attempts to recreate spicy chili chinese noodle stirfry: attempt #1: the vaguely szechuan

[cimorene]

So, there are these tasty/gross instant "Chinese" noodles from a package that you can buy at our local store. They come in three flavors, and I think their brand name is something like "China Garden" even though they are actually made by Nestlé.

The flavor I took to immediately has a strong chili flavor which makes me think they were made with [dehydrated] hot chili oil, which I know to be a Chinese ingredient but which my mom has never used in her experiments in Chinese cooking. So I've decided to try to recreate this recipe in a non-dried-and-reconstituted version. The name of the flavor was "Spicy Shanghai", I think, which is... not particularly informative, and that's gotten in the way of using Google to find ideas.

After looking at a few recipes, mainly for Szechuan noodles, I made these tonight even though I don't have chili oil: I'm sure quite a few attempts will be required. It was the first attempt that actually tasted good, although it didn't end up tasting like my goal.



Vaguely-Szechuan-inspired stir-fried noodles

chopped stir-fry vegetables, fresh or frozen
cooking oil (peanut or sesame preferred)
2 rounds of instant Chinese egg noodles
1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 Tbsp garlic powder (note: a few cloves of fresh garlic is always preferable, but I use powdered because the smell of fresh garlic makes my wife vomit.)
1-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp powdered ginger (fresh IS better, but I'm lazy)
soy sauce
abt 1 Tbsp tahini
abt 1 Tbsp peanut butter

1. If you're using fresh vegetables and garlic like you should, heat a few tablespoons of oil in the pan until hot, then add the crushed garlic and sautee before adding vegetables and stir-frying until cooked through,
   
   OR
   
   if you're lazy/a heathen, put frozen veggies and a few tablespoons of oil a pan, stir to coat, cover, and cook over high heat for about 6-8 minutes until cooked and then add the garlic powder and stir-fry a bit more.



2. Add the cube of bouillon to the pan. Stir until it starts to dissolve in the oil (there should be enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan between the vegetables - add more if necessary), then pour in some boiling water to produce a few cups (around 3-5 dL) of broth, stirring well. Add the noodles and stir until they start to soften, making sure they have a chance to absorb the liquid.



3. Add the powdered chili and ginger and soy sauce to your taste, and cook about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.



4. Add the tahini and peanut butter and continue stirring to dissolve. The sauce should be thickening but still liquid when you add them. Add a tablespoon or two more oil before the last of the liquid boils away on the bottom of the pan, and stir-fry a few minutes until noodles and vegetables are uniformly coated in a thick sauce, not too wet or dry. Remove from heat.

Comments

[jackycomelately]

Huh. That looks practical, easy to veganize, and potentially tasty. I shall try it. Thank you!

[cimorene]

It's practically vegan as-is, I believe, as long as you use regular ramen instead of egg noodles and veggie bouillon!