Sichuan Mala Noodles with Crispy Lotus Stem

This chewy knife cut noodle dish drenched in a spicy & numbing mala sauce topped with crispy lotus stem is so addicting.

This is another rendition of my peanut chili noodles – but I wanted something that was inspired by my favorite dry pot dish: mala xiang guo. The beautiful combination of mala sauce, peanuts and lotus stem aside, the star of the show were really these knife cut noodles! This recipe can be made in just 20 minutes, making it the perfect easy dinner.

A little more about my obsession with Mala Xiang Guo

Mala Xiang Guo has been growing in popularity over the past few years, especially where I live in Singapore. Almost every hawker centre now has this stir fried dish where you can customise the vegetables, proteins and noodles that go in. You can also choose your spice level and add garnishes like cilantro and peanuts if you prefer. Overall, the customisation of the dish ensures anyone and everyone is able to enjoy it and no matter what it’s packed with flavour!

And it’s not just the chillies that flavour this dish – it also includes spices like garlic, sichuan pepper, 5-spice powder and most importantly, hot bean paste. It’s usually shared between 2 to even more than 6 people sometimes with a huge mega dry pot. It’s crazy how much people love eating Mala Xiang Guo as a social experience (myself included!)

In restaurants, there are so many delectable dishes to select from – you can pick your choice of protein, different types of beancurd, and vegetables. There is really no right or wrong way to construct your bowl but generally if it’s just the two of us – were pick around 4-5 dishes in a reasonable quantity.

I used to be so crazy about this dish once that I swore my future partner had to like this dish if not we were just not meant to be – I got lucky that my partner loves it too.

However, I always preferred to prepare this dish at home as it was much healthier than ones you find outside (sometimes it’s loaded with oils and you can’t really tell if it’s truly vegan unless it’s a vegetarian place). My favourite vegan mala dry pot has got to be Green On Earth, Rail Mall – you’ve got to try it if you are ever in Singapore!

Ingredients You Need

• sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is a BIG pantry staple for me and we use this as a base oil in this recipe!
• hot bean paste – this is a secret ingredient for that flavour in mala xiang guo. Unfortunately, this paste is not gluten free.
• aromatics – garlic and ginger. You can omit garlic and substitute with hing if you are alliums free.
• chillies – I used mild pepper chili flakes but feel free to use any spice level you would like!
• shaoxing wine – you can substitute this with rice wine vinegar or regular white vinegar.
• spices – 5-spice powder and ground sichuan pepper
• sauces – light and dark soy sauces
• vegetables – you can use any veggies you like but I added crispy lotus root. You can also turn this dish into a noodle stir fry and add more ingredients like: bok choy, fried tofu, oyster mushrooms, beancurd skin for added protein and fibre.

For a gluten free option, you can either use brown rice ramen, noodles or rice noodles.