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    You are here: Home / Entrees / Five Spice Drunken Noodles

    LAST UPDATED: January 24, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: April 29, 2015

    Five Spice Drunken Noodles

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Pan-fried rice noodles with tofu, veggies, five spice powder, and lots of heat go into this scrumptious vegan take on Thai drunken noodles.

    drunken-noodles-featured


    As far as I can tell, drunken noodles do not normally contain Chinese five spice. I guess I forgot that a few weeks back when I went out for Thai and ordered the drunken noodles though. I kept trying to place that herby, licoricey flavor that I eventually realized was holy basil. At the time, I though it might just be anise. Someone suggested five spice. I took it and rolled with it.

    I wanted my home cooking version of drunken noodles to taste like the restaurant version I'd had, and while I consider myself a champ when it comes to locating exotic ingredients, I've never, ever, at any supermarket, farmers market, Asian market, or pretty much anywhere, seen fresh Thai basil for sale. I seriously debated driving back to the restaurant to ask for help. I settled on throwing in some five spice to see what would happen.

    drunken-noodles-top


    And can you guess what happened? Awesome happened! Seriously, this tasted like what I'd had at the restaurant, and it was deeeeeelicious. I know, there's a big difference between holy basil and regular old basil + five spice. Taste is all I care about though, and the taste was fantastic.

    Maybe the heat had something to do with the awesome factor of this dish. I love spicy food. This was hot, even by my standards, and I only threw in one jalapeño! I guess it was an extra hot one. Sometimes I throw several jalapeños into a recipe, seeds and all, and...nothing. This time, it was definitely something. I had to make extra noodles so my husband could dilute the heat. When that happens it's always cue for me to warn you guys. If you're apprehensive about the heat level, skip the peppers and add some hot sauce at the end. You can even make a no-heat version and just let the five spice shine through.

    drunken-noodles-portrait
    Drunken Noodles and Lime Wedges on a Plate with Chopsticks
    5 from 1 vote
    Print

    Five Spice Drunken Noodles

    Pan-fried rice noodles with tofu, veggies, five spice powder, and lots of heat go into this scrumptious vegan take on Thai drunken noodles.
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American, Thai
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 4
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz. wide rice noodles

    For the Sauce

    • ¼ cup vegetable broth
    • 3 tbsp. soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
    • Asian chili paste to taste optional
    • 1 tsp. cornstarch
    • ¼ tsp. Chinese five spice powder

    For the Tofu

    • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
    • 1 lb. extra firm tofu drained, pressed at least 20 minutes, and cut into ½ inch cubes

    For the Drunken Noodles

    • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
    • 2 shallots finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • 1-2 jalapeño peppers or other hot pepper of choice, sliced
    • 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
    • 2 scallions chopped
    • ½ cup fresh basil leaves packed

    Instructions

    Prepare the Noodles

    1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add noodles and submerge. Allow to soak until al dente. This normally takes about 5-7 minutes, but refer to package directions. Transfer to colander and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.

    Prepare the Sauce

    1. Stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

    Prepare the Tofu

    1. Coat a large skillet with oil and place over medium-high heat. Add tofu and allow to cook until browned on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on opposite sides, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.

    Make the Drunken Noodles

    1. Place oil in a large skillet and place over high heat. Add shallots, garlic and hot peppers. Stir fry 2 minutes. Add bell pepper strips and stir fry 1 minute more. Add noodles and sauce. Stir fry just until sauce thickens and coats noodles, 1-2 minutes. Mix in scallions, basil and tofu. Remove from heat.
    2. Divide onto plates and serve.

    Recipe Notes

    Wide rice noodles are available at some supermarkets and most Asian markets. If you can't find them, feel free to sub pad Thai noodles or rice vermicelli.
    Feel free to season with additional five-spice powder if you like the effect. I found that a little goes a long way.

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. janet @ the taste space says

      April 30, 2015 at 9:42 am

      You aren't missing anything. I really don't like holy/Thai basil at all so I am excited to try this with Chinese five spice. :)

      Reply
    2. Ana @ Ana's RocketShip says

      May 02, 2015 at 11:19 am

      Wow - I love chinese five spice (and actually really don't like fresh herbs) and I also LOVE NOODLES. I really want to try this. Like- right now!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        May 05, 2015 at 12:33 pm

        It was so good! Really makes me want to do more experimenting with Chinese five spice. :)

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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