A vegetarian noodle stir-fry full of vigour and flavour
I enjoy visiting my local Chinese supermarket; it feels like being at the top of the Magic Faraway Tree, where the world—and consequently my meals—are filled with exciting possibilities and new culinary journeys for my taste buds. One of my recent favourite ingredients is rose red beancurd, named for its red color and fermentation process involving red yeast and rose petals. In this noodle recipe, inspired by the Thai street food dish suki hang, it imparts a delightful char siu flavour when cooked, which is quite remarkable for a single ingredient.
Noodles with rose beancurd, spring greens and egg
I used rose red fermented tofu by Wangzhihe, which is available in Chinese supermarkets, along with mung bean noodles. Ensure all ingredients are prepped and ready, as this dish comes together quickly. The recipe serves two but can easily be doubled to serve four.
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min
Serves: 2 (easily doubled)
For the sauce
- 2 cubes rose beancurd, plus 2½ tbsp juice from the jar
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated or minced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 2½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, stalk discarded, flesh very finely chopped
For the noodles
- 150g dried mung bean noodles
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 100g spring onions, whites and greens, finely sliced, washed and drained
- 150g fine beans, sliced on an angle into 2cm pieces
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 200g spring greens, cored and shredded
- 2 medium eggs
- 20g Thai basil, leaves picked
Cut the noodles with scissors if necessary, then cook according to the packet instructions—usually by boiling or soaking in warm water. Drain well, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
To prepare the sauce, mash the beancurd and its juice into a smooth paste, then add the garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and chilli.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the spring onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the fine beans and stir-fry for two to three minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and spring greens, continuing to stir-fry for another three minutes until the greens have wilted.
Push all the vegetables to one side of the pan, add the eggs to the other side, and scramble them. Stir the scrambled eggs into the vegetables until well combined.
Add the noodles and sauce to the pan, then use a spaghetti fork and wooden spoon to mix the sauce and vegetables through the noodles until everything is well combined. Remove from heat, fold in the Thai basil, and serve immediately.
