Vegetarian Stir-fry Noodles
I love vegetarian stir-fry noodles because it tastes good even without all the meat, and that's not something you can say for all dishes. As you see in the video, it was a staple recipe my mom would make whenever we did potluck and had to bring a dish over to someone's house or at barbeques because the noodles would serve as the perfect base for maybe other types of protein. It's great for when you're having guests over and you don't know their food preferences because this dish covers all the bases - crunch from the vegetables, savory meatiness from the shitake mushrooms and just an all over filling meal with Asian flavors that's not too heavy and leaves you wanting more.
You can use any vegetables you want in this dish, but I find the celery to be quite integral because it does give crunch and contrast against the softer stir-fry noodles. The dried shitake mushrooms are also a must as well. Make sure they are the dried kind because it has a meatier texture and also a lot more concentrated flavor.
As with any stir-fry, preparation is key as the dish cooks up quite quickly. It's actually a nice recipe for a party because you can cut up and prepare the ingredients ahead of time. Then come time for the party, everything comes together in 10-15 minutes.
Vegetarian Stir Fry Noodles Recipe
(Serves 4)
- 1/2 box pasta (8 oz)
- 1/2 cup celery, julienned
- 1/2 cup red peppers, julienned
- 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
- 1/2 cup zucchini, julienned
- 4-5 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated
- 1 shallot, julienned
- 2 stalks scallions, julienned
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- salt and pepper to taste
Protein
- 1/2 cup TVP, rehydrated (or thinly sliced meat)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon mirin
Directions
- Prepare noodles according to instruction, but take out 1 minute earlier. Strain over cold water and set aside.
- If using TVP, soak in water, soy sauce and mirin. Set aside for 10 minutes until rehydrated.
- While the noodles are cooking and the TVP rehydrating, julienne the celery, red peppers, carrots, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, shallots and scallions. Then chop up the garlic and set aside.
- In a small container, mix together the soy sauce and mirin.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add in the shallot and garlic. Fry for about 2 minutes until shallots are softened.
- Add in the carrots and celery and cook for about 2 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
- Add in the rest of the vegetables and fry for another minute.
- Add in the soy sauce mixture and stir until the vegetables are coated.
- Add in the cooked noodles. Add a little liquid if necessary.
- Finally put in the TVP and combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.