If you are a fan of Asian cuisine and curious to discover new inspirations, here is a recipe for Vegan Biang Biang Noodles. This is traditional homemade noodles from Northwest China.

And if you don’t know what to expect, I’ll describe this recipe as the Chinese version of spaghetti aglio, olio y peperoncino !

Where do Biang Biang noodles come from?

Biang Biang or biángbiáng noodles are long Chinese noodles made from wheat flour and water. They look like long Italian pappardelles. In general, since Biang Biang noodles are homemade, they have a less regular shape and a rougher texture, which allows them to hang well in the sauce that comes with them.

Biang Biang noodles are a typical dish from the Shaanxi region in northwest China. What makes them unique is the way they are made: the noodle dough is slammed onto a work surface which makes a “biang, biang” noise, hence their name!

It is a relatively popular and inexpensive dish. Biang Biang noodles are usually served in the simplest way: simply accompanied with a chili oil. It’s a bit like the Chinese version of spaghetti aglio, olio y peperoncino.

In the following recipe, I added some ingredients including cabbage, spring onions and Sichuan pepper to bring more flavor to the noodles. Sichuan pepper does not come from the same region as Biang Biang noodles but it goes really well with it!

The essential ingredients

To make this recipe, you don’t need a lot of ingredients specific to Chinese cuisine. However, there are two ingredients that are very important in making this recipe unique.

• Sichuan pepper: Sichuan pepper is a particularly fragrant pepper. It is one of the star ingredients in Sichuan cuisine. Its particularity is that it is spicy but the sensation is different from chillies or black pepper: Sichuan pepper brings a tingling and numbing sensation with a slight anesthetic effect. This sensation is called málà (麻辣) in Chinese.

• Chinkiang vinegar : Chinkiang vinegar is a dark, almost black vinegar. It looks like soy sauce. To the taste, it is tangy with an umami taste. This vinegar is obtained from black rice, hence its color.

Vegan Biang Biang Noodles Recipe

For a serving for 3 to 4 people, you need the following ingredients.

Ingredients

For the Biang Biang noodles

• 400 g flour
• 220 ml of water
• 4 g of salt
• Sunflower oil or other neutral oil

For the toppings

• ½ pointed cabbage or Chinese cabbage
• 3 spring onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon of dried peppers
• 1 teaspoon of Szechuan pepper
• 10 cl of sunflower oil or neutral oil
• Sesame seeds, toasted white
• 4 cl soy sauce
• 4 cl of Chinkiang vinegar

For the spicy Szechuan chili oil

• 20 cl neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons of chili flakes
• 8 whole dried chilis
• 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon of Sichuan pepper

Preparation

Step 1: Preparation of the dough for the noodles

In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Then add the water little by little, mixing well until you get a smooth dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Once rested, cut the dough into 12 equal parts. Then, form round and long pieces and place them on a plate. Using a brush or a spoon cover generously the dough with oil so that they do not dry out. Cover the plate with cling film.

Let stand for 1 hour minimum, 2 hours being preferable if you have time.

Step 2: Preparation of the spicy Szechuan chili oil

Meanwhile, prepare the spicy Szechuan chili oil. To do this, heat the sesame seeds in a frying pan or a wok without oil to toast them if they are not already. Reserve aside.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the Sichuan pepper to obtain a powder.

Cut whole dried peppers in half or third.

Place the dried chili peppers, chopped whole peppers, sesame seeds and Sichuan pepper powder in a bowl.

Then in a wok, heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Stand over a sink and pour the hot oil into the bowl with the spices. Let cool and transfer this oil to a clean container.

You can keep this oil for several weeks.

Step 3: Toppings

First, separate the white part from the green of the spring onions. Cut the green part into thin strips and place them in a bowl filled with cold water. Reserve for decoration.

Then cut the whites in the same way and place them in another bowl. Peel and chop the garlic cloves and add them to the white onions. Then add the dried chilis.

Grind the Sichuan pepper using a mortar and pestle to obtain a powder and add it to the bowl of spices.

In a wok, heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Then place the spice bowl in a sink and pour hot oil over it. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar.

Then cut the pointed cabbage or Chinese cabbage roughly. Sauté for a few minutes, adding a little oil if necessary. You can add a drizzle of soy sauce at the end of cooking.

Step 4: Form the noodles

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Set aside a large bowl filled with cold water.

Place a piece of dough on your work surface and roll it out using a rolling pin to obtain a flat dough of about 30 cm by 5 cm. Place a chop stick in the middle of the dough and apply light pressure to obtain a line.

Then take the dough from the worktop, holding the dough at both ends. Make movements from top to bottom by slamming the dough and by stretching it slightly. The dough should begin to stretch. Continue until the dough becomes too brittle.

Then place your fingers in the center of the dough and detach the dough in half on the line formed by the chopstick.

Then place the noodles directly into the boiling water. After 1 or 2 minutes the noodle will rise to the surface, remove it and place it in the container filled with cold water.

Repeat with the other pieces.

Step 5: Serve

Place a teaspoon of spicy Sichuan chili oil in a bowl.

Then put a portion of the noodles back into boiling water for just 10 seconds. Remove them and place them directly in the bowl. Mix with the chili oil.

Add on top of the noodles, a portion of cabbage and a good tablespoon of the sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar and spring onions. Decorate with the green of the onions and a few sesame seeds and another spoonful of chili oil if you like.

Serve hot and stir well before eating.

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