Chinese Noodle pancake
Thus was it christened by Eric, but the rest of the world knows this dish as Hong Kong Style Pan Friend Noodles. This is a very versatile dish; imagine a pancake of crispy noodles with whatever stir fry items you wish on top. This is a basic recipe but feel free to play around with the veggies, the meat, the sauce, everything.
Cobbled together with help from Cook's Illustrated and an Asian Noodle cookbook from a friend.
Cobbled together with help from Cook's Illustrated and an Asian Noodle cookbook from a friend.
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Meat:
2 chicken breasts, cut into 0.25" strips on the bias garlic powder onion powder ginger powder cornstarch 1 tbsp canola oil Veggies: 2 bell peppers, cut into 1" bite sized pieces 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and cut into bite sized pieces 4 oz sugar snap peas, ends trimmed 1 tbsp canola oil 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 tsp ginger, minced Sauce: 0.25 c oyster sauce 0.5 c chicken stock 2 tbsp cooking sherry 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp cornstarch Noodles: 8 oz chinese egg noodles, preferably hong kong style 6 tbsp canola oil |
Bring water to a boil. Add noodles and cook 2 to 3 minutes until just al dente, checking often. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water to cool the noodles and shake to remove excess water. Toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons canola oil.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside. Mix some cornstarch with ginger, onion and garlic powder. Toss with chicken to coat each piece. Shake off excess cornstarch before cooking chicken. Mix minced garlic and ginger with a few drops of oil. Set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 12" skillet set over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer and cook about 2 minutes until coating is slightly browned and crispy. Toss for another minute until no pink remains. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out pan and add a tablespoon of canola oil. When oil is hot, add veggies and stir fry until crisp-tender; timing will depend on your veggies. For example, add broccoli and a few tbsp water to the pan first. Cover and let steam for 3 minutes, then remove cover and cook until water has fully evaporated. Then toss in the faster cooking vegetables, such as snap peas, bell pepper, baby corn, bamboo shoots and sliced water chestnuts. Push veggies to the side and add the ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring into veggies, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add back the chicken along with any juices and add the sauce. Stir together and let sauce come to a simmer until it thickens, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove to a bowl and keep warm in the oven while the noodles cook. Wipe out the skillet, then add 4 tbsp canola oil, swirling to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Oil is ready when a single noodle dropped into it sizzles. Add the noodles and spread out over the pan to form a noodle pancake. Let fry until golden brown on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and fry the second side until brown, another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil briefly. Also, cut the noodle pancake into wedges pizza style. Transfer noodles to a serving dish, then pour stir fry on top. Serve hot and watch it get devoured. |
Note: Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. This comes together pretty quickly, and so makes for a great weeknight meal. Also, I optimized for using one pan here. If you want things to go faster, you can use two pans and make the stir fry while the noodles are boiling and frying.