Shanghai Noodles

For the mushrooms

1. Boil the dried shiitake mushrooms in a covered pot of water for 10–15 minutes until tender, or submerge in water for 3–5 hours.

   Then 10 min of waiting

2. Remove the mushrooms from the pot, save the mushroom water for another recipe, and trim the tough stems from the mushroom caps.

3. Thinly slice the mushroom caps.

For the sauce

4. Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and toasted sesame oil in a small bowl.

For the dish

5. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

6. Remove the end bits from the gai lan.

7. Separate the gai lan leaves from the stalks.

8. Roughly chop the garlic cloves.

9. Roughly chop the spring onions.

10. Boil the frozen udon noodles according to package instructions, stirring occasionally to separate them, then drain and set aside.

    Then 2 min of waiting

11. Heat the avocado oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

12. Add the gai lan stalks and chopped garlic to the pan.

13. Sauté the stalks and garlic for about 1 minute.

14. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and green onions.

15. Sauté for about 2 minutes.

16. Add the gai lan leaves, cooked udon noodles, and sauce.

17. Sauté for another 1–2 minutes until everything is well combined and heated through.

18. Plate and serve immediately.