Hong Kong Style Pan Fried Noodles

Hong Kong style pan fried noodles is a favorite of mine. Love ordering this at restaurants. Even bad versions are tolerable, well, most of the time. My mom used to say that this dish is very easy to make but I just never got around to making it. Until now.

I didn’t have a recipe for HK style but have seen Joyce’s’ version here. What I really liked about her recipe is that she also provides a step-by-step photo instructions. How wonderful is that? Just a note that the recipe and the photo instructions vary slightly. I followed the recipe directions exactly and used shrimp, beef, king oyster mushrooms and bok choy. What’s great with this dish is you can pretty much use whatever you have on hand.

Yes, mom was right. It was easy to make. I added a little too much oyster sauce, which made the sauce a little too salty. But overall, it was really good and I’ll definitely be making this again! Next time, I’m going to make the noodles according to the package instructions (calls for a 10 second dunk in boiling water) and see if there’s a difference in the crunch. The noodles had quite a bit of flour on it and although I shook off most of it, there was still a bit of flour taste to final product. These were the noodles that I used.

Adapted from sugarlens.com

Ingredients:
1 pkg of Hong Kong Style noodles (I used about 4 oz per person)
 6 0z flank steak, sliced thinly against the grain
15-20 shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 king oyster mushroom, sliced thinly
2 stalk bok choy, cleaned and cut
2 cloves garlic, minced
Canola oil (vegetable or peanut oil can be substituted)

Marinade A:
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste

Marinade B:
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt and white pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of xiao-shing (Chinese) cooking wine

Thickener:
1 tbsp of corn starch
2 tbsp of water

I separated each person’s noodles and shook out as much of the flour as possible. I also fluffed it up like Joyce recommended. Postscript: I have since been blanching the noodles for 10 seconds in boiling water to remove the excess flour on the noodles. Once blanched, lay out on paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. I pat the noodles again just before putting them in the pan to fry. The noodles still turn out crunchy without and no more raw flour taste!

Marinate beef with Marinade A. Set aside. 

Marinate shrimps with Marinade B. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for Sauce. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, combine corn starch and water for Thickener. Set aside.

I used a 14″ wok but you can use any large pan. Heat the wok on high heat for about 30 seconds and then added oil. Swirl the oil in the wok. Once the oil just reaches smoking, I added the noodles and turned down the heat to medium-high. If the noodles start burning, remove pan from heat for a few seconds and turn the heat down a bit. Press down lightly with chopsticks or a spatula to help brown the noodles evenly. Add more cooking oil as needed to make suremost of the noodles brown. Plate the noodles on individual plates and set aside. I ended up flipping the noodles and browning on both sides since I like a lot of crunchy noodles.

Add more oil to wok and swirl it around. Add garlic and saute for about a minute. Add shrimp and cook until just done. Don’t overcook since the shrimp will continue to cook when removed from heat. Dish out.

Add oil to wok and cook beef until done. Dish out.

Add oil to wok and cook bok choy and oyster mushroom. Add salt to taste. Cook until done. Add shrimps and beef back to the pan. Stir well. Add the Sauce mixture. Bring it to a boil.

Add thickener and give a quick stir. Bring it to a boil.

Pour gravy on top of the noodles. Serve immediately.

The Mister requested more beef and shrimp next time. I might even add some chicken and make it a Three Treasure noodle dish!