Sichuan Tahini Noodle Stir-Fry
This Sichuan Tahini Noodle Stir-Fry is filled with veggies, noodles & a creamy sauce. It is then topped with crispy vegan beef crumbles and cilantro!
Anything to do with noodles…I’m all in. And this quick noodle stir-fry is the perfect combo of noodles, veggies and sauce. A really quick weeknight dinner that you can switch up depending on what you have on hand. Change up the veggies, protein or noodles. Just be sure to make the sauce as is!
How to make Sichuan Tahini Sauce
The sauce for this stir-fry is especially addicting. Start out by toasting some Sichuan peppercorns. This brings out the flavor before grinding them up. If you’ve never had Sichuan peppercorns, they have less of a spicy taste and more of cool buzz in the mouth – think wasabi-ish. You can also buy them ground, but toasting them whole really brings out the flavor.
Once the peppercorns are toasted, add them to a food processor and pulse a few times to get them mostly ground. Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend until combined. Add water as needed so that everything blends together well. Set this aside.
How to make Sichuan Tahini Noodle Stir-Fry
Heat some oil in a pan and add the vegan beef crumbles. Brown for a couple of minutes, then add a couple tablespoons of the tahini sauce. Fry for a couple more minutes, then transfer the crumbles to a bowl.
Place the empty pan back on the stove with a little more oil. Add in the carrots and zucchini and cook for a few minutes. Toss in the green onion and cook for another minute. Toss in bean sprouts, your favorite noodles (I used these) and as much sauce as you like – you’ll probably have more than you need. Give it a toss with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and it is time to plate!
How to serve Sichuan Tahini Noodle Stir-Fry
This is best served right away – the tahini sauce will thicken as it cools, so hot is best. Split the noodles between 4 bowls and top with the beef crumbles and lots of fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and dig in!
Like I mentioned, the tahini will thicken as it sits, so for leftovers you can loosen up the sauce with a little sesame oil or water to get things moving again.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Sichuan Tahini Noodle Stir-Fry
Ingredients
FOR THE SICHUAN TAHINI SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 inch ginger peeled
- water as needed
FOR THE NOODLE STIR-FRY
- 8 ounces noodles* dry
- oil
- 6 ounces vegan beef crumbles
- 1 large zucchini cut in 1/2 rounds
- 1 large carrot cut in matchsticks
- 3 green onions roughly chopped
- bean sprouts
- 1 lime
- cilantro for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a dry skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the peppercorns and cook until toasted (approx. 2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat.
- Add the peppercorns** to a food processor and pulse until they are slightly ground. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the food processor and pulse until combined. Thin with water as needed. Set aside.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions and set aside.*
- Place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add some oil and the beef crumbles. Cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown. Add 2 tablespoons of tahini sauce and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and place the empty skillet back on the stove.
- Add a little more oil to the skillet with the carrots and zucchini. Sauté for a few minutes, turning frequently. Add in the green onions and cook for another minute. Toss in the noodles, a handful of bean sprouts, sauce*** and the juice from 1/2 a lime. Toss until coated and heated through.
- To serve, spilt the noodles/veggies between 4 bowls. Top with the vegan beef crumbles and cilantro. Serve with the remaining lime wedges.
Video
Notes
The Sichuan peppercorns made my mouth go tingly and numb for many minutes. I had to look it up and this is a thing. I loved the flavor, but the lingering weirdness in my mouth made me dislike this recipe so much. This is the first of many recipes I’ve made from This Savory Vegan that I’ve discarded. I just wanted to warn any newcomers to this dish. Sichuan peppers are absolutely not for everybody. I have zero complaint on any other recipe from this author!
This dish is so delicious. I had a hard time finding Sichuan Peppercorn, used black peppercorn. They don’t break up very well. Lessened learned lol. What kind of noodles did you use? When I clicked on the link that said here, nothing opened. I used stir fry rice noodles. I’m going to make this again soon.