into 3/8-inch thick slices)
- 3 thin slices of fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic (sliced)
- 3 scallions that are sliced at an angle into 1 to 2-inch pieces(white and green parts separated)
- 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 red holland peppers (cut into strips)
- 1 tbsp. of Shaoxing wine
- 1 cup of fresh snow peas (trimmed)
- 1½ cups of fresh bean sprouts
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Allow the rice noodles to come to room temperature by removing them from the refrigerator and letting them sit on the counter. Cut them into ribbons of 112-inch width.
- In a small bowl, salt and sugar are dissolved in hot water. Add the soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper to the mixture. Set aside.
- Add 1/4 cup of oil to your wok and cook it to medium-high heat. Eggplant should be thoroughly coated in a bowl with a dry mixture of flour, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. For 2 minutes on each side, cook eggplant in the skillet until it’s golden. Remove the pieces to a dish or sheet pan once they have browned on both sides.
- Ginger slices are added to a hot wok that has been heated to high heat. Wrap the wok in a thin layer of oil, about a tablespoon’s worth. Stir in the garlic and the white parts of the scallions after the ginger has fried for 10 seconds to infuse the oil.
- Stir in the mushrooms and red peppers for another 20 seconds, then remove from the heat. Shaoxing wine and rice noodles are then added. The thermostat should be set to the highest possible temperature. Give the noodles a brisk swirl for 30 seconds, then pour the soy sauce mixture over the noodles. Continue gently stir-frying the noodles using a scooping motion for 2 minutes. To keep the noodles from sticking, use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the wok. To prevent the noodles from sticking, the wok should be heated to a high enough temperature.
- The next step is adding the eggplant, snow peas, bean sprouts, and the rest of the scallions. About 2 minutes into the stir-fry, the noodles should be hot, and the snow peas should be brilliant green. Serve with your favorite spicy chili oil on the side, if desired!