Vegetable Noodles With Shrimp

The noodles in this dish, dubbed “vegetable noodles” with shrimp, are made from three different vegetables: zucchini, carrots, and broad bean, which resembles wide glass noodle. Glass noodles are made from either mung beans or broad beans, and while they are both considered glass noodles, they are not exactly the same. Vermicelli made from mung beans, is both more delicate and delicately thin.

Noodles made from broad beans are more elastic and chewy, making them a pleasant alternative.

Soaking them in warm water for 30 minutes is required before cooking.

If you need help locating wide bean noodles where you live, mung bean vermicelli noodles are a great alternative. You just need to reduce the amount of time they soak from 30 minutes to 10 and add them during the final 2 minutes of cooking.

If you’re into making vegetable noodles, as I am, a julienne peeler is an excellent tool to have on hand. I used it to make zucchini and carrot vegetable noodles. There are other options for making vegetable noodles, such as a spiralizer or a mandolin slicer, but the julienne peeler is the most effective. And I’m happy to say that it only took me a few minutes to use this handy peeler to turn a massive zucchini and a massive carrot into two nice heaps of vegetable noodles.

The fact that it’s both healthy and delicious makes this vegetable noodle dish a winner in my book. Fresh shrimp and vegetables stand in nice contrast to dried shrimp’s salty, robust flavor (which can be left out if you can’t locate them). The noodles themselves have no taste, but they take on the rich flavor of the chicken broth in which they are cooked.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz. of peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 8 oz. of soaked dried broad bean noodles
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 1 scallion (julienned)
• 1 medium zucchini (sliced into noodles)
• 1 large carrot (sliced into noodles)
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• ¼ cup of soaked dried shrimp (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of sugar
• ½ teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper
• Cilantro (for garnish, optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. It’s best to get everything ready to go before you start cooking. Put the oil, onion, garlic, and dried shrimp in a wok and cook it over medium-high heat. The onion should be stir-fried until it is clear. After another 30 seconds of stirring, add the Shaoxing wine. Put in some broad bean noodles, sugar, salt, and chicken stock. Put everything over low heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Toss in the “noodles” of zucchini and carrot with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until nearly all the liquid evaporates. More chicken stock can be added if you prefer a soupier consistency for your noodles.
3. Add the shrimp and scallions and stir for 2 more minutes until the shrimp is pink and opaque.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro on top.