Earthy, aromatic, deep, and delicious, these Soy Sauce Braised Wild Mushroom Noodles are also vegan. Yes, that most unusual of occurrences have occurred: we have a fantastic vegan dish to share with you.
Except for Buddhist monks, most Han Chinese enjoy eating meat, and vegetarian or vegan options may be limited. However, even we carnivores loved this one.
Braising Meat For Chinese Food
We frequently use the word “braised” when referring to some of our favorite traditional Chinese dishes. For example, the terms (hong shao) mean “red-cooked” or “red braised,” and the characters (lu), (men), and (dun) all mean “braised,” respectively. Braising can take anything from ten to fifteen minutes to many hours depending on the food.
Regarding Chinese braised meals, soy sauce is frequently second only to time as the most critical component. It’s possible to divide them into two categories:
- Light soy sauce: Thinner and saltier than regular soy sauce, it enhances the flavor of food.
- Dark soy sauce: Soy sauce with a darker color and thicker consistency.
For many types of Chinese braises, this duo is indispensable.
Tips For This Recipe
What we need to do now is get down to business and make these Braised Wild Mushroom Noodles. Caramelizing the mushrooms before braising is crucial, as is adding soy sauces; otherwise, the finished dish will have a rubbery texture.
For the mushrooms, you can use whatever you choose.
Some more pointers to remember while preparing these Braised Wild Mushroom Noodles:
- If you want to take the flavor up a notch, add a couple teaspoons of oyster sauce, but if you’re following a vegan diet, that step is completely unnecessary.
- Over a pound and a half of fresh noodles were utilized. Dried noodles, by weight, will need roughly 3/4 of a pound.
- Last but not least, after you’ve tossed in the noodles, season to taste with salt. Mushrooms will taste salty if too much salt is used in the sauce while braising them.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of oyster mushrooms
- 8 ounces of beech mushrooms
- 1 1/2 pounds of fresh wheat noodles
- 6 large dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 finely chopped shallots
- 3 scallions (white parts chopped; green parts julienned)
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons of dark soy sauce (mushroom flavored)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- dried mushroom-soaking water
- ½ teaspoon of sesame oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Before using dried shiitake mushrooms, make sure to wash them well several times to remove any dirt. Then, rehydrate them fully by soaking them in two to three cups of hot water for three hours. Once the Shiitakes have been rehydrated, squeeze the excess water out of them and slice them very thinly. Always keep the liquid from soaking the mushrooms!
- The fresh oyster mushrooms and beech mushrooms should then be quickly rinsed under running water. You may get rid of the excess moisture by using a salad spinner.
- Oil should be heated in a heavy pot or wok over medium heat. Add the white sections of the scallions and the sliced shallots. Let the shallots cook for a minute or two until they become transparent. Toss all the mushrooms into the wok and bring the heat up to high.
- Raise the temperature and leave it undisturbed for two minutes before stirring. The secret to successfully caramelizing mushrooms is to NOT stir them too often and to maintain a steady heat in order to evaporate any water in the mushrooms.
- Do not stir-fry mushrooms until all sides are browned; instead, continue searing until all liquid has evaporated and all mushrooms are browned.
- Reduce heat to medium and add liquid (2 and a half cups total) composed of mushroom water and fresh water. In a covered pot, cook the ingredients for 20 minutes.
- As the water comes to a boil, prepare the noodles in a big pot according to the directions on the package. Toss the noodles in cold water to stop the cooking process, and then set them aside.
- After 20 minutes of braising the mushrooms, add the cooked noodles, the sesame oil, and the julienned green sections of the scallions.
- Combine all of the ingredients and toss to coat the noodles with the mushroom sauce. Depending on your preference, season with salt and serve with hot sauce or oil.