Sichuan Buddhist Noodle (Zhai Mian) — Vegetarian Street Noodles

Ingredients

• For the mushroom stock
• 30 g Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in cold water overnight, soaking liquid reserved
• 20 g Kombu, wiped clean
• 1.2 litres Cold water
• For the sauce
• 60 g Chinese sesame paste (zhima jiang), stirred smooth
• 30 ml Light soy sauce
• 20 ml Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 40 ml Sichuan chili oil (hong you), with sediment
• 1 tsp Ground roasted Sichuan peppercorn, freshly ground
• 15 g Pixian broad bean paste (douban jiang), finely chopped
• For the toppings
• 80 g Ya cai (Yibin preserved mustard vegetable), rinsed lightly, squeezed dry
• 40 g Dong cai (winter preserved vegetable), rinsed, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced and fried until crisp in neutral oil
• 100 g Bean sprouts, blanched briefly
• For the noodles
• 400 g Fresh Sichuan-style wheat noodles (thin round), or good dried thin wheat noodles

Method

1. 1
   Combine the soaked shiitake mushrooms, their strained soaking liquid, the kombu, and fresh cold water in a pot. Bring slowly to just below a simmer and hold there, without boiling, for 40 minutes. Remove the kombu; continue for a further 10 minutes. Strain. The stock should be a deep amber with a pronounced savoury depth — taste it: if it tastes thin, reduce it by one-quarter before proceeding.
2. 2
   In a small pan over medium heat, warm the chopped douban jiang in a film of neutral oil, stirring constantly, until it darkens one shade and the oil turns red, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. This step determines whether the paste contributes fermented depth or raw harshness — the oil must colour red but must not scorch.
3. 3
   In a bowl, combine the sesame paste, soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, chili oil with its sediment, ground Sichuan peppercorn, and the fried douban jiang. Whisk together. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; if it is thinner than this, add sesame paste by the teaspoon — the vegetarian version requires slightly more sesame paste than the meat version to achieve the same body. This is where the dish lives or dies: every element of Sichuan flavour complexity must be present in the sauce before the noodles enter.
4. 4
   Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a full rolling boil. Blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds; lift out and set aside. Return the water to the boil, add the noodles, and cook until just tender with a slight resistance at the centre. Fresh noodles will be done in 1–2 minutes; dried noodles according to their weight. Drain well.
5. 5
   Warm the mushroom stock and divide it among four deep bowls — approximately 150 ml per bowl. Divide the sauce equally over the stock. Lay the drained noodles on top. Dress with ya cai, dong cai, blanched bean sprouts, and crispy fried garlic. Add a final drizzle of chili oil if desired. Serve immediately: the noodles must be eaten before they absorb all the sauce, while the ya cai and garlic retain their crunch.