*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.  If using a brand other than Pacific that has a mild/mellow flavor, you may wish to use 4 cups broth and 1 cup water.

**Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.

*Miso:  We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil.  If you are going to live the Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle, then you will quickly find that miso is your friend.  Miso is simply a paste made from fermented soybeans, barley or rice malt.  We use a gluten-free mellow white miso.  It is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, and most grocery or health food stores carry it these days. You can find it in the refrigerator section.  A lot of Vegans and Whole Food Plant Basers call it “the secret weapon” because it really brings that rich umami flavor forward in a lot of dishes.  Since we discovered it, we use it a lot.  Simply because it really adds something special to our dishes that you just can’t get with other ingredients.  It has a long refrigerator shelf life because it is fermented.  So, if you can’t find it locally, we suggest that when you are taking any trips out of town, find a store that carries it, take a small ice chest and stock up.

*Ramen Noodles:  We used the 10 oz. package of Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen, but only cooked 2 of the 4 blocks of Ramen. (The 10 oz. package has 4 blocks of Ramen Noodles.)

*Chili Garlic Sauce:You can use Huy Fong Foods Chili Garlic Sauce brand since the amount used is so tiny, or you can make your own by placing 4 spicy chili peppers, seeded (use gloves) into a food processor along with 1 heaping Tablespoon of minced garlic (about 4 to 5 cloves), 1 ½ teaspoons of maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 Tablespoon water, and a pinch of sea salt.  Blend until smooth, do not puree, you want some texture.  Place in a small pan and simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed jar.  We used 4 Fresno peppers.  If you use hotter peppers, cut back on the cayenne pepper. We used ½ teaspoon of the Chili Garlic Sauce to make the Kung Pao sauce spicy hot, but if you can handle more heat, use 1 teaspoon.  Note:  If you do not like any heat, you can leave the Chili Garlic Sauce out of the recipe. The flavor will be still be great, but the Chili Garlic Sauce really punches the flavor up to replicate the heat of a traditional Kung Pao dish.

*Toasted Sesame Seeds:  If you cannot find toasted sesame seeds, you can easily make your own. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat on the stove.  When the pan is nice and hot, add the sesame seeds and gently push them around in a dry skillet, moving them constantly until they turn golden brown, then immediately remove the skillet from the heat, and remove the toasted sesame seeds from the skillet.  Be careful, they burn easily.  Note:  You do not need to toast the sesame seeds for this recipe, but they do add a nice layer of flavor element.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings:  2 to 3

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.