Clay pot glass noodles (vegan)

Make a rough paste of white and black peppercorns, garlic and cilantro stems. Set the ginger alongside, unpounded.

Mix vegetarian oyster sauce, a little black soy sauce, regular soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and sugar.

Squeeze the rehydrated dried shiitake out of their soaking water; add about half a cup of the mushroom water to the sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep the rest of the water.

Soak the glass noodles in room temperature water 7 to 10 minutes until pliable, cut into about 3 inch sections, pour the sauce over and mix.

Remove the tough stems from the shiitake and slice thinly.

In a thick-bottomed pot on low heat, add a little oil, the paste, the ginger and the shiitake; raise to about medium and cook until aromatic.

When the bottom starts to brown, add the sauce and noodles, scraping up the stuck bits, and mix well.

Cover, turn the heat as low as it goes, and cook 3 minutes, timed from when the bubbling starts again.

Toss to redistribute the liquid; add a little more black soy sauce for colour and a little more water if needed. Cover and cook 2 to 3 more minutes; if still chewy, add more water.

Sear the mushrooms, pressed tofu and sugar snap peas in a pan with a little salt.

Top the noodles with the vegetables, red bell pepper and a sprinkling of green onions; serve covered at the table with rice.