Vegan Lanzhou Noodles

vegan // serves 4

This is a vegan version of my favorite Chinese beef noodle soup, Lanzhou noodles (兰州拉面). I developed it as a 2021 Stanford Baole: Kuvumbua Fellow.

I used Andy Baraghani’s Vegan Umami Broth as a starting point for this recipe, and drew inspiration from Souped Up Recipes’ Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup and Chili Oil. At the time, I was focused on the creation of the broth rather than making the noodles from scratch, but I’d love to try hand-pulling my own noodles soon…

what you need:

for the broth:

• ⅓ cup miso

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• ⅛ cup water

• 16 dried shiitake mushrooms

• ½ tbsp sugar

• water to reconstitute mushrooms

• 4 medium onions, very thinly sliced, with the peels

• 2 medium carrots, unpeeled, very thinly sliced

• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

• 2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise

• 6 hand-sized pieces of kombu (dried kelp)

• large bunch (about 12 sprigs) parsley

• small bunch celery leaves

• 1 medium red onion, quartered

• 5 slices ginger

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 5 pieces star anise

• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

• 4 tsp black peppercorns

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

• mushroom water from soaking the mushrooms + enough water to cover ingredients

• teabag or strainer

for the chili oil:

• 2 oz dried chili peppers, processed into flakes

• 1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• ½ stick cinnamon

• 2 pieces star anise

• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed

for the noodles, toppings, and assembly

• broth that we made

• salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste if needed

• 1 lb fresh wheat noodles. I get mine from the Asian mart.

• seitan puffs

• daikon radish, sliced thinly

• mushrooms from the broth we made

• kelp from the broth we made, if desired

• cilantro, chopped roughly

• green onion, sliced

• chili oil that we made

Tip: Amount of each topping depends entirely on your preference! I like to go heavy on the daikon and green onion.

how to make it:

to make the broth:

1. preheat the oven to 300 F. line two baking trays with foil.

2. in a bowl, add shiitake mushrooms. cover with water and add sugar. stir to dissolve sugar and let sit until mushrooms are rehydrated and pliable. once pliable, drain, making sure to rinse out any dirt from the mushrooms. then, add more clean water to cover and allow to soak for 10 minutes.

3. in a separate bowl, mix miso, oil, and water into a paste.

4. once mushrooms have soaked, squeeze out the water and add the mushrooms to the lined baking trays. reserve mushroom water.

5. add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, along with the onion skins, evenly to the baking trays. add the miso mixture and toss to coat.

6. bake for about 1 hour, rotating/switching the trays and tossing their contents halfway through, until vegetables are shriveled and caramelized.

7. once done, add the contents of the baking trays to a big stockpot. add all your aromatics: kombu, parsley, celery leaves, red onion, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and soy sauce to the pot. you can use a tea bag for the small spices to make straining easier later.

8. deglaze the baking trays with hot water and add the liquid to the pot. add the reserved mushroom water to the pot. top off with more water, just enough to cover everything.

9. bring the pot to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, and adding water to cover ingredients if necessary.

10. once the broth is done, strain and discard the solids except for the mushrooms (and kelp if desired). these will be used to top the noodles. either keep the broth warm on the stove if you’re almost ready to serve, or store.

TIp: make the broth ahead for easy meal prep. refrigerate or freeze in ice cubes or sheets to store.

to make the chili oil:

1. add the chili flakes, peanuts, sesame seeds, and salt to a heat-safe bowl and set aside.

2. in a small saucepan, add the oil and the cinnamon, star anise, and garlic cloves. heat on medium-low, allowing the aromatics to sizzle, until the garlic has browned (not burned).

3. remove the aromatics from the oil and allow the oil to cool for about 15 seconds. then, pour the hot oil over the chili mixture. stir to combine and let cool.

TIP: a great all-purpose chili oil. make ahead for easy meal prep. keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge.

to make the noodles and toppings:

1. cut your reserved shiitake mushrooms and kelp into thin slices and set aside.

2. in the broth, simmer the sliced daikon for 5 minutes. add the seitan puffs to the broth and simmer for 5 more minutes, until they are cooked through and the daikon is tender.

3. add the sliced mushrooms and kelp to the broth to warm through. at this point, taste the broth, and season with salt, pepper, or soy sauce if needed.

4. in a separate pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions. drain and plunge noodles into an ice bath to stop the cooking and to rinse off excess starch.

to serve:

add the cooked noodles to a large bowl. ladle over the hot broth. add daikon radish, seitan puffs, mushrooms, and kelp. top with cilantro, green onion, and chili oil. for the chili oil: try to get more of the oil, rather than the chili flakes themselves, for the best flavor. enjoy.