Super quick and easy vegan spicy noodles recipe, glazed with a delicious spicy umami sauce. This recipe is perfect for an easy mid-week dinner for one!
Ingredients
2 T dark soy sauce
1 T Chiang kiang vinegar
1 T light brown sugar
2 t rice wine
1.5 T corn starch
80ml veg stock or mushroom bouillon
1 t Szechuan chilli oil
1 t vegetable oil
2 spring onions, finely sliced with greens separated from whites
1 clove garlic, crushed
A half thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks
40g frozen vegan mince
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 pack udon noodles
1/2 t toasted white sesame seeds
Small bunch of fresh coriander
2-inch piece of cucumber, julienned
Instructions
To make the noodle sauce, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, rice wine, corn starch, and stock/bouillon in a clean jam jar. Shake up well until blended and set aside.
In a frying pan or small wok over medium heat, place the Szechuan chilli oil and the vegetable oil. Bring to temperature then add the whites of the spring onions, crushed garlic, and ginger. Fry for a minute before adding the vegan mince.
Fry the vegan mince for a further few minutes, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks or burns. Add the carrot and a splash of water (around 3 Tbsp). Allow cooking until all the moisture has evaporated and the carrot is al dente.
Place the udon noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Use a chopstick to gently swish the noodles around – they should begin to separate. Once separated completely (around 1 minute) drain the water and add the noodles to the frying pan.
Shake up the sauce again before adding it to the pan. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to low. The sauce should thicken quickly and coat the noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add a small splash of water and stir well.
Remove from the heat and serve topped with sesame seeds, fresh coriander, and the julienned cucumber.
Here are a few tips to perfect, glossy, meaty noodles that are completely vegan!
Make the Spicy Sauce First
You need the sauce ready to go as soon as your noodles hit the pan. The noodles are basically cooked in boiling water before they even hit the frying pan, so there’s no need to fry them for any length of time. Noodles in, the sauce is – ready to go!
Use a Chunky Vegan Noodle!
This recipe is most satisfying when made with thick, chunky noodles. I like to use udon because they’re so moreish and are made without egg, so are completely vegan.
Cook the Sauce Briefly
The sauce needs only a flash in the pan. If you cook it too long it’ll begin to caramelise and may turn bitter. Just heat it for long enough to thicken up and coat the noodles.
Did you make this recipe?
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