How to make appealing vegetarian stir-fried vermicelli with soft and separate strands

Preparation of ingredients

Cut the cellophane noodles into sections about a hand's length. Then soak them in cold water for about 20-30 minutes until they soften. If you immerse them in hot water, don't soak them for too long, as it will cause the noodles to become too soft and easy to break when stir-frying.

While waiting for the noodles to soak, prepare the other ingredients:

• Slice dried onions thinly.
• Chop green onions and Vietnamese coriander finely.
• For the wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, soak them in water until they soften, then rinse and chop them finely. In particular, slice the wood ear mushrooms.
• Julienne the kohlrabi and carrots.
• Dice the onion into small cubes.
• If you choose to use dried bamboo shoots, you should soak them at least one day in advance, if you have time and use a large quantity, soak them longer, about 3-4 days until they soften. After soaking, boil the bamboo shoots 4-5 times until clean, then shred them into small strips.
• For tofu, divide it into two parts, slice one part thinly, about 0.4-0.5cm thick, then fry until golden and also cut into strips. Separate the remaining raw tofu.
• Soak the bean sprouts clean in salt water, then drain.

Stir-fry the filling

After preparing all the ingredients, stir-fry the filling separately.

Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan, once the oil is hot, add the dried onions and saute until fragrant.

When the onion turns golden and fragrant, add the kohlrabi and carrots, stir-fry them first because they take longer to cook than the remaining ingredients. Stir-fry for about a minute over medium heat.

Next, add ingredients like onion, dried bamboo shoots, fried tofu, wood ear mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Stir evenly, season with 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, a pinch of MSG, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.

Stir them evenly then add the bean sprouts. Stir quickly for a few seconds then turn off the stove. Set this filling aside in a separate bowl.

Preparation of cellophane noodles

For the preparation of cellophane noodles for stir-frying, Cookbeo will separate it into a small section like this for your convenient reference and application.

Normally, when making savory stir-fried cellophane noodles, after soaking the noodles, you pick them up, rinse them clean, and let them drain. Next, to make the stir-fried noodles fluffier, you crack 2-3 chicken eggs into a bowl of noodles and mix these two ingredients together. Egg whites, in particular, have good moisture absorption, and the cold-soaked noodles are reasonably dry, so they won't become mushy or clumped when stir-fried, but will be fluffy and separated.

However, for vegetarian stir-fried cellophane noodles, Cookbeo will not use chicken eggs. Instead, you use the remaining raw tofu that Cookbeo mentioned in the above ingredient preparation step, and mix the tofu together with the cellophane noodles. Tofu also has the effect of making the noodles crispy, absorbing moisture, and adding a rich taste.

After that, don't forget to add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce to the noodle bowl, and mix them up. Cooking oil and soy sauce also help to enhance the flavor and make the stir-fried noodles softer.

Besides the secret of mixing noodles with tofu / chicken eggs + cooking oil + soy sauce to make the stir-fried noodles fluffy, you should note: If you stir-fry the noodles over and over again, they can become dry and mushy. Therefore, only stir-fry them when you are about to eat. In case you have to stir-fry again to heat it up, add a little water + oil + soy sauce and stir-fry over low heat to make the noodles moist again.

Making Vegetarian Stir-fried Cellophane Noodles

Add a little cooking oil, coat the pan and heat the oil. Then add the noodles, keeping the heat at a medium level. Stir evenly. At first, you will see the noodles sticking together, and it's quite heavy to stir. But keep stirring evenly and continue to stir-fry, the noodles will gradually dry and separate themselves.

Stir-fry until the noodles inside are fluffy like this, then add the semi-stir-fried filling. Stir evenly, at this point, you can increase the heat a little to make the noodles and filling crispy. Stir and mix the noodles and ingredients together.

Season to taste, usually, you only need to add more soy sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the noodles are not sticking together, and are moist. Add some green onion and Vietnamese coriander. Stir quickly then turn off the heat, and serve the stir-fried noodles on a plate.

The vegetarian stir-fried cellophane noodles are very appealing in both appearance and taste. The vibrant colors, the soft and fluffy noodles, the crispy and sweet vegetables, and the rich and creamy tofu. It's a dish that you can prepare whenever you are tired of salty dishes, but it's still very delicious and easy to eat.