Suan Lafen - Hot & Sour Noodle Soup Recipe
by Julius Fiedler
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30 minutes prep time
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30 minutes cook time
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Easy
Fiery chillies, numbing Sichuan peppercorns, tangy black vinegar, and slippery noodles: suan la fen is an expression of Sichuanese street food's bold flavours. In the busy alleys of Chengdu, you’ll find street-food vendors confidently and deftly handling balls of gelatinized dough made from sweet potato starch and water. To the sound of rhythmic tapping, the malleable mass is pressed through the holes of a specially made colander directly into boiling water, instantly forming thin glass noodles. The process is difficult to replicate at home. An ordinary colander won’t do the trick and many home cooks turn to a piping bag instead, which makes it rather messy and tedious. As much as I enjoy the challenge of crafting food from scratch, this is one dish where I gladly reach for a bag of sweet potato noodles from my local Asian grocery store.
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Ingredients for Suan Lafen - Hot & Sour Noodle Soup Serves: 2
- 40g raw soybeans, or roasted peanuts
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 100-150ml vegetable oil
- A large pinch of salt
- 50g raw peanuts, skin on, or roasted peanuts
- 200g sweet potato noodles (vermicelli) or noodles of your choice
- 400ml vegetable stock
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- 2 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil, plus 1 tsp sediment
- 20g coriander
- 2 spring onions
- 70g pickled mustard stems
How to make Suan Lafen - Hot & Sour Noodle Soup
- Soak the soybeans in at least 300ml of water overnight. The next day, toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok or a small saucepan until they smell aromatic ( 1 - 2 minutes), then use a pestle and mortar to finely grind them.
- Drain the soybeans and dry them well. Line a plate with kitchen paper. Put the soybeans in the wok or pan you used before and just about cover them with vegetable oil. Fry them over low heat until deep golden (10-15 minutes), then transfer to the lined plate to remove the excess oil. Set aside in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
- Fry the peanuts in the same oil until golden (1-3 minutes). Transfer to the lined plate to drain, then set aside and season with another pinch of salt.
- Meanwhile, follow the packaging instructions to cook the noodles. Heat the vegetable stock in a separate saucepan.
- To make the sauce, peel and finely grate or crush the garlic cloves into a mixing bowl. Add the ground Sichuan pepper, vinegar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, chilli oil and chilli sediment and stir together. Divide the mixture between two serving bowls. For the garnish, trim and discard the lower stems of the coriander and roughly chop the mustard stems.
- Divide the hot stock between the bowls and mix with the sauce. Add the noodles, then sprinkle over the spring onions, mustard stems, coriander, soybeans, and peanuts and serve.
About the author
Julius Fiedler is a filmmaker-turned-food creator on a clear mission: to promote a natural, unprocessed, diet that supports the health of both people and the planet. His stunningly executed videos, watched by a combined audience of more than 4 million, are packed with techniques for mastering natural vegan dishes.
