Ghosts of Past Pasta

sometimes you've got to go back to go forward

Lately I’ve been feeling reflective. Maybe it’s because it’s been 10 years since we got our first book deal. Maybe it’s because it’s my 20-year anniversary of being vegan this fall. These sorts of anniversaries give experiences an arbitrary bookend that let you see how much, or little, has changed over time. But I don’t think I’m alone in this though. 2023 feels like a year all of us are looking back, taking stock of our lives, and asking if this is where we’re meant to end up. I have the same experience looking at old recipes I’ve written. Sometimes I love them, other times I’m very aware of the distance between who I am now, of my current taste, and who I was when I finished a certain older recipe. This week is one of those times.

I recently stumbled on a recipe online for a very simple winter stir-fry noodle dish I wrote over a decade ago. I had forgotten all about it but once I glanced it over, I knew it would no longer do. It’s no secret that I love noodles in all their forms. I could do a whole book on my lifelong love affair with pasta. So that old recipe got under my skin and I had to fix it. I couldn’t disrespect noodles like that. 

game recognize game

Here is my updated take on a homemade, sort-of vegetable chow mein. I paired it with some cubes of baked tofu based on the recipe in our first book but it would be equally delish with the pan-seared tofu recipe on the site. There are tons of noodles that would work here, like udon or even rice noodles, but I used these wheat noodles that had been patiently waiting in the back of my pantry. Despite their annoying packaging, they were easy to use and affordable as hell. I urge you to STAY CALM at the mention of vegan oyster sauce. No, it doesn’t taste like oysters or anything from the sea. It’s sweet, salty, and adds a certain something to the dish. You’ll find it near the hoisin sauce at the store and the vegan version is surprisingly easy to find. No luck? Use hoisin. If you don’t like broccoli, you could sub in another equally fiber-filled veggie like asparagus. The bean sprouts are optional but worth it if you can find them. Same goes for the dark soy sauce. You can get away with a delish dish without it but it’s worth hunting down at a grocer that stocks Cantonese ingredients if you have the time. It takes the whole dish to a whole other level. I promise. We’re done disrespecting noodles around here.

Pan-Fried Vegetable Noodles

Make enough for 4 people

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or more tamari

1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce or hoisin

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon cane sugar or agave

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons of avocado oil, divided

½ a white onion, sliced

1 small bunch of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces, about 3 cups

2 carrots, cut into thin strips

6 sprigs of green onions, roughly chopped

2 cups mung bean sprouts, optional

16 ounces cooked noodles like udon

Toppings: sliced green onions, toasted sesame oil, baked or pan-seared tofu

In a small glass mix together the tamari, dark soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, water, cane sugar, and rice vinegar and set it aside.

Grab your wok or largest sauté pan and bring it to a medium high heat. Add the first tablespoon of avocado oil and once it’s hot, toss in the sliced white onion. Sauté that around for 30 seconds then add the broccoli. Stir-fry those guys around for 2 minutes, until the broccoli starts to look bright green. Now throw in the carrots and cook those guys until the veggies have started to soften but still have some bite to them, no more than 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and scrape those veggies onto a plate for a minute.

Warm your pan back up to a medium high heat and add the second tablespoon of avocado oil. Add the cooked noodles and toss them around to make sure they all get some oil on them. Cook them like this for 2 minutes so they can get crispy in a spot or two without sticking to the pan. Scoot the noodles to the side of the pan then add the green onions and mung beans so they get direct contact with the heat of pan. Scoot the noodles on top and let them cook like this for a minute before you start mixing the whole thing up. Those little guys need to get hot, ya know? If anything starts sticking, add a bit more oil or a splash of water to the pan.

Now fold in the cooked veggies and try to incorporate them into the cooked noodles as much as possible. Now drizzle over the prepared sauce and mix so that everything gets that flavor on it. Keep cooking until the sauce has evaporated from the pan or absorbed into the noodles, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and drizzle over a little toasted sesame oil, sliced green onions, and tofu if you’re into it.

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