
Crispy noodles recipe Chinese
This Chinese dish consists of a bed of crispy noodles, topped with stir fried vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and flavored with a thick gravy-like sauce.
One of my favorite dishes has always been crispy pan fried noodles. To my delight, after introducing Mr. K to it a few years ago, it became one of his favorites too. I never thought to attempt it at home, but a step by step tutorial on Serious Eats made it seem fairly easy, so I decided to give it a try.
There are two key factors to making this dish a success. First, you need to get the noodles crispy, which you can do by cooking them in a pan. No deep frying needed! The second key is the sauce. The thick, gravy-like sauce flavors the vegetables and clings onto the thin noodles. You want it thick but not too thick to the point where it gets to be clumpy.
I was pretty pleased with how this came out. I need to work on the noodle presentation, but the flavors were quite spot-on.
Ingredients:
8 oz cooked egg noodles
6 large shrimp
1 chicken tender, cut into bite-sized cubes
1/2 cup broccoli florets
4 oz bok choy, stems cut off
3 tbsp vegetable oil
for the gravy:
1 cup chicken stock
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water
Directions:
1. Separate noodles and them form into a round disc. Add 1 tbsp of oil into a large wok or a large pan that can fit the entire noodle disc (you want to choose a pot that won't stick and burn. It works well in a nonstick wok. It also works in an enamel Dutch oven). Turn heat to medium high. Once oil is heated, place noodle disc in. Let it cook slowly until noodles turn brown and crispy at the bottom. Remove the noodles in one piece, using two spatulas.
2. Add another 1 tbsp of oil into the pan. Place noodles back into pan, this time with the non-crispy side face-down. Cook until bottom is crispy. Remove from pan and place onto a plate.
3. Add final tbsp of oil into pan and add in chicken and shrimp and stir fry until almost cooked. Add in vegetables and cook until everything is fully cooked. Remove from heat and put aside.
4. In a small pot, add gravy ingredients except for cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in water and pour into mixture. Cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. Add about half of the gravy into pan of vegetables and protein. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, coating and flavoring stir fry with the gravy. Add the stir fry on top of crispy noodles. Add remaining gravy over noodles. Serve immediately.