This hot and sour broth with sweet potato jelly noodles, topped with crumbled tofu, fried peanuts and herbs is the perfect comfort meal!
These hot and sour soup noodles are one of my go-to comfort meals, even on hot days because if it’s mildly spicy and tangy flavours. Coincidentally, hot and sour noodles in a cup noodle form are particularly popular and they tend to be vegan as well.
Hot and sour noodle soup is a popular dish in Chinese cuisine, particularly in regions like Sichuan and Yunnan. It blends the distinct flavours of heat (usually from white pepper or chili) and tanginess (often from vinegar). The noodles generally tend to have a glass and jelly-like texture and are often made with sweet potato starch.
These noodles, also known as ‘Hotpot Vermicelli Noodles’ can be thin like ramen or very wide and thick. In this recipe, we use the wide and thick sweet potato noodles to soak up all the flavour.
Ingredients You Need
- protein topping – extra firm tofu or vegan ground pork
- seasonings – sesame oil, shaoxing wine (or rice vinegar or mirin), light soy sauce, dark soy sauce
- hot and sour broth – spring onions, chili oil, black vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sweetener (agave/maple syrup) and sichuan pepper
- mushroom broth – you just need water and mushroom seasoning or dashi
- noodles – dried sweet potato noodles
- garnishes and toppings – roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, green onions, pickled mustard (optional)
Gluten free substitutions: Use gluten free soy sauce and omit dark soy sauce. Use tofu or soybean tempeh as the protein.
Allium free substitutions: Omit spring onions and substitute with more coriander.
Hot and Sour Soup Noodles (Suan La Fen)
Ingredients
Vegan 'Ground Pork'
- 150g extra firm tofu
- 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
Hot & Sour Broth
- 1 tbsp homemade chili oil
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp agave or maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sichuan pepper
- 2 stalks spring onions
- 1 serving dried sweet potato noodles (120g)
Mushroom Broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp mushroom dashi or seasoning
Toppings
- roasted or fried peanuts
- chopped cilantro
- chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup blanced beansprouts
- 1/2 tbsp pickled mustard
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potato noodles according to package instructions. Drain, save the water and set aside.
- Crumble some tofu onto a pan and fry until golden brown. Add the seasonings and saute well.
- Add 2 cups of that water and mushroom seasoning. Bring to a boil.
- To a heat-safe bowl, add chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauces, sweetener, sichuan pepper and chopped spring onions.
- Add mushroom broth first, followed by the noodles. Garnish with ground tofu, toasted peanuts, blanched beansprouts, spring onions and coriander.
- Give it a good mix and enjoy!