This vegetarian dish combines longevity noodles made from buckwheat flour with air-fried tofu seasoned with Togarashi spice mix, sesame garlic spinach and braised enoki mushrooms for an easy and quick start to 2019. Perfect for starting the new year right!

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add salt, and the noodles according to the package instructions until just under al dente. Drain and rinse carefully after cooking.

Ingredients

Chinese culture traditionally serves longevity noodles at banquets for birthdays, weddings and Lunar New Year in order to symbolize wealth and good luck for the coming year. Also referred to as E-fu Noodles or Longevity Noodles, longevity noodles boast an interesting texture which is chewy yet slightly spongy for maximum sauce absorption. Longevity Noodles pair nicely with Chinese leafy greens such as bok choy or garlic chives as well as proteins like char siu chicken pork or shrimp for maximum taste!

To prepare noodles, simply follow the directions on their package. Meanwhile, bring another large pot of water to boil separately for blanching mushrooms, choy sum or other Chinese leafy greens, according to their packaging. Blanch for approximately 20 seconds before draining and rinsing under cold water before setting aside.

To make mushroom sauce, combine all of the ingredients (excluding enoki mushrooms ) in a bowl and whisk to mix thoroughly. Combine blanched noodles with shiitake and enoki mushrooms along with additional sauce mixture if needed and stir to coat evenly before topping off with scallion slices, furikake or chili oil, if desired, before serving.

Enoki mushrooms should be added at the very last stage of cooking to avoid overcooking them and add delicate texture and subtle flavor to any dish.

Note: If udon noodles cannot be found, any wheat-based noodle would work, such as Japanese udon or Chinese lo mein noodles. Cellophane noodles made of potato starch or rice vermicelli with rice flour could also work but will likely be softer. You could even experiment with buckwheat soba noodles made of buckwheat flour which are healthful yet have more earthy tones than their wheat-based counterparts.

If doubanjiang and furikake can’t be found, Chinese chili paste made from sun-dried chili peppers and sesame seeds will do. Look for these condiments at Asian grocery stores or online.

Prep

To prepare the mushrooms, cover them in hot water and soak for 20 minutes, reserving one cup of their soaking liquid. Drain, slice into 1/4-inch-thick strips, clean and trim enoki mushrooms before heating remaining neutral oil until shimmering and fragrant before adding ginger and garlic for 30 seconds of stir frying before transferring all mixture to a small bowl and setting aside.

Cook the noodles according to package instructions and once finished rinse with cold water. In a small bowl combine vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red chili flakes and cornstarch for the sauce and set aside.

As soon as the mushrooms and carrots are almost finished cooking, heat some neutral oil in the same wok or skillet and add white parts of scallions and 1/4 of instant ramen seasoning packet. Toss to coat vegetables without sticking and prevent future sticking; when finished add in Enoki mushrooms (to coat in seasoning mixture); finally return it all back into noodles to stir fry together to warm everything through.

Add the bok choy, remaining white parts of scallions and ginger slices that had been reserved to your noodles and toss until evenly distributed. Turn off the heat, pour in your sauce mixture and give everything one more quick stir until everything has combined well.

Final steps include plating the mushrooms and noodles onto a plate and topping with garnishes and furikake or doubanjiang for extra flavor and color, before serving!

This recipe is an easy, delicious weeknight dinner option that uses whatever ingredients are on hand. Perfect for busy weeknights and perfect to serve both warm or cold, I hope you enjoy making and eating this simple yet delectable dish! Need another quick and tasty recipe for weekday meals? Check out Tofu Noodle Bowl or The Easiest Thai Red Curry Noodles as other simple and delectable weekday solutions; or Rabboki for something a bit different. Happy cooking!

Cook

At the conclusion of any Chinese banquet or celebration dinner – and especially Lunar New Year! – you will likely be presented with a platter of e-fu noodles (Longevity Noodles), meant to represent longevity. These long tangled noodles should be eaten without cutting them since cutting may shorten life span.

If using dried mushrooms, cover with hot water and soak for 20 minutes to soften, before rinsing and reserving their soaking liquid. If using fresh mushrooms instead, clean and slice before heating a wok or large pot over medium-high heat with one tablespoon of oil, shallots, white scallion parts and ginger until aromatic; about 2-3 minutes. Stir in shiitake mushrooms until slightly browned at their edges, followed by adding Enoki mushrooms until tender but not yet mushy; finally stir in Choy sum Chinese mustard greens before pouring over stock/seasoning mixture to combine fully before stirring to combine everything.

Transfer the sauce from the heat, remove from heat, and set aside. Combine all of the remaining ingredients (excluding stock) in a small bowl with your stock; combine well. Alternatively, if desired, the sauce can also be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge if desired.

To prepare noodles, bring a pot of salted water to boil, then add your noodles. After they reach boiling point, stir them gently so as to separate the strands before boiling for approximately one minute – or until just under al dente – drain, rinse in cold water for one minute to stop further cooking before draining again.

Prepare the noodles and top them with the choy sum, mushrooms and togarashi seasoning before offering alongside vegan dashi as a dip for additional enjoyment.

Toshikoshi soba is a delicious traditional Japanese New Year dish and makes an excellent plant-based lunch option to start 2019 on a healthy note. The dish includes a flavorful dashi broth made with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms as well as air-fried tofu with spicy seasoning such as togarashi, sesame garlic spinach and braised enoki mushrooms; for vegan versions use soba noodles instead; other alternatives may include udon, Chinese glass noodles or vermicelli

Finish

These delicious noodles, often known as longevity noodles, are popularly enjoyed during Chinese New Year and birthday celebrations alike. This recipe boasts perfectly chewy noodles topped with shiitake mushrooms, Chinese garlic chives and an indulgent umami sauce for a satisfying weekday dinner that doesn’t take forever to prepare!

Start by cooking and draining your noodles or pasta according to package instructions, taking care to only drain them when al dente, so they cook correctly in your stir fry dish.

While your noodles are boiling, begin prepping vegetables and sauce. Heat your choice of cooking oil to shimmering and add onions, ginger, garlic (when possible) and then shiitake and enoki mushrooms – stir frying for 30 seconds to finish off this dish!

Add the chile paste, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and rice vinegar and let cook for another minute or two, tasting to adjust seasonings as necessary. At this stage if using dry noodles without pre-seasoned seasoning this is also an opportunity to season them yourself if necessary.

Add the drained noodles and toss to ensure an even coating with sauce. Braise over low heat until your noodles are fully cooked through and the chives have wilted, taking anywhere between 1-3 minutes depending on how warm the noodles were when you started and how hot your stove/wok can get.

Enjoy your savory and comforting bowl of noodles while it’s still hot – don’t forget to make a wish! Leftover longevity noodles will store in the fridge for up to three days, then can easily be rewarmed over medium heat in a wok. Even if it’s not celebrating any special event, longevity noodles make an easy, delicious and quick weekly addition. I hope you’ve found this easy but delicious Longevity Noodles Recipe with Oyster Shiitake and Enoki Mushrooms; let me know how it turned out in the comments section below!