Peanutty chicken vermicelli salad
Almost-instant chicken noodle soup
Broccoli oyster sauce noodles with fried onions
Star anise braised beef on rice noodles
Sticky fingers noodle fritters
Noodles are at least 6,000 years old and the reason they have hung around for so long is not rocket science: they are simply fantastic. Fantastic ropes for flavour to cling to; fantastic tangles that don’t need untangling before eating; fantastic company to curl up on the couch with, and fantastically fun to eat (or slurp, or inhale).
For the Chinese, noodles are also thought to bring good fortune since long strands of noodles symbolise long life. To get a yearly fix of this gastronomic elixir of life, birthday boys and girls (and grandpas and grannies) eat ‘longevity noodles’ where the trick is to pick up and eat the noodles without breaking or biting them (chewing is okay and recommended).
On an everyday basis, we are more concerned with making noodles as delicious as possible and we hope you will find that every recipe in this chapter achieves just that. To showcase the fabulous variety of Chinese noodles we include a mixture of noodles prepared in different ways: chao meen sup (stir-fried wet) or chao meen ghun (stir-fried dry), lo meen (stirred with a sauce), yeung meen (simmered in a sauce), tong mien (with soup), and ja meen (eh hmm, deep-fried).
If you love noodles as much we do, you will soon find ways to eat them at all times of the day, even at breakfast or as a naughty, fritter-ised snack.
These noodles are a bestseller at the market and the recipe has barely changed in 20 years. We keep the vegetables simple – carrots, cabbage and broccoli, each with their distinct shape, colour and texture – to enhance the star of the show: the noodles. Our secret for creating juicy noodles without ladles of oil is simple: create a quick one-wok chicken gravy so that every strand of noodle is coated with a light but delicious slick of sauce.
Serves 4
300g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips
250g dried egg noodles
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp finely diced ginger
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
½ small white cabbage (about 260g), roughly shredded
½ head of a medium broccoli, cut into florets
¾ tsp salt
1¼ tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
chilli sauce, to serve (optional)
for the marinade
½ tsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp granulated sugar
pinch ground white pepper
1 tsp cornflour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 Mix the chicken, marinade ingredients and 2 tablespoons water together in a bowl. Cover and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
2 Prepare the dried egg noodles according to the packet instructions, reducing the cooking time by a half. Drain in a colander and use a pair of scissors to cut through the pile of noodles to shorten them.
3 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry half of the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken, spread it over the base in a single layer and allow to brown for 1 minute, then flip the chicken every 30 seconds for a further 3 minutes, or until the chicken pieces have a golden crust.
4 Pour in 60ml water, cover with a lid or plate and leave for 1 minute until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken, gravy and any sticky brown bits to a bowl and set aside.
5 Wipe the wok with kitchen paper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over a high heat and stir-fry the remaining ginger and garlic. Add the carrot slices, cabbage and broccoli and toss the vegetables in the oil for 1 minute, before pouring in 80ml water and covering with a lid. This traps in the wok hei (the smoky flavours or ‘breath’ of the wok). Cook for 2 minutes until the vegetables have softened, then uncover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
6 Return the chicken and gravy to the wok, together with the noodles, salt, sugar, dark soy sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Toss the noodles until they are evenly coated and warmed through. Serve with chilli sauce, if that’s your style.
This is an assemble-and-eat dish that is light and fresh but still big on flavour. In this salad, the chicken breast is a great texture contrast against the slippery noodles and cheow (crunchy) mangetout. This is the perfect light meal for a warm night, a great partner for the main event at summer barbecues and a tasty option for packed lunches.
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side dish
100g dried bean thread vermicelli
1 large cooked skinless chicken breast, shredded
6½ tbsp roasted peanuts, finely chopped
50g mangetout, sliced
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
for the chicken sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp dark soy sauce
pinch ground white pepper
for the salad dressing
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
1½ tsp finely diced ginger
½ tbsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp dark soy sauce
1½ tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
pinch salt
pinch ground white pepper
1 tsp granulated sugar
 | add an exotic (see here) |
| 1 tbsp har mey (dried shrimp) | |
| 2 tsp vegetable oil |
1 If you are adding an exotic: pan-fry the har mey in the oil until crunchy. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
2 Soak the vermicelli in hot water for 5–10 minutes until the strands are translucent and soft but not gloopy. Tip into a colander, rinse under cold water and set aside.
3 Put the shredded chicken and all the chicken sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Pour in 120ml water and cook over a low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed.
