Whether you’re vegan or just want a fully meatless meal for dinner, this vegetable chow fun recipe is the perfect choice. It’s loaded with vegetables and has an extra rich, umami taste made with vegan ingredients.
Why this recipe
If you love veggies just like me, this is a nutritious and delicious dish. I added SO MANY vegetables to the noodles in this vegetable chow fun that every single bite of noodle will be paired with plenty of crisp veggie goodness. The key to getting that rich umami taste in this vegetable chow fun is the addition of mushrooms. They have that earthy and meaty taste that brings everything together.
Ingredients
Wide rice noodles
For the best texture, I prefer to use the wide-type dried rice noodles such as the one made by Taste of Thai.
How to prepare dried rice noodles
For the best noodle texture, always soak them rather than boil them. This way, they won’t become overcooked when you stir-fry them. Yes, it takes a bit longer but I promise you, your efforts will be rewarded with the taste and texture. If you boil them, they will become overcooked and fall apart during the stir-fry step, leaving you with a mushy meal and who wants that? Once the noodles are soaked, they should be soft enough to wrap around your finger, but still kind of chewy if you bite into one.
Mise en place
It’s important to gather all your ingredients before cooking, so you won’t miss anything or overcook the dish.
Vegetable options
You can replace any of them with what you have on hand. I’ve included broccoli, carrots, Anaheim peppers, button mushrooms, and bean sprouts. But do feel free to replace or subtract from that list with your favorites. I don’t recommend skipping the mushrooms though, because they are what makes the sauce so rich. NOTE, this recipe contains a lot of vegetables already, so I do not recommend further adding vegetables because your pan may not hold it all, and even if it can, putting too much in your pan can lower the temperature and prevent effective cooking.
How to make vegetable chow fun
What pan to use
To make vegetable chow fun, you need a 12-inch or 13-inch diameter pan. Of course, you can always reduce some of the vegetables to fit into your pan if you only have something smaller.
Cooking process
Afterthought
When I order vegetable chow fun from restaurants, I get frustrated if it comes with a load of noodles and very little in the way of vegetables. I kind of went overboard for this recipe, with quadruple the vegetables of your average vegetable noodles. But the result is SO FLAVORFUL that you won’t want the takeout version again!
