Make Fried Noodles

If Asian fried noodles are one of your favorite takeout meals, it may be time to learn how to make the dish at home. While the dish can be a little intimidating, it's actually not that difficult to make -- and you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes. All it takes is learning how to prepare the noodles and the correct order to fry the ingredients so you wind up with delicious fried noodles whenever you want them.

Ingredients

• ½ pound (220 g) wide dried rice noodles
• ½ pound (220 g) ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, or turkey) or shrimp
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Shaoxing wine, Japanese sake, or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) potato starch
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
• ¼ cup (59 ml) chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) sugar (or 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or hoisin sauce)
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6 green onions, chopped into long slices and separated into white and green parts
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) grated ginger
• 2 cups (470 g) chopped mustard greens

Steps

Cutting and Soaking the Noodles

1. Cut the noodles and place in a bowl. Take ½ pound (220 g) of wide dried rice noodles, and use a pair of scissors to cut them into 8-inch (20-cm) sections. Cutting them shorter prevents them from being tangled together when they cook. Place the trimmed section in a large bowl.
   • You can use egg noodles or soba noodles in place of the rice noodles if you prefer.
2. Cover the noodles with hot water and soak for several minutes. Pour enough hot water over the noodles to cover them. Allow the noodles to soak in the water for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are al dente.
   • For the hot water, simply turn your tap on as hot as it will go and add it to the noodles.
   • If you soak the noodles in boiling water, they’ll take less time to soften. Usually, 3 minutes is all you need.
   • If you’re not using rice noodles, you may need to actually cook them before frying them. Check the package for instructions on how to prepare them.
3. Drain the noodles, rinse, and toss with oil. After the noodles are finished soaking, drain them well in a colander. Next, rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place the noodles in a bowl and add a few drops of oil to keep them from sticking together before tossing them gently.
   • You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.
   • If you’re worried about the noodles sticking together even with the oil, you can spread them out on a large baking sheet or tray so they aren’t tangled together.

Preparing the Meat, Sauce, and Pan

1. Combine the ground meat, wine, potato starch, and salt. In a small bowl, mix ½ pound (220 g) of ground meat or shrimp, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon (5 g) of potato starch, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) of salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are well combined.
   • For the meat in the dish, you can use ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, depending on your preference.
   • If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can use Japanese sake or dry sherry in its place.
   • The potato starch help keeps the meat tender during cooking. If you’re using a meat that’s higher in fat, such as beef, pork, or turkey, you can omit the potato starch if you want.
2. Mix the chicken stock, soy sauces, sugar, and salt. In a separate small bowl, combine ¼ cup (59 ml) of chicken stock, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dark soy sauce, ½ teaspoon (3 g) of sugar, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) of salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
   • The dark soy sauce adds color to the finished dish. You can replace it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of light soy sauce if you don’t have any on hand. The noodles will be lighter in color, but the taste will be the same.
   • If you don’t want to use sugar, you can replace it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oyster sauce or hoisin sauce.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of peanut oil to a large wok or nonstick skillet. Turn the heat to high, and allow the oil to heat for approximately 3 minutes, or until hot.
   • You can replace the peanut oil with grapeseed, safflower or vegetable oil if you prefer.

Frying the Noodles

1. Fry the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Once the oil in the pan is hot, add 1 clove of garlic that’s been minced, ½ teaspoon (3 g) of grated ginger, and all of the white parts from 6 green onions that have been chopped into long slices and separated into the white and green portions. Keep the burner on high heat, and allow the mixture to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to sizzle.
   • You can customize the flavorings however you like. Feel free to omit the garlic, add extra onion, or incorporate chilis or additional flavorings.
2. Add the ground meat to the pan. When the pan is sizzling, stir in the ground meat mixture. Allow it to cook on high heat until the outside is surface is slightly charred but the meat isn’t completely cooked through, which should take approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Mix in the mustard greens and the rest of the green onion. After the meat is charred on the outside, stir 2 cups (470 g) of chopped mustard greens and the green portion of the 6 green onions into the pan. With the heat on high, let the mixture cook for approximately 30 seconds.
   • You can add other vegetables and greens to the dish. Bok choy, edamame, broccoli, baby corn, and carrots are just some of the other options to consider. Just be aware that mustard greens and green onions cook more quickly than the other options, so you may need to give the stir fry longer to cook if you’re using extra veggies.
4. Stir in the sauce and the noodles and toss until the liquid is absorbed. After the greens and onion have cooked for a moment, pour the sauce that you made earlier into the pan. Stir the mixture a few times, and then add the rice noodles.Toss all of the ingredients several times or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
   • The easiest way to toss the noodles and other ingredients is with a pair of tongs.
5. Take the pan off the burner and taste the noodles for texture. When the dish is well mixed, remove the pan from the burner. It’s important to taste the noodles at this point to see if they’re the right texture. They should be soft but firm.
   • If the noodles feel tough, place the pan back on the burner and add 3 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) of chicken stock or water to the mixture. Keep tossing the noodles and other ingredients until all of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Serve immediately. When the noodles are the right texture, divide them between two bowls. Eat while the dish is still hot.
   • For garnish, you can top the noodles with some sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts.
7. Finished.

Tips

• If you want to make a vegetarian version of the dish, replace the meat with rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

Things You Need

• Scissors
• A large bowl
• 2 small bowls
• A large wok or nonstick skillet
• A wooden spoon
• Tongs

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make a Coconut Bombay Stir Fry
• Make Noodle Salad
• Make Greco Roman Ravioli
• Make Egg Noodles Using a Food Processor
• Make Pad Thai Zoodles
• Cook Pasta
• Make the Perfect Cheesy Pasta
• Make Orzo
• Make Ravioli
• Make Soup With Noodles Like Ramen

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