INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Korean red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1 slice of ginger
1 cup of high heat oil such as sunflower, canola or vegetable
NOODLE SAUCE
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chinkiang vinegar
2 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
MINCE MEAT
1 cup soy mince (tvp)
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp mushroom powder
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp hoisin
2 tbsp dark mushroom sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/4 cup Sui Mi Ya Cai, packed
TO ASSEMBLE
Use dried or fresh noodles, I recommend a medium thickness such as the spinach noodles.
cucumber, seeds cut out and sliced into very very thin strips
roasted peanuts, crushed
coriander (not traditional but I love coriander so I put some on)
chilli oil
METHOD
PREP MINCE
1. 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
2. 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.
3. 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
4. Simply mix all noodle sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
COOK MINCE
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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!!!!