Kung Pao Pasta—The best of Chinese kung pao flavours meet al dente spaghetti, linguine, or any pasta of your choice, really. This Kung Pao pasta is heavily inspired by Yellowcab’s Charlie Chan Pasta.
Yellowcab is a local pizza chain in the Philippines and their Charlie Chan pasta is a perfect balance of umami with a kick of heat, sweetness, and acidity.
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS KUNG PAO PASTA
This dish is a fusion of my love for both kung pao tofu and chicken, and pasta. I wanted to get the flavours from kung tao dishes and fuse that with pasta. This is also inspired by Yellow Cab (a local Filipino pizza chain) and their Charlie Chan Pasta!
I think one word to describe this Kung Pao Pasta is satisfying! It’s a fusion of my love for both the Chinese Sichuan kung pao flavours and pasta.
The sauce is a perfect balance of savoury with hints of spice from both the doubanjiang and the numbing spice from sichuan peppercorns, as well as the acidity from the chinese black vinegar/chinkiang vinegar.
It’s also really versatile and you can opt to add in other veggies or mushrooms of your choice. I also love adding cashews or peanuts to mine for that extra bite.
Check out the video below to see how I made this, along with 2 other pasta recipes!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THIS KUNG PAO PASTA
You'll need a few basic ingredient to cook this really simple yet super tasty pasta.
Sauce
- water
- sugar
- soy sauce
- dark mushroom soy sauce
- doubanjiang or chili bean paste (see recipe notes below)
- Chinese black vinegar or Chinkiang vinegar
- Shaoxing wine or other rice wine like sake (optional)
- Szechuan peppercorns , I crushed mine with a mortar and pestle
See the recipe card below for the complete detailed recipe!
Cornstarch Slurry
- cornstarch
- room temp. water
Pasta
For Cooking
- neutral oil for cooking
- small onion diced
- scallions or green onions sliced into 2" (5 cm) pieces, white & green parts separated
- chopped mushrooms, I used king oyster mushrooms plus more for topping, totally optional
- red bell pepper diced
- dried chiles, I used arbor chiles (optional)
To Finish
- Roasted cashews or peanuts
- Green parts of the scallion or green onions
- Drizzle sesame oil
The sauce has a perfect balance of savoury with a little acidity from Chinese black vinegar, also known as Chinkiang vinegar. And of course that spice from doubanjiang or chili bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns.
HOW TO COOK THIS PASTA
Chop the mushrooms, scallions, and other ingredients.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Feel free to adjust to sauce to your desired taste. I personally prefer mine with a nice kick of spice.
- In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until the corn starch is diluted.
- Set the sauce and slurry aside.
Heat a pot of water for the pasta. Once it boils, add in a generous amount of salt and some oil. Add in the pasta. Cook until chewy or al dente and then drain from the water. Set aside some pasta water.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add some oil.
- Sauté the onions, while parts of the scallion/green onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until cooked. Add in the dried chiles, if using.
Add in the sauce mix. Allow to simmer over medium heat. Once the sauce boils, add in the cooked pasta.
Mix the corn starch slurry again to make sure the starch isn't sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Pour in the cornstarch slurry over the pasta. Mix and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens a bit and coats the pasta.
- Mix well and leave to cook for a few minutes until pasta has absorbed some of the sauce. Add in the cashews or peanuts (if using) and the green parts of the scallion/green onion.
- Season with salt or more sugar, to taste, if needed.If you intend to reheat some of the pasta, you can add some additional pasta water since the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it cools.
- Turn off the heat. Top with more of the pan-fried mushrooms, if using. Enjoy immediately while hot.
For the version below, I used linguine pasta for this but you can of course opt to use other pasta of your choosing! I've also made this countless times with spaghetti. This is a really versatile recipe and you can opt to add other veggies or mushrooms if you'd like!
Check out the recipe below!
If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight :)
Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes?
You can get a copy of my cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels.
From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
OTHER NOODLE & PASTA RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE
Vegan Kung Pao Pasta
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.5-2 tbsp sugar , adjust according to desired sweetness
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark mushroom soy sauce optional for colour
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang or chili bean paste (see notes)
- 2 tsp Chinese black vinegar or Chinkiang vinegar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or other rice wine like sake (optional)
- 1/2-1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns , I crushed mine with a mortar and pestle
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp room temp. water
Pasta
For Cooking
- 1 tbsp neutral oil for cooking
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 2 scallions or green onions sliced into 2" (5 cm) pieces, white & green parts separated
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms I used king oyster mushrooms plus more for topping, totally optional
- 1/2 small red bell pepepr diced
- 3 dried chiles I used arbor chiles (optional)
To Finish
- Roasted cashews or peanuts
- Green parts of the scallion or green onions
- Drizzle sesame oil
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Feel free to adjust to sauce to your desired taste. I personally prefer mine with a nice kick of spice.
- In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until the corn starch is diluted.Set sauce and slurry aside.
- Heat a pot of water for the pasta. Once it boils, add in a generous amount of salt and some oil. Add in the pasta. Cook until chewy or al dente and then drain from the water. Set aside some pasta water.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add some oil.Sauté the onions, while parts of the scallion/green onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until cooked. Add in the dried chiles, if using.
- Add in the sauce mix.Allow to simmer over medium heat. Once the sauce boils, add in the cooked pasta.
- Mix the corn starch slurry again to make sure the starch isn't sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Pour in the cornstarch slurry over the pasta. Mix and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens a bit and coats the pasta.
- Mix well and leave to cook for a few minutes until pasta has absorbed some of the sauce. Add in the cashews or peanuts (if using) and the green parts of the scallion/green onion. Season with salt or more sugar, to taste, if needed.If you intend to reheat some of the pasta, you can add some additional pasta water since the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it cools.
- Turn off the heat. Top with more of the pan-fried mushrooms, if using. Enjoy immediately while hot.
WATCH Video
Notes
Chinkiang or Chinese Black Vinegar
- I really highly recommend to use Chinese black vinegar since it has distinct fruity notes but if you don't have access to it, feel free to sub with apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or regular white vinegar and just add a pinch of sugar for a little sweetness.
Doubanjiang or Chili Bean Paste
- I love adding doubanjiang for its distinct umami flavour and saltiness but if you don't have access to it, you can add an additional 1/2 to 1 tbsp of soy sauce and add some chili sauce or chili oil of your choice. I have a homemade chili oil recipe here.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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