Vietnamese Steamed Rice Noodles with Tofu Filling
Ingredients
Rice noodles
- 1 1/2 cups rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup sweet potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups room temperature water
Filling
- 16oz firm tofu, pressed & mashed
- 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms - soaked until soft & cut into thin strips (julienned)
- 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic - finely minced
- oil for cooking
- Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, white pepper & salt to taste
Garnishes
- mint
- Thai basil
- fresh mung bean sprouts
- pickled carrots
- cucumber
- vegan 'fish' sauce with minced garlic, fried shallots
Preparation
To make the filling, place mashed tofu in a non-stick pan and pan fry with no oil over low heat until slightly golden. Then, add 1 teaspoon oil and continue to cook for about 1 minute, push the mixture to the side of the pan. Add a little more oil and saute shallots and garlic until aromatic. Stir in wood ear mushrooms and sauce, then season with white pepper and salt if needed. Cook until all sauce has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
For the rice noodles, mix all dry ingredients with water until well combined. Prepare a shallow pan with water and two 8-inch non-stick cake pans for steaming. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then turn heat to medium-high. Place a cake pan in and add 1/4 cup of batter and swirl until the batter has evenly coated the pan. Place a lid over the pan and cook batter for about 1-2 minutes until it turns translucent. You may see a huge bubble while the batter is cooking. Then, remove and place the cake pan on an ice bath to cool down. Spread a tablespoon of filling onto the noodle and roll into a log. It will be sticky but pliable. Repeat until all batter is done. Be sure to give the batter a good stir before adding it to the cake pan.
Serve with all garnishes.
