Wheat Gluten and Cold Noodles, Sichuan-Style

Ingredients

• 1 block of wheat gluten
• 2 packages shirataki noodles or 1 package dried wheat pasta or noodles
• 3 dried red chilies, about 1 inch long each
• 1 clove
• 2 petals of a star anise
• 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns
• A few gratings of cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon sesame paste
• 1 teaspoon spicy bean paste
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro
• 2 finely sliced green onions

Directions

1. Fill a 4 quart saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the wheat gluten loaf and parboil it for 2 minutes, just until it softens a bit while still holding together. Take it out of the water, rinse it under cold running water, squeeze out the extra moisture, and set it aside.
2. Warm a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chilies and cook them until the skins start to blister, then take the pan off the heat and let them cool. Add the clove, star anise, and sichuan peppercorns to the skillet and toast them for about 30 seconds, just until they start to smell fragrant. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
3. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, crush the toasted spices to a medium-fine texture. Stir in the cinnamon.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the tahini, spicy bean paste, chili oil, salt, and water. Mix in the ground chiles and spices. If the sauce needs loosening, add more water until it is smooth and about as thin as applesauce.
5. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 4 quart saucepan. Cook the shirataki or wheat noodles according to the package directions. Cook and set aside.
6. Slice the wheat gluten into 1 inch strips or cubes. Toss the wheat gluten and noodles with the sauce, adding more oil and water as needed until the noodles are slick. Finish with cilantro or green onions.