I was in a very noodle-y mood this week. In addition to making a giant double batch of Chinese "Bolognese", I also put this rice noodle dish into my meal plan for the week. It uses rice noodles rather than wheat noodles so that makes it completely different! ...Right?

The original recipe called for chicken, but I decided to do some substitutions to make it vegetarian. Tofu is normally my chicken substitute of choice, but I was already planning a bunch of tofu dishes for this week, so I opted for tempeh instead to mix things up a bit. Especially since the Kidlet is apparently off tofu now. I think seitan would also work for this, but I didn't really feel up to making seitan this week and I wasn't sure the canned stuff I've got hanging out in the pantry would be harmonious flavour-wise.

The tempeh worked out okay. I think I'd tweak the marinade a little bit next time though to compensate for the fact that it's not actually chicken. I think it'd do well with a little bit of garlic and paprika added to the marinade and maybe a bit of extra oyster sauce as well. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

Tempeh Mei Fun

Adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Noodles

• 200g rice vermicelli
• hot water, for soaking
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

Tempeh

• 200g tempeh, cut into strips
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. 5-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

Assembly

• 2 (2mm thick) slices ginger, julienned
• 70g shallots, sliced
• 40g carrot, julienned
• 150g cabbage, shredded
• 3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 5cm pieces
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. water (optional)

Directions

Noodles

1. Place noodles in a bowl and pour hot water over them to cover.
2. Allow to soak until softened (2-5 minutes depending on how hot your water was).
3. Drain and toss with oil and soy sauce. Set aside.

Tempeh

1. Combine tempeh, cornstarch, water, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, pepper, 5-spice powder, garlic power, paprika, and onion powder and mix to evenly coat the tempeh.
2. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Assembly

1. Make sure all your veggies are prepped and ready to go, this goes fast once you start cooking!
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add 3 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and swirl to coat.
4. Add the ginger and tempeh and stir-fry until heated through (1-2 minutes).
5. Add the shallots and cook for 10-30 seconds.
6. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
7. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper and stir to combine.
8. Reduce heat to medium and stir in noodles and scallions.
9. If you'd like the noodles a bit softer, add 2 Tbsp. of water, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 more minute.