This recipe for zucchini with glass noodles is a variation on a Cantonese recipe that my dad made when Kaitlin and I were growing up, and that his mother made for him. I like using ground pork or chicken, though the original Cantonese version features dried shrimp.
You don’t often see zucchini in Chinese cooking, but this zucchini recipe is a common dish that you may even encounter on restaurant menus that offer homestyle Cantonese cooking.
A Recipe Ready for Summer Zucchini
Summer is around the corner, which means it’s almost zucchini season! We wanted to blog this recipe in advance of that time, since we all know that when zucchini is coming out of the garden, it can be hard to come up with new ways to cook it.
This dish is super satisfying as a main dish or side, with dried mung bean vermicelli noodles that soak up the flavor of the chicken stock, oyster sauce, and other seasonings. The zucchini is super tender and sweet.
Which Dried Vermicelli?
In the noodle aisle of your local Chinese grocery store, you may find lots of different brands of noodles that have the word “vermicelli” on the label.
Vermicelli are generally very thin noodles (thinner than angel hair pasta), and there are two main types. The first is rice vermicelli, which is white and looks relatively opaque after cooking. It is used to make stir-fried dishes like our chicken mei fun and singapore mei fun. We also use it in our popular Coconut Curry Noodle Soup recipe.
What you’re looking for in this recipe, however, is mung bean vermicelli. This type of noodle has a translucent appearance after cooking, which is why it is also referred to as a type of “glass noodle,” or “cellophane noodle.” You may also see similar (albeit usually thicker) noodles made from sweet potato starch.
One of the most common brands of mung bean vermicelli is Lungkow, which is what we’ve been buying for many years.
This type of noodle is very absorbent, which is why the recipe calls for 2 cups of chicken stock. It will look soupy at first, but after a few minutes of simmering, the noodles will absorb much of the liquid (and flavor!). You want the dish to be slightly soupy rather than completely dry.
How to Make the Version with Dried Shrimp:
I’m personally not a huge fan of dried shrimp, so I decided to make this version with ground pork (you can also use chicken). That said, feel free to add dried shrimp to this recipe or use it in place of the ground pork or chicken if you prefer!
If using dried shrimp flakes, add 2 tablespoons of the shrimp along with the oil, ginger, and scallion whites in the first cooking step.
You can also use dried shrimp (which are meatier than the shrimp flakes). These need to be rinsed, then soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained. You can chop the shrimp if you like, or leave them whole. For even more shrimp flavor, use some of the soaking liquid in place of the chicken stock.
Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, water, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Soak the dried noodles in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce. Set aside.
In a wok over medium heat, add the oil, ginger, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook for about 1 minute.
Increase the heat to high, and add the ground meat and the garlic. Let that cook for another minute, until the meat turns opaque. Then add the Shaoxing wine.
Stir in the zucchini for 30 seconds…
Then add the stock mixture you made earlier. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the glass noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by half and the zucchini is tender.
Stir in the green parts of the scallions and serve immediately! If desired, you can also keep the green parts of the scallions as a raw garnish, as pictured:
Zucchini with Glass Noodles
Ingredients
For the ground meat:
- 4 ounces ground pork (or ground chicken)
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
For the rest of the dish:
- 3.5 ounces dried mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral oil)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (finely minced)
- 2 scallions (chopped; white and green parts separated)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 pound zucchini (about 2 to 3 small to medium zucchini; cut in half lengthwise, then sliced on an angle into thin strips)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, water, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Soak the dried noodles in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce. Set aside.
- In a wok over medium heat, add the oil, ginger, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to high, and add the ground meat and the garlic. Let that cook for another minute, until the meat turns opaque. Then add the Shaoxing wine.
- Stir in the zucchini for 30 seconds, then add the stock mixture you made earlier. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the glass noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by half and the zucchini is tender.
- Stir in the green parts of the scallions and serve immediately, or serve garnished with raw scallions—whichever you prefer.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
DINNERWARE
If you like the beautiful yellow bowl we used in this post, check out Musubi Kiln, a company that sources traditional handcrafted tableware from Japanese artisans. Here’s the link to the bowl itself.
For 5% off your purchase, use coupon code: THEWOKSOFLIFE
