Claypot Glass Noodles (Vegan) - Pak Ob Woonsen
Glass noodles cooked in a clay pot with ginger and an umami-loaded sauce, topped with mushrooms and veggies of your choice. Quick, easy, vegan, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 pc medium sized dried shiitake mushrooms (10 g), rehydrated (see note)
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon soy sauce, (see note)
- 2 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, or use regular oyster sauce
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon black or dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup shiitake mushroom soaking water
- 2.8 oz dry glass noodles
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
- 6 cloves garlic
- 8 cilantro stems or 3 cilantro roots, chopped
- 15 thin slices ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 oz mixed mushrooms or vegetables of your choice, see note
- 4 oz marinated pressed tofu, optional
- 1 green onion, chopped, or a handful Chinese celery leaves
- Jasmine rice for serving, optional
Notes
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in about 1 cup of hot water for about 30 minutes or until they fully rehydrate. Timing will depend on the size. Save the soaking water for the sauce.
- If you are serving with rice carb-on-carb style as is traditionally done, you may want to up the soy sauce to 2 Tbsp; but it's always wise to err on the side of less salty and add later on. *If using the scaling function, use the metric amount, as the app cannot convert "1 tablespoon + 2 tsp" properly.
- For toppings you can use anything you like but I recommend including some Asian mushrooms as they provide a nice chew. Oyster, shimeji, or enoki are all good options. Some crunchy vegetables are also good, such as sugar snap peas, carrots, or bell peppers.
Instructions
- Soak the glass noodles in room temp water for 7-10 mins until soft and pliable.2.8 oz dry glass noodles
- Remove the dried shiitake mushroom from the soaking water and squeeze out the excess water, reserving the water for the sauce. Slice off the mushroom stems and thinly slice the caps.2 pc medium sized dried shiitake mushrooms (10 g)
- Pound peppercorns in a mortar and pestle until fine, then add the garlic and cilantro stems and pound into a very rough paste.¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns, 6 cloves garlic, 8 cilantro stems or 3 cilantro roots
- Make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, oyster sauce, black soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and ½ cup (120 ml) of the mushroom soaking water (keep the rest of the water). Stir until the sugar is dissolved.1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, ¼ - ½ teaspoon black or dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ½ cup shiitake mushroom soaking water
- Drain the noodles and cut with scissors into roughly 3-inch sections, then add to the sauce and toss to mix (it won’t really cling to the noodles as the sauce is quite watery, but that’s okay).
- Put a clay pot or a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add the oil, the garlic paste, ginger, and sliced shiitake mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes until aromatic and the smallest bits of garlic starts to turn golden.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 15 thin slices ginger
- Add the noodles and the sauce and toss to mix with the herbs, scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is stuck. Close the lid and turn the heat down to low. Once you can hear bubbling resume, start the timer for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, open the pot and give the noodles a thorough tossing to distribute the sauce, then if you want the colour to be darker you can add a bit more black/dark soy sauce. Close the lid and cook for another 2 mins. *Be sure to keep the heat low to prevent the noodles from scorching.
- Open the lid again and taste to check the doneness of the noodles, if you want the noodles to be softer, add a splash of the remaining mushroom soaking water (2-3 tablespoons at a time), then toss and keep it cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Glass noodles are surprisingly resilient to overcooking, so don’t be afraid to add more water if needed.
- Once the noodles are done, take it off the heat and close the lid to keep warm while you cook your toppings.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add just enough oil to thinly coat the bottom. Once hot, add the tofu slices and sear until browned on both sides. Remove the tofu, then add the mushrooms with a small pinch of salt and sear briefly until browned and cooked through. Repeat with any other toppings that need to be cooked.4 oz marinated pressed tofu, 8 oz mixed mushrooms or vegetables of your choice
- To serve: reheat the noodles briefly if needed, then top with the tofu, mushrooms and vegetables. Sprinkle green onions on top and serve it right in the pot! Serve by itself or with jasmine rice. *The ginger slices are not meant to be eaten so you can remove them before serving if you wish, or just tell your guests.1 green onion, Jasmine rice for serving
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