2 hours ago
1
I’d like to start a new campaign called Vegetarian Haggis Isn’t Just for Burns Night. Of course, the Scots know this. They know how fantastic this genius concoction of pulses, vegetables, oats and spices is; how meaty without being, well, meaty. I began eating it because I share a birthday with Robert Burns (see haggis kheema) but it deserves to be eaten all year round. Here, I’ve introduced the haggis to another favourite of mine, dan dan noodles, and I’m pleased to report they get on like a house on fire.
Haggis dan dan noodles
Do not be put off by the list of ingredients. The first four are stirred together to make a sauce, and the majority are put into a pan, one after another, and come together quickly.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 2cm x 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated, to get 1 tbsp
454g pack vegetarian haggis (I like Macsween’s)
1 tsp five spice
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1½ tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 pak choi, quartered
400g dan dan noodles, or medium wheat noodles
For the sauce
100g light tahini
4 tbsp (60ml) light soy sauce
2½ tbsp chilli sediment and oil
4 tsp black Chinkiang vinegar (black rice vinegar)
To finish
40g roasted salted peanuts, ground or very finely chopped
2 spring onions, whites and greens, very finely sliced
Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a large heatproof bowl, mix really well and leave to one side.
To make the haggis topping, put the oil in a wide saucepan on a medium-high heat and, once hot, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for two minutes until fragrant, then crumble in the haggis. Stir frequently for around eight minutes until it starts to brown in spots, then stir in the five spice, followed by the soy and hoisin sauces. Cook for another five minutes, until it looks dry and a little crunchy, then stir through the shaoxing. Take off the heat and leave in a single layer in the pan to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to packet instructions in plenty of hot water. One minute before the cooking time has finished, carefully remove a mugful of the water and drop in the pak choi. Stir, leave to soften for half a minute, then use a straining spoon or fork to lift out the pak choi.
Drain the noodles, put them in the sauce bowl and mix anbd toss using a spaghetti fork or tongs. Add the reserved noodle water a tablespoon at a time (you’ll need between six and 10 tablespoons to make the noodles nice and saucy).
Distribute the noodles between four shallow bowls, spoon over the haggis topping and the pak choi, sprinkle over the peanuts and spring onions, and dig in.
