15-Minute Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Tick the ingredients as you go

Noodles

• 400 g dried rice stick noodles (see notes)

Stock

• 4 cups (32 oz / 1 litre) vegetable or chicken stock (broth)
• 5 cups water
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Stock sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornflour / cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sesame paste or tahini
• 4 tablespoons black vinegar (see notes)
• 2 teaspoons chilli bean sauce (or another chilli paste or sauce, to taste)
• 1½ teaspoons sesame oil

Vegetables (see notes)

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
• 4 bok choy
• 2 cups broccoli florets

Garnish

• 1½ cups bean sprouts
• 1 scallion (spring onion), chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Put all the stock ingredients into a large pot and bring them to a boil.

2. 2

   While it heats, stir the stock sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces.

   
3. 3

   Stir the stock sauce into the pot until it dissolves, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. 4

   Once the stock is boiling, drop in the noodles. After 1 minute, add the carrots and broccoli. After 1 more minute, take the pot off the heat and add the bok choy stems.

   
6. 5

   Share the noodles and vegetables between bowls and top with the bok choy leaves and bean sprouts.

7. 6

   Ladle the hot soup over the top and scatter with scallion.

   
8. 7

   If you like, finish with chilli oil and extra chilli paste.