Vegan Zha Jiang Mian

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. Step 2

   Whisk together the cornstarch and ¾ cup water in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Step 3

   Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. When the oil is shimmering, add the eggplant, toss to coat, lightly season with salt and spread in a single layer. Cook, without stirring, until the edges turn lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant shrinks significantly, tenderizes and releases the oil, about 4 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden on the edges, 2 to 3 minutes; season lightly with salt. Add the mushrooms and stir to combine. Cook until the mushroom pieces are shrunken by about half and golden on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Step 5

   With your hands, crumble the tofu into small pieces straight into the pan. (The tofu should be broken up enough to resemble ground meat.) Add the soybean paste and sweet bean paste and stir to combine. Mix in the cornstarch slurry, adjust heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as it bubbles, adjust heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have deepened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic; season to taste with salt, if needed.

6. Step 6

   While the sauce is simmering, cook the noodles according to package instructions; drain.

7. Step 7

   When the sauce is ready, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle the sauce over the noodles and serve with cucumber and bean sprouts. Stir the sauce and noodles together right away. (Do not let the hot noodles and sauce sit for too long, or the noodles will clump together. If they do, don’t worry, just add a splash of warm water to the bowl and you should be able to combine easily.)