4 Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
5 Put the vermicelli, chicken, peanuts, mangetout, coriander, and har mey, if using, into a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Gently toss the salad, coating the vermicelli with the dressing and serve.
Picture this familiar scene: you have just arrived home after a long day and you are so ravenous that the mere thought of lifting a finger to raw ingredients instantly saps what little remains in your energy reserves. So you reach into the back of the cupboard for a crushed packet of instant noodles, or perhaps you start dreaming of takeaways … but wait! These almost-instant noodles are a brilliant home-cooked option: nutritious, tasty, cost-effective and very much in the spirit of ‘throw it together’.
Serves 1
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
¼ tsp salt
2 pinches ground white pepper
½ tsp cornflour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 slices ginger, cut into matchsticks
65g dried egg noodles or 1 instant noodle nest
150g choi sum, pak choi or Chinese leaf cabbage, roughly chopped
½ tsp chilli sauce, to serve
1 Stir the chicken, salt, pepper, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda and 2 teaspoons water together in a small bowl.
2 Heat the oil in saucepan over a medium heat, add the ginger and allow it to sizzle for 30 seconds before adding the chicken. Brown the chicken for 1 minute, then add 350ml boiling water. Cover immediately and keep the broth cooking on a gentle rolling boil for 4–5 minutes.
3 Pop the noodles into the stock, and as soon as they can be loosened with a pair of chopsticks (before they are completely soft), add the choi sum. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the noodles are al dente and the choi sum has wilted. Serve in a large bowl with a dollop of chilli sauce.
Oyster sauce is a brilliantly versatile concoction, often used sparingly in Cantonese cooking to add greater depth to many dishes. This recipe celebrates the pure flavour of oyster sauce by coating egg noodles rather luxuriously with it. Crisp broccoli florets balance out the richness of the sauce, while the fried onions add a bit of cheeky indulgence.
Serves 2
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
2 pinches ground white pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ tbsp cornflour
125g dried egg noodles
1 small broccoli, cut into florets
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced, to serve (optional)
for the sauce
120ml oyster sauce
2 pinches salt
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 Pour the oil into a saucepan to a depth of 1cm and put it over a high heat. In a bowl, massage the pepper into the sliced onion. To test that the oil is ready, drop a small piece of onion into it. It should fizz up, but not turn brown immediately.
2 Add the cornflour to the onion and use your fingers to ensure the onion is well coated. Add the onion slices to the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium, then use a pair of chopsticks to loosen the onions so that they don’t clump together. Fry for about 4 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Carefully remove and drain on kitchen paper.
3 Fill a large saucepan two-thirds of the way up with boiling water, place it over a medium heat and add the noodles. As soon as you can loosen the noodles with chopsticks, push them to one side and nestle the broccoli in the free space. Cook on a rolling boil for a further 2–3 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan along with 120ml water. Simmer gently until the liquid has reduced by half.
5 Set aside a third of the sauce in a bowl, then drain the noodles and add to the reduced sauce. Toss the noodles in the sauce, then transfer them to two large plates. For a classically Cantonese presentation, tuck the broccoli florets (stem side in) all the way around the outside of the noodle nests. Drizzle the remaining sauce around the edge of the broccoli and sprinkle the fried onions and chilli, if using, on top.
We enjoy deep-fried wontons as much as the next wei sic mao (affectionately hungry cat), but wontons in noodle soup really live up to their name: wonton literally means ‘to swallow a cloud’. Traditional wonton shops in Hong Kong make mind-blowingly flavoursome broths with dried fish, pig trotters, pork neck bones and Jinhua dry-cured ham. To keep things simple, we make our delicious savoury broth with just a few easily sourced ingredients.
Serves 4
20 wonton wrappers
250g fresh wonton noodles or 200g dried egg noodles
180g Chinese leaf cabbage, roughly chopped
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
200g sliced Char Siu Pork (here), to serve
Chinkiang vinegar, to serve
for the broth
350g loose pork ribs
2 chicken carcasses, halved
200g unsmoked back bacon, fat removed
3 slices ginger
for the filling
200g boneless pork shoulder
40g canned bamboo shoots, finely diced
2 tsp finely diced ginger
1 clove garlic, finely diced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp granulated sugar
pinch ground white pepper
¼ tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cornflour
40g raw king prawns, peeled and roughly chopped
| add an exotic (see here) |
| ½ tbsp har mey (dried shrimp) |
1 For the broth, rinse the ribs and chicken carcasses in water then put into a large stockpot, together with the bacon and har mey, if using. Cover with boiling water and bring to the boil vigorously for 5 minutes, then discard the water. Refill the stockpot with 2.5 litres boiling water. Add the ginger, cover, place over a medium heat and cook on a gentle rolling boil for at least 2 hours.
