Vegan Glass Noodles

Seitan, Chile Oil, Sesame Sauce, Scallion, and Cucumber

Chef Victor Huang of Very Fresh Noodles | New York
Yield: 1 serving

Adapted by StarChefs | December 2020

INGREDIENTS:

Chile Oil:
250 grams canola oil
30 grams doubanjiang
30 grams Korean red chile powder
5 grams Thai chile flakes
5 grams mushroom powder
10 grams sugar
10 grams anise seed powder
10 grams cumin powder
15 grams fresh garlic paste
10 grams sesame oil
25 grams Szechuan peppercorn oil

Sesame Sauce:
100 grams sugar
750 milliliters Szechuan peppercorn oil
35 grams sesame oil
100 grams Shaoxing wine
40 grams white miso paste
45 grams fresh garlic paste
10 grams white pepper powder
10 grams galangal powder
5 grams Madras curry powder
500 grams tahini
530 grams soy milk

Seitan:
300 grams vital wheat flour
100 grams high-gluten flour
100 grams mung bean starch
25 grams mushroom powder
15 grams kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
100 grams canola oil

Glass Noodles:
800 grams mung bean starch

To Assemble and Serve:
Cucumbers, julienned
Scallions, diced or julienned
Toasted sesame seeds
Suimiyacai (preserved mustard green stems)
Fermented black beans
Wood ear mushrooms, blanched

METHOD:

For the Chile Oil:
To a 10-quart stockpot, bring canola oil to 350°F. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Slowly drop the mixture into the stockpot, being careful that the oil doesn’t overflow. Let fry 5 minutes and remove from heat. Close the pot with a lid and let cool at least 1 hour or overnight.

For the Sesame Sauce:
To a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and 500 grams water at 120°F to 130°F. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Transfer dough to a round cake pan in the basket of a steamer and steam 40 minutes. Remove from steamer and let cool 30 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.

For the Seitan:
To a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and 500 grams water at 120°F to 130°F. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Transfer dough to a round cake pan in the basket of a steamer and steam 40 minutes. Remove from steamer and let cool 30 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside. 

For the Glass Noodles:
In a nonreactive container, combine mung bean starch and 200 grams water. Ladle 12 ounces of the glass noodle batter to a round cake pan. Place cake pan in the basket of a steamer and steam 1½ to 3 minutes or until batter has turned clear like a pane of glass. Plunge cake pan into an ice bath to cool. Using a dough scraper or your hands, very gently release noodle sheet from cake pan onto a cutting board then chop it into broad ribbons. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Add Glass Noodles to a to-go bowl. Top with Seitan, 2 ounces Chile Oil, 1 ounce Sesame Sauce, and remaining ingredients. Mix it all up and enjoy!

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