Vegan Spicy Hand Pulled Noodles

These hand-pulled noodles are so delicious that you’ll want to keep making these, trust me! This recipe is inspired by Xian's famous foods in NYC. When I first had their noodles, I fell in love with them and wanted to keep going back. During Covid we ordered the home kit (which was fab) I realized I can try recreating them. So after ALOT of trials, I finally got the result I was happy with the result. These noodles are a little chewy with a delicious sauce & spice mixture, and some veggies but the magic is the sear of the hot oil over it making them INSANE! Pulling the noodles takes some practice but there is also a shortcut (though I recommend trying pulling them). You can make this into a fun date night activity as well. These vegan noodles are SO good you need to try them!

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20-30 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Resting Time: 2-3 hours

Total Time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients: 

Noodles:

• 250 all-purpose flour

• 125g room temperature water

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Oil to coat

Spice mix:

• 1/4 tsp cumin powder

• Salt as per taste

• 1/8 tsp coriander powder

• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

• 1.5-2 tbsp Sichuan chili flakes as per taste

• 1/4 tsp sugar 

Sauce:

• 1.5 tbsp Dark Soy sauce

• 1.5 tbsp Light soy

• 1/2 tbsp vegan Oyster sauce 

• 1/2 tsp Vinegar 

• 1 tbsp Sesame oil 

Veggies and other:

• 4-6 cloves of Garlic minced

• 2-3 Scallions chopped

• 1/3 cup Cabbage in chunks

• 1/2 stick Celery finely chopped

• 1/2-3/4 cup Vegetable oil or neutral oil

Directions: 

• Noodles: In a mixing bowl add flour and salt and mix.

• Add water and stir it together to form a shaggy dough. Start kneading it into a dough.

• Knead it for 5-6 minutes till it is a smooth dough.

• Cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

• Once the dough has rested, give it another knead and then divide the dough into 4 divisions.

• Work a division at a time, keeping the rest covered.

• Knead a division and shape it into a rough rectangle. Lightly roll it out to form a rectangle about 8 inches long.

• Use the back of a knife in the middle of the rectangle and press down a bit forming a line through the entire length.

• Rub oil all over the rectangle (front and back) and wrap it in cling wrap.

• Repeat for all divisions and let it rest for 2-3 hours.

Sauce: Mix all the sauce and keep it aside

Spices: Mix all the spices and keep them aside.

Veggies: Prep all the veggies and keep them aside.

Pulling noodles and assembly: Work on a large counter to pull the noodles. Put water to boil in a saucepan while pulling the noodles.

• Take one division and gently stretch it from the edges in opposite directions.

• While holding the sides and pulling them gently, smack the noodles on the surface and keep stretching them. Keep moving your arms apart, bounce the noodle against the surface to help it stretch further. The motion is in your wrist while bouncing them.

• When you’ve stretched them till they are much thinner, rip them in half using the mark you made. If they break into smaller don’t worry, it’s still amazing!

• If you are not comfortable pulling the noodles, use a rolling pin to roll them out lengthwise, and use a pizza cutter and cut them into 2/3 noodles.

• As you make the noodles boil the for 5-7 minutes till cooked through. The timing depends on how thick/thin you pull the noodles. At about half- way point, add the cabbage to the pot. Make sure you give the noodles a stir in between.

• While the noodles are boiling, put the oil to heat up. You want the oil hot so it can sear the noodles.

• As the noodles boil transfer them with the cabbage to a heat-proof bowl.

• Add the sauce mixture to the bowl followed by the scallions ad celery.

• Then add the spice mixture and top, with minced garlic over it.

• You need to pour the oil over the garlic and spices. It creates a lot of smoke so I would recommend doing it outdoors or near an open window so you don’t start the fire alarm at home.

• Safetly pour the hot oil over the garlic and spices and let it sit for 10-15 seconds.

• Using tongs or forks, safety give it a toss, mixing it well. Toss for a minute or so till it’s all well combined.

• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes/Tips:

• Knead the dough and rest it well to help gluten form.

• I made the noodle divisions and wrapped them and kept them in the fridge for 2 days.

• Pour the oil over the garlic and spices, this helps cook it.

• You may have oil left over in the bowl after you are done eating. I like storing it to mix into other Chinese dishes I prepare later like tofu.

• Don’t worry if you rip the noodles while pulling, you can always fix it by rolling them out. Trust me practice makes perfect in this process. It took me 4-5 times to get the motion right.