2 Chop the pork into small pieces then dhuk (chop repeatedly with force) until it resembles coarse mince. Pop the pork into a large bowl together with the remaining filling ingredients, except the prawns, and use a pair of chopsticks to stir vigorously in one direction (e.g. clockwise) until the meat binds to itself. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, then stir in the prawns.
3 Fill a small bowl with cold water. Cradle a wrapper in one hand, and use a finger to slightly wet all four edges of the wrapper. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper, then fold it over and press the edges firmly together to form a triangle. Press in as close as possible to the filling when you are pressing the edges of the wrapper together so that there are no air pockets. Dab a little water on the left and right corners (the ‘wings’) of the triangle, then pull these corners downwards towards each other. Cross the tip of one wing slightly over the top of the other one and pinch firmly to seal. Keep the wontons covered to prevent them drying out.
4 Fill a large saucepan two-thirds with hot water and bring to the boil. Slip the wontons into the pan and wait for the water to come to the boil again, then pour in 250ml cold water and add the dried egg noodles, if using. Wait for the water to come to the boil, then add another 250ml cold water (together with the fresh wonton noodles, if using). When the water starts boiling again, reduce the heat to a gentle rolling boil, add the cabbage, and cook for 1 minute. Serve the wontons, noodles and vegetables in big soup bowls with the aromatic broth poured over, a sprinkling of spring onions, Char Siu pork slices and, if you like, a dash of vinegar.
DUMPLING SISTERS TIP
If the broth seems too oily, simply skim off the top layer after it has finished cooking. Alternatively, you can line a bowl with kitchen paper then ladle the oily bits on top (the paper will catch any oil). Simply gather up the kitchen paper and discard it before pouring the skimmed broth back into the stockpot. You can transfer the broth to an airtight container and freeze it for up to two months.
In the perpetually heaving ‘kitchen’ of one of the tiniest ramshackle restaurants near our uncle Bak Yeh’s apartment in Guangzhou, huge plastic platefuls of the most brilliant ow ho fun is dished out to hungry locals. This lusciously dark rice noodle dish is a Cantonese lunchtime staple, adored for its simplicity and smoky flavour. You will be surprised at how easy it is to whip up an authentic ow ho at home.
Serves 4
200g beef rump steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
600g dried wide rice noodles
8 spring onions
3½ tsp vegetable oil
200g beansprouts
for the marinade
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cornflour
½ tsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
for the pre-mix seasoning
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Mix the beef, marinade ingredients and 2 teaspoons water together in a bowl, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2 Rinse the rice noodles under cold water to remove some of the starch, then put them in a large baking dish or tray with high sides and cover them completely with boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes then tip them into a colander. The noodles should be slightly softened but still firm.
3 Mix all the pre-mix seasoning ingredients with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside. Slice the whites of the spring onions through lengthways, then cut both white and green parts into 5cm-long segments.
4 Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in the wok over a high heat and stir-fry the beef until it is cooked right through with a golden crust on the outside, then remove it from the wok and set aside.
5 We suggest cooking the noodles in two batches for easier tossing. With the wok still on high heat, add 1 teaspoon oil and half of the beansprouts and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add half of the softened rice noodles and half of the pre-mix seasoning, and use a spatula to fold the seasoning into the noodles. Have a nibble on a noodle to check for softness – if it is too hard for your liking, keep sprinkling cold water onto the noodles and toss until they soften. Add half of the cooked beef and half of the spring onions, and toss the noodles one more time to soften the spring onions. Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients, then serve.
If there is one word that embodies these noodles, it’s lush. Lush in its juicy bite, lush in its alluring dark colour, and lush in its indulgent assortment of ingredients. The cooking technique is an example of yeung mian (literally, ‘to stuff noodles’) where the noodles are gently simmered in a flavoursome liquid until plump and piping hot. The result is a tangle of resplendently saucy – not soupy – noodles that are themselves saturated in flavour.
Serves 4–6
pinch salt
¼ tsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp cornflour
180g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm-thick slices
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
2 slices ginger, sliced into matchsticks
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
100g raw king prawns, peeled
3 fish balls (see tip), quartered
½ medium carrot (about 40g), halved lengthways and sliced
200g choi sum, chopped into 5cm lengths
300g fresh egg noodles
1 spring onion, halved lengthways and sliced into thirds
for the sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1¼ tsp dark soy sauce
¼ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp granulated sugar
1 Mix the salt, sugar, cornflour and chicken together in a bowl. Combine the sauce ingredients with 200ml water in another bowl.
