Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles (Dan Dan Mian) by Tony Tan

Ingredients

• 100 gm firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 30 gm dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 250ml hot water for 10 minutes
• 500 gm fresh wheat noodles
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Handful chopped spring onions, to serve
• Chilli oil
• 500 ml vegetable oil
• 15 gm ginger, finely chopped
• 100 gm chilli flakes
• Dan dan sauce
• 80 ml chilli oil, including sediment (see recipe above)
• 2 tbsp ya cai (see intro)
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fermented tofu, mashed (see note)
• 1 tbsp Chinese roasted sesame paste (see note) or peanut butter
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• ½ tsp Sichuan pepper, dry-roasted and ground
• 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock