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Vegetable Pan Fried Noodles
Nov. 28th, 2013 11:08 pmThe Sun Sai Gai was my favorite Chinese restaurant in Houston, TX. It was literally in the shade of the Gulf freeway. They made the most amazing Pan Fried Noodle entrées. Their shrimp and veggies in white sauce over a bed of browned noodles was my all-time favorite.
Then the restaurant closed. To satisfy my craving, I developed an approximation of this dish. It’s pretty hard to get 4 kids to agree on anything, but they all like Beef Pan Fried Noodles. Me, I’m trying to eat healthy so here’s the version with veggies only. Like knitting patterns, recipes are only suggestions. Don’t like it, leave it out. Just don’t add celery, It’s a hard flavor that overwhelms the others.
Vegetable Pan Fried Noodles (makes 2 large servings)
Sesame Oil
Dynasty Oyster Sauce (brands are different, this one is tasty)
6 oz Chinese noodles (may substitute capellini)
Corn starch
Veggies: (what’s in the fridge? add only what you like! adjust portions accordingly)
Onion (small sliced in half, then thinly with the grain)
Carrot (peeled and sliced thinly at an angle)
Broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
Cremini Mushrooms 3-4 sliced
Yellow Squash (1 thinly sliced)
Asparagus 3-4 stalks sliced into 1 inch pieces
Bok Choy 3-4 stalks sliced at an angle - you can cook the leaves or not
Napa Cabbage 3-4 leaves sliced about 1 cm thick
No Celery!
Wash and prep vegetables while waiting for water to boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Shake as much water as possible out of draining noodles, then dust with corn starch to absorb any excess moisture. This is an inexact science. While not truly necessary, that cornstarch does help the noodles brown.
To Pan-Fry the noodles, add a tablespoon or so of sesame oil to your frying pan. I kinda draw a big S across the bottom. Dump in the noodles, spread to an even thickness, and start “frying” over medium heat. Hang the carcinogens, I like using a Teflon coated skillet for this step. Keep an eye on the noodles. Toss them around and over every so often to brown both sides. Sesame oil is for flavor. You can use cast iron or stainless, but realize you are going to have to add more oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
Time to stir fry the veggies when the noodles are almost done to taste. It helps to have a wok or another skillet. You could put your perfectly browned noodle cake on a serving platter and use the same pan if this isn’t the case. Again squiggle some sesame oil into your skillet. Add the onion only and cook over medium to low heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add all of your veggies except the napa and/or bok choy. Stir fry until tender crisp. Add napa or bok choy and cook for another minute or so. Napa is ready when leaves wilt.
Stir in a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce, more or less to taste. Artfully arrange veggies over your beautifully browned noodles. Oh, nom! Enjoy!
Then the restaurant closed. To satisfy my craving, I developed an approximation of this dish. It’s pretty hard to get 4 kids to agree on anything, but they all like Beef Pan Fried Noodles. Me, I’m trying to eat healthy so here’s the version with veggies only. Like knitting patterns, recipes are only suggestions. Don’t like it, leave it out. Just don’t add celery, It’s a hard flavor that overwhelms the others.
Vegetable Pan Fried Noodles (makes 2 large servings)
Sesame Oil
Dynasty Oyster Sauce (brands are different, this one is tasty)
6 oz Chinese noodles (may substitute capellini)
Corn starch
Veggies: (what’s in the fridge? add only what you like! adjust portions accordingly)
Onion (small sliced in half, then thinly with the grain)
Carrot (peeled and sliced thinly at an angle)
Broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
Cremini Mushrooms 3-4 sliced
Yellow Squash (1 thinly sliced)
Asparagus 3-4 stalks sliced into 1 inch pieces
Bok Choy 3-4 stalks sliced at an angle - you can cook the leaves or not
Napa Cabbage 3-4 leaves sliced about 1 cm thick
No Celery!
Wash and prep vegetables while waiting for water to boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Shake as much water as possible out of draining noodles, then dust with corn starch to absorb any excess moisture. This is an inexact science. While not truly necessary, that cornstarch does help the noodles brown.
To Pan-Fry the noodles, add a tablespoon or so of sesame oil to your frying pan. I kinda draw a big S across the bottom. Dump in the noodles, spread to an even thickness, and start “frying” over medium heat. Hang the carcinogens, I like using a Teflon coated skillet for this step. Keep an eye on the noodles. Toss them around and over every so often to brown both sides. Sesame oil is for flavor. You can use cast iron or stainless, but realize you are going to have to add more oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
Time to stir fry the veggies when the noodles are almost done to taste. It helps to have a wok or another skillet. You could put your perfectly browned noodle cake on a serving platter and use the same pan if this isn’t the case. Again squiggle some sesame oil into your skillet. Add the onion only and cook over medium to low heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add all of your veggies except the napa and/or bok choy. Stir fry until tender crisp. Add napa or bok choy and cook for another minute or so. Napa is ready when leaves wilt.
Stir in a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce, more or less to taste. Artfully arrange veggies over your beautifully browned noodles. Oh, nom! Enjoy!
