Cook With Us Week #15- New Year's Noodles
Welcome back @cookwithus season 2. I hope @pandamama, @offoodandart, and @chefsteve had a nice break. When I read this week's theme was national holiday food, the first ingredient that popped into my mind was noodles. My family's heritage is Chinese and Japanese and noodles play a big part in celebrations. Every New Year's Eve we would have soba noodles which symbolizes good luck in Japanese culture and every Chinese New Year we would celebrate by eating egg noodles for longevity. As a child I remember my parents reminding me to never break the noodles because the longer the strands, the longer life we would have or better luck. Before we would start eating, my sister and I would always have a competition to see who could pull the longest strand of noodle. Instead of making a traditional noodle dish I had growing up, I thought I would make my own version of a vegan noodle dish based on a few of my childhood favorites.
![IMG_9167.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd96dKsiXrKPxcoB5M38JaxyYCBXwf6MJ8sSd7dsDfyU7/IMG_9167.jpg)
Vegan Meat Sauce
- 2 King oyster mushrooms, diced small or any meaty mushrooms, equivalent to 1 cup.
- 116g fresh textured soy protein or extra firm tofu, diced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2-3 garlic scape, thinly sliced or garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
- 1.5 tsp dark soy sauce
- pinch of five spice powder
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the leeks and garlic scape. Garlic scapes are the flower buds of a garlic plant. The taste is just like garlic so if you can't find them, just us garlic. Add in the diced mushrooms, and textured soy protein. Soy protein is defatted soy that is pressed and the texture is similar to meat. I usually find this product in Asian supermarkets by the tofu. If you can't find it you can use firm tofu in place or baked tofu. Season the mushroom mixture with soy sauce, water and five spice. The dark soy is not as salty as regular soy sauce. It is used more for coloring. Slowly simmer until the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are cooked.
![IMG_9166.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYU9YupoZ7JBzCfpt783ipgLjpBjgrqpkwD599kQDjGAK/IMG_9166.jpg)
I like to make my own chili sauce. The chili sauce is mildly spicy but the shallots add a rich savory flavor. I find fresh Holland Chilis are not spicy enough on their own so I add some dried red chilis for extra heat. The cinnamon and star anise flavors the oil rounding out the chili sauce. Star anise is a pod from an evergreen plant and it adds a licorice flavor to foods.
![IMG_9165.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTXDYXiq9F3SSVgTdV421c5fvwfuBjrP9t7XVx72uejnD/IMG_9165.jpg)
Chili Sauce
- 5 fresh Holland red chilis
- 3-4 whole dried red chilis
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 1 medium shallot
- 145g canola oil
- salt to taste
Place the dried chilis into a food processor and process into coarse pieces. Add in the fresh chilis and pulse until small bits. Transfer into a small sauce pan. Add in the shallots into the food processor bowl and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oil into the chilis along with the cinnamon stick and star anise and cook over the lowest heat setting. Cook about 8 minutes. Add in the shallots and continue to cook over low heat until the shallots are tender. You want to gently cook this sauce or the chilies and shallots will burn and impart a bitter taste. Place into a sterilized jar and this sauce will last for 2 weeks in the refrigerator unless your spouse eats it all. I know mine is obsessed with this sauce and he will add it to every dish!
To finish this dish, I briefly sautéed some bean sprouts in oil and seasoned it with some salt. To add some freshness I made some cucumber ribbons. I like to use thick fresh Chinese noodles for this dish but you can use any type of dried or fresh pasta you want.
![IMG_9178.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaMXBUtYGaN3bfMiEPpmpGfHg6F9yML1vmJ9oEGdNNaiR/IMG_9178.jpg)
For serving, place the cooked noodles on the bottom of a bowl, top with vegan mushroom sauce, bean sprouts and cucumber strands. I like to serve the chili sauce on the side so you can add in as much or as little as you like. The chili sauce really makes this noodle dish pop. Just before digging in, toss all the ingredients together. I like the combination of the earthy mushrooms along with the spicy chilis, crunchy bean sprouts and cooling cucumber. Happy slurping!
![IMG_9169.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSVyLPJvkqTNrU1MVqFvE2GLwTCGCfJU2naLbiG6wScBn/IMG_9169.jpg)
Dang that looks tasty. It's making me hungry.
Your cauliflower gratin with coconut béchamel is brilliant! I'll have to try to make that one day. Thank you @michelnilles.
I could help but notice the chilli jar! I’ve loved to enjoy everything hot and these noodles definitely taste great. I like the story behind the noodles. Is it true that one is not supposed to cut the noodles while eating and it’s supposed to be eaten in whole?
Since noodles symbolizes long life or good fortune if you serve a bowl of cut noodles it means the opposite. Thank you @foodforsoul. Good luck with your awesome entry.
Yum! I love your family story. Beautiful presentation, made me hungry! lol. I'll keep this for future reference, I would love to try it!
Thank you @birdsinparadise. I can't wait to try making some green banana flour.
Those mushrooms look so rich and delicious! I love a good noodle bowl, and this definitely fits the bill!
There is nothing more satisfying than have a hearty bowl of noodles. Thank you @plantstoplanks.
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Looks delicious, now to go shopping.
Thank you @greenfooteco. The photo of wonder dawg is so cool. I did not know the plant is covered with frost! What is ice water extraction?
Thanks for the comment!Thc is not water soluble so it doesn't dissolve in water. If you wash your weed in certain bags you can simply collect the fallen resin glands! Some of the tastiest hash out there!
I really like your story behind the noodles. The vegan sauce looks so rich and satisfying. It actually looks like a thick meat ragu. Your chili sauce with shallots, fresh and dried chillies and spices sounds incredible. I love to put chili sauce on nearly everything that I eat. The wide noodles look great! What are the noodles made from? Are they chewy? Thanks for a tasty entry and welcome back for season 2!
The noodles are made from wheat, water, and salt. They are have a nice chewy texture and hold up well to the chili sauce. This sauce is quite versatile. I will add it to my soups for extra flavor and I even add it to my salads! Thank you @chefsteve.
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Thank you so much @goldendawne. I truly appreciate your support.
Noodles are a favourite with me - whenever I'm hungry I think of noodles - and your dish looks simply delectable @loveself. Also not going to break my noodles from now on.
I don't often have a chance to see my sister since she lives in Switzerland, but when we do meet up sometimes we will still see who can pull the longest strand of noodle. Hahah. Thank you @panamama.
Great entry @loveself with your usual descriptive photographs that help to almost taste the recipe
Thank you @cookwithus. I wish I could share my dish with everyone.