These Vegan Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles feature two typical Chinese vegetarian ingredients: dried bean curd skin and dried lily flower! It also pairs perfectly with spicy chunky ginger sauce. Feel free to switch this recipe up with any veggies you have on hand, because these gluten-free noodles will taste great regardless!
If ya’ll didn’t know, I stayed with just my grandparents for a month in Kuala Lumpur some time ago. Grandparents usually stock up on meat, seafood and all when their grandchildren visit but I’m no ordinary grandchild HAHAHA. Instead, my grandfather frequented Chinese vegetarian stores (which he NEVER does) and bought sooooo many goodies for me to try.
I wasn’t very familiar with Chinese vegetarian cooking to begin with, but after this trip I felt like I had entered a whole new world of possibilities. There are so many goods (dried ones in particular) that aren’t showcased as much as, say, tofu or seitan. In today’s recipe, I’ve decided to highlight two typical Chinese vegetarian ingredients: dried bean curd skin and dried lily flower!
What are Dried Lily Flowers?
Called 黄花 (huang hua), they are the unopened flowers of the day lily plant. They usually come in dried strands, taste slightly tart and have a strong earthy aroma. They’re also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, phosphorus and folate. We’ll be tying them into knots to give them a good chew and crunch! Check out my video guide for this on Instagram.
What is Dried Bean Curd Skin?
Also known as tofu skin, it’s made from the layer that forms on the surface of boiled soy milk. It’s just like tofu in terms of nutrition: high in protein and low in saturated fat. It has an incredibly chewy, meat-like texture making it great for vegan dishes!
Besides that, I’ve also included a recipe on this Spicy Chunky Ginger Sauce. My grandmother made this to go with the glass noodle dish, and it was the perfect pairing. I’m not a huge fan of ginger but it was too good to pass up!
I really only have one tip for these Vegan Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles – stir the noodles into the veggies bit by bit with a pair of chopsticks (or tongs) instead of dumping it all in at once. It’s just easier to incorporate that way.
And that’s it! I hope this blog post and recipe has inspired you to experiment with more Chinese vegetarian ingredients, because they can really contribute lots of interesting flavours into your cooking.
If you’re looking for more, check out these Asian recipes:
- Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Chai Kueh 菜粿)
- Vegan Hokkien Mee 福建面
- Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Vegan Chili Pan Mee 板面
If you’ve made these Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Vegan + Gluten-Free), let me know! Leave a comment and rating below, tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss or Facebook @Eatwkriss. Remember to use the hashtag #eatwkriss so that I can see your amazing recreations.
Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Noodles
- 1 long sheet of dried bean curd skin (35-40g)
- 100 g glass noodles*
- ½ cup dried lily flower (25-30g)
- 1 chayote cut into matchsticks
- 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
- 1 shallot sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 stalks scallions white ends chopped, green part cut into long strips
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- ½ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Spicy Chunky Ginger Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 50 g young ginger** unpeeled, cut into chunks
- 2 shallots sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 stalk scallions diced
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper optional, for extra spiciness
Instructions
Noodles
- Soak the dried bean curd skin in water for 1 hour, then soak the dried lily flower and glass noodles for 15 minutes.
- Slice the re-hydrated bean curd skin into long strips.
- Rinse the re-hydrated lily flowers and discard the strands that are too mushy. Pluck off the hard end of each strand, then tie the longer strands into a knot.*** This gives it a nice chew and crunch.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook both the bean curd skin and lily flowers for 30 seconds, then strain and set aside.
- In a large pot with some oil over medium heat, cook the shallots, garlic and white scallions until fragrant. Stir in the carrot, chayote, lily flower and sauces, cooking for 1 minute. Pour in the water and let simmer with the lid for a few minutes depending on how soft you want the vegetables to be. Stir in the bean curd skin halfway.
- Add in the glass noodles bit by bit, using a pair of chopsticks to help mix everything well. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the green scallions and continue to cook until the noodles have softened.
Spicy Chunky Ginger Sauce
- Use the body of a knife to flatten each chunk of ginger. If it is still too thick, slice it in half lengthwise.
- Over medium heat, cook the ginger in the oil until fragrant. Stir in the shallots, then the garlic and scallions. Cook for 1-2 minutes then season with salt, sugar and pepper (optional).
- Serve the glass noodles straightaway together with the chunky ginger sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER ⇓
