Vegetable Chow Mein

• servings: 4
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

8 oz Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles (dried or fresh)

3-4 cups bok choy, cut into 3 inch pieces

1½ cups mung bean sprouts

1½ cup mushrooms, sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

4½ tbsp high heat oil

4 tsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp hot water

2 tsp oyster sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

¼ tsp white pepper powder

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

Pinch of MSG

2 scallions, julienned

¼ cup vegetable stock (optional)

1½ tsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tsp water (if you added stock)

Directions

Bring water to boil in a large pot and add the Hong Kong-style noodles. Boil for 1 minute for fresh noodles, or 2-3 minutes for dried noodles. Strain the noodles and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking and drain thoroughly. Set aside for now.

If using, rinse the mung bean sprouts in cold water twice to clean them off. Drain just before you’re ready to cook so they remain crunchy.

In a small bowl, mix the hot water, sugar, soy sauces, sesame oil, 2 tsp Shaoxing wine, and white pepper, and set aside.

Place your wok or wide pan over high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil to coat it. Once the oil has heated up, spread the noodles in a thin, even layer, and let the noodles cook for 1-2 minutes without moving them around. Adjust the heat as needed to brown the noodles without burning them.

Flip the noodles over and add another tbsp of oil around the edge of the wok. Let the other side of the noodles crisp up. After about 90 seconds, flip them over again and continue to crispy them up to your liking. Once they look good, gather the noodles in the middle of the wok and pour in the soy sauce mixture.

Use an upward scooping motion to mix the noodles until they are thoroughly coated and glazed, about 30 seconds. Transfer the noodles to a plate and set aside.

Heat the wok over high heat and add the final tbsp of oil to coat. Stir fry the mushrooms by themselves for about a minute, then set them aside. Add the garlic and give it a brief stir, then add the bok choy, 2 tsp Shaoxing wine, and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the salt, MSG, and oyster sauce to the wok, continuing to stir-fry for another 30 seconds. With the wok very hot at this point, add the mushrooms and noodles back into the wok and toss everything together using a lifting motion until everything is well incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Lastly, toss in the scallions and mung bean sprouts, and stir fry for a final minute. Plate a serve with your favorite chili oil.

Notes

Hong Kong-style Cantonese stir fried noodles with vegetables. Made with thin egg noodles that are pan fried until they are slightly crisp, this noodle dish is addicting without being too heavy. This dish is a great use to clear out your fridge of vegetables that are going bad! This recipe lists specific ingredients and quantities, but feel free to swap the vegetables for whatever you have at hand, cooking them at the step that matches their overall qualities (i.e. cook leafy greens when the recipe says bok choy, etc). Quick to make overall.