Ingredients
Mock Beef Marinade
- sugar
- Thai Bird chilies
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
Main Dish
- 2 forks garlic
- onion
- peppers
- vegetable broth
- sprouts
- scallions (inchers and julies)
- ⅜ cup Copper Well Sauce
- udan noodles
- ½ cup mock beef
- few shakes Sichuan pepper
Instructions
- Marinade mock beef with sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and thai chilis.
- Oil in wok – add 1 fork of garlic, onions, peppers, veg broth, sprouts, inchers, and "Copper Well Sauce" [anyone know what this is?!]. Cook through.
- Add udan noodles, transfer to curry bowl and cover.
- Oil in wok – add mock beef, second fork of garlic, sichuan pepper. Toss until cooked. Add veggie broth as necessary.
- Serve mock beef on top of noodles and veggies. Garnish with julies.
This “Copper Well Sauce” recipe could be completely off-base, but would anyone be able to tell if this web-searched copycat comes anywhere near the lost original?
“Copper Well Sauce” is not a standardized culinary term, it is most frequently identified as a proprietary house sauce at Five Spice Cafe. Because the exact recipe is a trade secret, the following is a “copycat” construction based on the ingredients documented in their signature dishes like Dan Dan Mian.
Five Spice Cafe Style “Copper Well” Base
This savory, aromatic base is used to build complex noodle sauces.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: Approx. 1.5 cups
Ingredients
Aromatics: 2 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp minced shallots or red onion.
Liquid Base: 1 cup high-quality vegetable or chicken broth.
Seasoning: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder.
Sweetener: 1 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar.
Thickener: 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water (slurry).
Optional Heat: 1 tsp chili oil or red pepper flakes.
Instructions
Sauté: Heat a small amount of oil in a saucepan (ideally copper or heavy-bottomed for even heat). Sauté the garlic and shallots until fragrant but not browned.
Combine: Stir in the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, five-spice powder, and sugar.
Simmer: Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5–8 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Thicken: Slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue to simmer until the sauce reaches a glossy, syrup-like consistency.
Finish: Remove from heat and stir in chili oil if desired.”