A well balanced vegan dan dan noodles using healthy shiitake mushrooms and red bell pepper.

Summer has just gone but the whether is dropping tempestuously. I have see goodbye to easy summer salads and start my new journey into hot noodles soups. I received lots of comment seeking for vegan friendly or vegetarian friendly recipes, so I will test and present a series of vegan friendly Sichuan dishes. There are lots of great cooking ideas from Sichuan dishes fitting vegan dishes.

I use ya-cai and finely chopped shiitake mushrooms.

Shiitake Mushroom & Ya-cai Topping

10 shiitake mushrooms (finely chopped)

1 cup finely chopped bell pepper

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 inch ginger peel and minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup ya-cai

1 tablespoon cooking wine

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Heat oil in wok and fry ya-cai until aroma over slow fire.

Then add shallots, chopped red pepper and garlic fry for another 1 minute.

Add finely chopped shiitake mushrooms. Add cooking wine and light soy sauce.

Fry over slowest fire until all the water in the mushrooms and pepper is evaporated and the sauce becomes slightly dry. Ya-cai itself is salty, so you can taste it and see whether a pinch of salt is needed.

Seasonings for serving serving

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

a small pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon sesame paste

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon chili oil or as needed (refer here for homemade recipe)

1/3 cup hot chicken stock (if not available, use water )

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped scallion and coriander

Add all the seasonings to serving bowls.

Cook fresh noodles (asian yellow alkaline noodle) or vegan ramen according to the package instructions.

Tune the seasonings with water for boiling the soup.

Transfer the noodles to serving bowls and topping with mushroom toping.

Mix well quickly and enjoy immediately.