Vegan Dan Dan Noodles

Prepare noodles by following the instructions on the packet and begin cooking them once you have your "meat" simmering on the stove.

To prepare the "meat" begin by adding the walnuts to a food processor and process just till a crumb is formed.  You don't want a mill or paste, so pulse for around 5-6 seconds.  Transfer this to a preheated pot lightly coated with sesame oil and cook on low while you prepare the rest.

To the previously used processor, add mushrooms, tofu and yellow onion and pulse for around 10 seconds until a crumb develops.  Once again, don't over-process, you want this to be crumbly not a paste. Transfer this mixture to the pot with the walnuts and increase heat to medium.  Let the mushrooms cook for 10 minutes, till they sweat out their moisture and almost reduce by half.

Move the ingredients to the edge of the pot creating an opening.  To the hole in the pot, add the green onion, garlic, soy sauce, black bean paste and wine, sweat this all down for 1 minute before combining with the remainder of the ingredients.  Cook everything for around 6-7 minutes.

To assemble each bowl, simply add some noodles, sauce and vegan meat toppings.  Stir to combine, top with more onions, chili oil and sauce.

Enjoy hot or cold!