2 Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken and spread it out in a single layer. When the chicken starts to lift off without too much prodding, stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until it is almost cooked through. Add the prawns and fish balls and stir-fry until the prawns have just turned pink. Remove and set aside.
3 Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok, add the carrot slices and toss to coat in the oil. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water and stir-fry for a minute until the carrots have softened slightly. Add the choi sum and stir-fry until the leaves have started to wilt.
4 Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the noodles to the wok together with the cooked chicken and seafood, sauce mixture and spring onion. Allow to simmer very gently, occasionally turning the noodles until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the noodles are a luscious dark colour and piping hot.
DUMPLING SISTERS TIP
Fish balls are wonderfully daan ngaa (springy) and great for sinking your teeth into – you will find them in the freezer section of Chinese supermarkets.
The intensely savoury and potent meat sauce in this dish comes about from the ‘frying’ of three different bean-based sauces. All of the sauces are used in northern Chinese cooking, and most often you will see recipes for ja jeung meen cooked in the Beijing or Shanghai style. We have made it here to the Hong Kong style, which is more red in colour and slightly tangy. Because the meat is such an important part of the sauce, use a fattier cut such as belly or shoulder as this will contribute a more luxurious flavour and mouthfeel.
Serves 2
300g pork shoulder or belly, or pork mince
2 tsp cornflour
pinch bicarbonate of soda
vegetable oil, for cooking
½ tsp finely diced ginger
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
1 tbsp yellow soybean paste
1 tbsp sweet bean paste
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
¼ tsp Chinkiang vinegar (optional)
150g fresh wonton noodles, or 125g dried noodles
1 Cut the pork into roughly 2cm cubes then use a cleaver or heavy knife to dhuk or grind the pork into little pieces until it resembles coarse mince. Mix the pork with the cornflour, 2 teaspoons water and the bicarbonate of soda and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
2 Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wok or frying pan over a medium heat and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the pork and brown (you may need an extra teaspoon or two of oil if you are using lean pork mince), then remove and set aside.
3 If your chilli bean sauce has large pieces in it, roughly chop it until it resembles a rough paste. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok or frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon in the yellow soybean and sweet bean pastes along with the chilli bean sauce, swirl together and fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and the pastes start to form clumps that blister on the surface.
4 Return the pork to the pan and add the tomato ketchup and 250ml water. Loosen any large clumps of paste. Bring to the boil before reducing the heat and simmering for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the pork is deep red. You may need to add some more water. Stir in the vinegar, if using.
5 Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions, drain and stir in a few drops of cooking oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Serve the sauce on top of the noodles.
Visit any noodle shop in Hong Kong or Guangzhou and you will find ow larm fun on their menu. This dish has earned its classic status by offering meltingly tender beef brisket in a pool of dark velvety sauce, all atop soft rice noodles. Sichuan pepper is rarely used in Cantonese cooking but here it adds a background hum to the sauce. The sauce is also excellent for rice and we encourage you to double the recipe for freezing.
Serves 2–3
500g beef brisket, cut into 3 x 3cm cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 pieces ginger, each the size of a garlic clove, smashed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp granulated sugar
large pinch salt
½ tsp Sichuan pepper
3 star anise
3 dried whole chillies
150g dried wide rice noodles
1 tbsp cornflour
| add an exotic (see here) |
| 30g ji jook (dried beancurd) |
1 If you are adding an exotic: soak the ji jook in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water, and cut the ji jook into 5cm long pieces.
2 Put the beef into a medium saucepan, pour in 700ml boiling water, cover and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and drain in a bowl lined with kitchen paper. Pour the broth into a bowl and set aside.
3 Add the oil to the now empty pan and heat over a medium heat. Add the ginger and fry for 20 seconds, then add the garlic and fry for a further 20 seconds. Return the beef to the pan and fry until the edges are browned. Pour in the reserved broth. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the noodles and cornflour, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to sit on the hob for 30 minutes.
4 Bring the mixture back to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes, add the ji jook, if using, and simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced.
5 Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, then drain. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.
6 In a small bowl, mix the cornflour and 2 tablespoons water into a slurry, then stir into the beef. Bring back to a bubble to cook the cornflour for 2 minutes. Serve divided between bowls.
These glossy noodles are simply slurp-worthy as a quick snack. We find that the best noodles to use here is wholewheat spaghetti because the nutty flavour stands up well to the punchy hot and sour of the dressing. Try to choose a chilli oil that has lots of sediment – the chillies and other ingredients that the oil was soaked in – visible at the bottom of the jar.
