This dish of “vegetable noodles” with shrimp involves three different kinds of noodles: zucchini noodles, carrot noodles, and broad bean noodles, which are a kind of wide glass noodle. Both broad bean noodles and mung bean noodles fall into the glass noodle category but there are definitely differences. Mung bean vermicelli which are much thinner and have a softer texture. These broad bean noodles are more elastic and chewy which is quite nice as well. To read more about different varieties of noodles, peruse our Noodles and Wrappers page often as we are constantly updating and adding more information.
Here’s a photo of the broad bean noodles used in this dish:
They need to be soaked for 30 minutes in warm water before cooking.
If you have trouble finding these broad bean noodles locally, you can definitely substitute mung bean vermicelli noodles, which are more common (we recently used them in our ants climbing a tree recipe). You’d just have to soak them for less time (10 minutes, rather than 30), and then add them to the dish in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
For the zucchini and carrot vegetable noodles, I used a julienne peeler, which is an awesome to if you’re into making noodles out of vegetables. You can use a spiralizer or a mandolin slicer but I think the julienne peeler is a fine vegetable noodle maker! I can happily report that using this nifty peeler, it just took a few minutes to break down a huge zucchini and a large carrot into two neat piles of vegetable noodles.
Ultimately, what I really like about this vegetable noodle dish is that it’s both light and very flavorful. The strong, salty flavor of the dried shrimp (they’re optional, if you can’t find them) is great with the more delicate flavor and texture of the fresh shrimp and the veggies. The noodles are basically flavorless, but when they’re cooked in chicken stock, they soak up all that great flavor.
On with the recipe! You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz. dried broad bean noodles, soaked 30 minutes
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into noodles
- 1 large carrot, sliced into noodles
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 12 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 scallion julienned
- Cilantro, to garnish (optional)
Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready before you start cooking. Heat a wok over medium high heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, and dried shrimp.
Stir-fry until the onion is translucent. Add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, salt, sugar and broad bean noodles. Turn down heat to low and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the zucchini and carrot “noodles,” along with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.
Turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, reducing almost all of the liquid. If you like your noodles a bit more soupy, you can add more chicken stock.
Stir in the shrimp and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro and serve this deliciously soupy vegetable noodles with shrimp dish hot out of the wok!
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 8 oz. dried broad bean noodles, soaked 30 minutes
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into noodles
- 1 large carrot, sliced into noodles
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 12 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 scallion julienned
- Cilantro, to garnish (optional)
- Prep all of your ingredients and have them ready before you start cooking. Heat a wok over medium high heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, and dried shrimp. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent. Add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, salt, sugar and broad bean noodles. Turn down heat to low and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and carrot “noodles," along with the soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, reducing almost all of the liquid. If you like your noodles a bit more soupy, you can add more chicken stock.
- Stir in the shrimp and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is just cooked through. Garnish with cilantro and serve!
Sandra says
Hello,
I just found your blog and I’m completely blown away!
I’ve been living in China for 1.5 years now and am struggling with the English (and Chinese, to be honest) names for various types of food I see in supermarkets, at street vendors stalls, small fruit and vegetable places…So far I’ve been getting by 请来这个/ 那个, but dammit, I want to know what exactly am I eating.
My Chinese friends went out of their way to help me with names, but with the variety of food here it’s hard to
remember all of it!
Your posts are so precious, I’ve checked the Chinese ingredients guide and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!
And don’t get me started on the recipes….
Thank you so much1
Sarah says
So glad we could be of help Sandra! How are you liking Beijing?
Brian Taylor says
I am going to try this tomorrow night. I could not get the broad bean or mung bean noodles. I am going to use rice flour vermicelli. I will follow the package direction and fit them into the recipe as instructed. I thought I would substitute the dried shrimp with one teaspoon of fish sauce. I will let you know how it works out. It looks so good.
Bill says
Hi Brian, the fish sauce substitution sounds great. Let us know how it turns out!
tonya says
This looks AMAZING! I could ladle bowls of this!
Bill says
Thanks Tonya!