Cantonese Soy Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles

INGREDIENT

1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
2 scallions
2 teaspoons soy sauce (learn more about types of soy sauces and more on our Chinese Sauces, Vinegars, and Oils page)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
½ tablespoon shaoxing wine
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
8 ozs fresh thin Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles (for pan-frying, not to be mistaken for “wonton noodles”) or 3 small bundles of dried Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles for pan-frying
3 tablespoons oil

METHOD

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Rinse the bean sprouts in cold water and drain. Julienne the scallions nice and thin.

Mix the soy sauces, sesame oil, salt, sugar, wine and white pepper into a small bowl and set aside.

Boil the noodles. Fresh noodles should be boiled for about 1 minute. For dried noodles, boil for 2-3 minutes.

Rinse in cold water and drain very well in a colander. No one likes waterlogged noodles.

Heat the wok to high and add a tablespoon of oil to coat the wok. Spread the noodles in a thin, even layer on the wok and tilt the wok in a circular motion to distribute the oil and crisp the bottom layer of the noodles evenly. It should take about 3-5 minutes for the first side

Flip the noodles over and add another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter of the wok and let the other side crisp up. Don’t stress if you can’t turn the noodles over in one shot. The goal here is just to get an even crispness and to dry out the noodles during this cooking stage. In our pictures for this post, we used a large non-stick pan, which also works nicely. Set aside these noodles on a plate.

Heat the wok to high heat and add a tablespoon of oil and all of the white parts of the scallion to the pan and cook for about 15 seconds. Your wok should be slightly smoking and the oil should be shimmery! If the scallions aren’t sizzling, then go stand in the corner of your kitchen and think about what you did!

(or you know…just turn the heat up until they start sizzling).

Next, throw the lightly crisped noodles into the wok

Toss them well, breaking up the noodles so they’re not all in one big clump.

Add the soy sauce mixture and toss continuously (don’t stop!) using a pair of chopsticks or a set of tongs for a couple minutes. Keep the heat on high.

You’ll see a lovely color change here. That fetching golden brown hue is a sign that things are all going according to plan