Hot Pot Style Noodle Bowl

This is a warming Sichuan noodle dish in a spicy vegetable broth. The Chinese way to eat noodle soup is to hold your chopsticks in one hand and your soup spoon in the other, use your chopsticks to place your noodles in your soup spoon, then eat out of the spoon, with the bowl close to your face. Noisy slurping is considered a sign of enjoyment and appreciation of the food – and also cools the steaming hot broth!

This soup very versatile - you can vary the vegetables to suit whatever you have to hand. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale or pak choy can be added at the same time as the edamame beans and allowed to just wilt. Baby sweetcorn, mangetout, sugar snaps or regular frozen peas would also work well. Shredded crunchy vegetables such as carrots, radishes and even lettuce can also be added towards the end of cooking.

Hot Pot Style Noodle Bowl

Serves 4

Dietary: Vegan

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Sunflower or groundnut oil for frying
• 200g dried thin noodles (you could use any type you prefer)
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock or 2 tbsp red or brown miso dissolved in 1 litre hot water
• 100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 3 spring onions, sliced thinly, white and green parts separated
• 2 tbsp chilli bean paste
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 cm piece ginger, chopped finely
• 2 tsp chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• Chilli oil or toasted sesame oil (optional)
• 100g edamame beans (green soybeans)
• 60g bean sprouts
• 50g unsalted peanuts, roasted for 5-7 minutes in a hot oven till golden and chopped roughly
• ½ tsp toasted ground Sichuan pepper
• Handful of coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon ofoil in a wok or large saucepan over a high heat, and quickly fry the mushrooms with the white part of the spring onions.
2. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
3. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok set over a medium heat, then add the chilli bean paste and stir fry for a minute until the oil turns red.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn.
5. Pour the stock into the wok and bring to a simmer.
6. Add the vinegar, Shaoxing wine and chilli oil if you like, then taste to adjust the seasoning. Depending on the stock you have used, you may need to add a pinch of salt.
7. Turn the heat to low, while you cook your noodles according to the packet instructions.
8. Add the edamame beans and bean sprouts to the simmering broth to heat through.
9. Divide the cooked noodles between four deep serving bowls, or in one large serving bowl.
10. Ladle over the broth and vegetables, then top with the fried mushrooms and spring onions.
11. Sprinkle over the peanuts, sliced green spring onion and coriander and finish with a drizzle of chilli or sesame oil and the ground Sichuan pepper.

For a hands on introduction to Chinese cookery, check out Lydia's upcoming Chinese New Year Feast.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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