Serves 2, or one very hungry person
150g dried wholewheat spaghetti
1–2 tsp chilli oil, plus its sediment
1 tsp sesame oil
1½ tsp Chinkiang vinegar
½ tsp soft brown sugar
scant ¼ tsp salt
¼ spring onion, thinly sliced diagonally
1 small fresh red chilli, sliced
1 Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, then shake off any excess water.
2 Put the spaghetti in a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients, adjusting each to your own taste. Serve with some extra chilli oil, just in case you are in the mood for a more fiery kick.
Having noodles for breakfast is commonplace in China and growing up, we always craved Dad’s version. To his fantastic recipe, we’ve added a sunny twist: a fried egg crowned with a halo of caramelised soy sauce – just because everything is better with a fried egg.
Serves 1
80g dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 large egg
vegetable oil, for frying
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 Soak the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes until softened. Use a fork or pair of chopsticks to loosen the noodles every now and then.
2 Meanwhile, fry an egg to your liking. We like our yolks runny.
3 Carefully drain the water from the noodles, leaving about a tablespoon of cooking water in the bottom. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce and mix to coat each strand in the seasonings.
4 When the egg is almost done, drizzle the remaining soy sauce around the egg. Let the sauce bubble furiously until it has all seeped into the edges of the egg. Serve the fried egg on top of the noodles.
It’s always exciting to chance upon new and unexpected ways of using old ingredients. There’s no better example of this than turning egg noodles into crunchy fritters. As the sweet chilli in the batter sizzles in the hot oil, the sugar caramelises and turns the fritters a mouthwatering golden-brown colour. Serving the fritters with extra sweet chilli sauce makes for a brilliant zingy accompaniment – just be sure to have napkins nearby for those sticky fingers.
Makes 15–20
200g dried egg noodles
2 large eggs
4 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, plus extra to serve
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
1 Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2 Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder into the eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the oil, then add the noodles. Use a pair of chopsticks to separate out the noodles so that every strand is lightly coated in the batter.
3 In a large frying pan with high sides, pour in the oil to a depth of about 5mm and put the pan over a medium heat. To test if the oil is ready, drop a single noodle into the oil. It should sizzle instantly. Using a tablespoon and a fork, gently twist the noodles into bundles (making sure not to coil too tightly otherwise the fritters won’t be delicate and crisp) and carefully slip the bundles into the hot oil. Use a fish slice to gently press down to flatten the fritters and shallow-fry for 1–2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve immediately with loads of sweet chilli sauce.
Let’s face it, most food is better when it’s bok bok cheow (super-crispy), but these deep-fried noodles are more than just a naughty treat: the architectural ‘nest’ acts as a lacy podium for the saucy topping to rest on. We have made a vegetarian version here but you could easily add some stir-fried meat (coat in cornflour before cooking) along with a dash of oyster sauce, if you like.
Serves 2–3
60g thin dried egg noodles
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-frying
1 tsp finely diced ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 spring onions, green parts sliced into lengths, white parts of 1 finely sliced
½ medium carrot, sliced
½ celery stick, diagonally sliced
½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
70g fresh oyster or button mushrooms
100g pak choi, roughly chopped
for the sauce
250ml unsalted vegetable stock
1½ tsp light soy sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
½ tbsp cornflour
1 Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions, then tip into a colander and shake off as much excess water as possible. Stir in a few drops of oil to stop the noodles from sticking to each other while they cool.
2 Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep saucepan to a depth of 4cm and put over a medium-high heat. If you are using a deep-fryer, set the temperature at 180°C/350°F. To test that the oil is ready, drop a small piece of noodle into the oil. It should float to the surface immediately and turn dark brown in about 20 seconds. When the oil is ready, hold half the noodles high above the oil then slowly feed them into the saucepan so they don’t clump together. Use a pair of chopsticks or tongs to loosen up the strands and coax the bundle into a circular shape. Deep-fry until crisp and golden brown (you might need to flip halfway through), then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining noodles.
3 Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
4 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the ginger, garlic and spring onion whites until fragrant. Add the carrot and celery, sprinkle in the rice wine and stir-fry until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the mushrooms, pak choi and spring onion greens and stir-fry to coat the vegetables in oil. Add the sauce, bring to a gentle boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has thickened slightly.
5 Put the noodle nests in shallow serving dishes and tumble the vegetables on top. At the table, use chopsticks to break up the nest so that all the noodles are coated in the sauce, and tuck in.
