This spicy green bean noodle (四季豆面, Sì jì dòu miàn) recipe is super easy to put together and only needs a few simple pantry ingredients.
Are you a fan of green beans? It’s actually one of the easiest greens to add to any dish, be it in fried rice, stir-fries, or in a salad. So, when I was at Trader Joe’s market last week and saw Haricot Vert (green bean), I had to get a bag. If you haven’t tried the haricot vert, you need to try it, especially in this dish.
The stems are tender, sweet, and have an addicting crunch. So, I’m using them as the star for the toppings of this noodle. To make it more flavorful, I added tofu and sautéed it with a Sichuan sweet and salty condiment – Suì Mǐ Yá Cài, 碎米芽菜. It’s a type of preserved mustard greens that I must add to my Dan Dan noodles.
The flavor combo is just so tasty and fragrant that I could simply pair it with rice too. So, let’s check out how to make the spicy green bean and tossed noodle today! This recipe is inspired by Cat’s Kitchen (YouTube) – please note his channel is not vegan.
How to Make Spicy Green Bean Noodle
Step 1: Make the shallot oil and noodle sauce
Shallot oil is really easy to make and one of my mom’s favorite oil to use in tossed noodles. This oil immediately gives the noodles the homemade taste that I love. So, make a large batch and use the oil for cooking as well.
If you have made my Tofu Katsu noodle before, this noodle sauce is very similar to that. It’s probably one of my go-to sauces for tossed noodles that is as close to Kon Lo Mee from home as possible.
The noodle sauce is simply the shallots oil you made, soy sauce, and hot water. I highly recommend that you make the noodle by 1 serving. It’s easier to toss the noodles that way and you can adjust the taste accordingly.
Step 2: Make the green bean topping
As mentioned above, this green bean stir-fry can be served as a side dish by itself for rice or topping for today’s noodle.
To keep the green bean crunch, quickly blanched them in hot water and drain them into an ice bath. This step will stop the cooking and the green will retained.
Then, sauté some mashed tofu in a heated non-stick skillet. Once the tofu is slightly golden, push them aside and continue to sauté the spices until fragrant. Add the Sui Mi Ya Cai, chile, and stir-fry to combine.
Add the blanched green beans back and the seasoning, then toss everything until well-combined. Set it aside until ready to use.
Step 3: How to put everything together
Cook your choice of noodles as directed and add to the sauce bowl. To serve, simply add the toppings and mix everything together before serving.
You can serve this noodle warm or at room temperature which makes it perfect for the warmer weather these days.
Spicy Green Bean Noodle Cooking Tips
1. I can’t find Sui Mi Ya Cai – this is usually available at Asian grocery store or online at Amazon. This preserved mustards green is salty and has a deep flavor, so a spoonful will be enough to season the noodles.
Alternatively, you can use Zhà cài 榨菜 which is one of my favorite seasonings for clear tomato soup. Before using this, you’ll need to soak them in water as they tend to be quite salty.
2. What types of chile to use? Both fresh or softened dried chiles work great in this recipe. Or if you prefer to have a less spicy version, simply skip the chile.
3. Noodles – Many readers asked the type of noodles I like to use in my dishes. For this particular recipe, I used dried Japanese udon from Hime.
This Spicy Green Bean Noodle is
- Easy-to-make
- A perfect way to add more vegetables to a meal
- Meal-prepped friendly
- Easily customizable (skip the garlic for allium-free)
- Vegan
- And TASTY!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Spicy Green Bean Noodle – 四季豆面
Ingredients
- 2 servings noodles of choice cook as directed
- 6 oz fresh green beans chopped
- 7 oz [200g] firm tofu mashed
- 1 tablespoon Sui Mi Ya Cai
- 3 dried chile softened and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ tablespoon black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- splash of toasted sesame oil
- a handful of chopped cilantro
- a handful of toasted sesame seeds
- neutral oil for cooking
Shallot Oil
- 3 small shallots thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
Noodle Sauce (for 2 servings)
- 2 tablespoons shallot oil with shallots
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- Prepare the shallot oil: Heat a small saucepan with 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the shallots and stir-fry until the shallots turn slightly golden.
- Remove the pan from heat and set aside until ready to use or store the oil in a cleaned jar. Please note that the hot oil will continue to cook the shallots so turn off the heat as soon as the shallots are fully cooked through.
- Noodle sauce: Using the oil you've just prepared, add in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and hot water to make the noodle seasoning. Set it aside.
- Prepare the green beans: Fill 2-3 cups of water in a large bowl and add in some ice and set it aside.
- Then, fill a 3-quart saucepan with water and bring it to boil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Blanch green beans for a minute. Sieve out the green beans into the ice bath. Drain out the water and set aside.
- To make the topping, heat a 10" non-stick skillet and add about 3 teaspoons of oil. Add the mashed tofu and pan-fry until slightly golden.
- Push tofu to the side of the pan and add a splash of oil. Then, continue to sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant.
- Add the Sui Mi Ya Cai, chile, and green beans and stir-fry for a few seconds.
- Season with black vinegar, soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, sugar, and toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and it's ready to be served as-is with rice.
- To pair the green bean mix with noodles, cook the noodles of your choice as directed.
- Transfer cooked noodles to a bowl with noodle sauce. Top with stir-fried greens, add a splash of toasted sesame oil and garnish with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Video
Notes
- The noodle sauce is for 2 servings and I highly recommend that you make each serving by itself. It’s easier to toss and season the noodles this way.
- The noodle I’m using is a little saltier, so please adjust the saltiness accordingly if you are using other brands. Thanks!
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
I’m wondering where in an Asian market I would look for the package of Sui Mi Ya Cai? Is it typically in the produce section, a refrigerated section or another area? Thanks.
Delicious and easy recipe. Thank you!
Absolutely incredible and truly authentic!
So happy to hear that, Josh. Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hi, I can’t find either the pickled mustard greens or radish at my Asian grocer. Is there any other sub I can use? Thank you.
Hello Sheilla, thanks for sharing your feedback. Sorry you couldn’t find the pickled mustard green, you can use other vegetables and add another tiny spoonful of bean sauce if you like to make it more flavorful. Thanks, WoonHeng
How do you make a mashed tofu ?
Hello Claire, thanks so much for reaching out. I usually use a fork or a potato masher if I’m working on a large batch. Or simply use the back of your spatula to mash it. Let me know if you need anything else. Best, WoonHeng
This was soooo delicious!!! Thank you!
Thanks a lot, Sabri!