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Cantonese soy sauce chow mein

Name: Cantonese soy sauce chow mein
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 300 g fresh thin egg noodles; 3 tbsp neutral oil, plus 1 tsp if needed; 100 g bean sprouts (two handfuls); 1 bunch garlic chives, cut into 10 cm lengths; 0.5 piece medium onion, sliced; 2 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp soy sauce

Fresh egg noodles dried out in a smoking wok, seasoned with dark and light soy sauce and tossed with crisp bean sprouts, garlic chives and onion. Stephanie Feher's recreation for SBS of the plate Dan Hong eats in Hong Kong: 'a dish of execution'.

Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.

Servings: 2
Preparation: 10 min
Cooking: 10 min
Total: 20 min
Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Wok and a strong burner
Large pot of boiling water; colander
Long chopsticks or tongs

Servings2

Ingredients

300 gfresh thin egg noodles
3 tbspneutral oil, plus 1 tsp if needed
100 gbean sprouts (two handfuls)The source says two handfuls; the weight is our estimate.
1 bunchgarlic chives, cut into 10 cm lengths
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tspdark soy sauce
1 tbspsoy sauce

Shopping list

Method

Take the noodles out of their packet and loosen them by hand on a tray.
Cook them in batches in rapidly boiling water as the packet says, usually 30–60 seconds. Drain very well. When cool enough to handle, coat them with oil and separate the strands.
Why Well-drained, oiled noodles fry rather than steam and do not clump.
Heat the wok until it smokes. Stir-fry the bean sprouts 30–60 seconds, then add the chives and onion and toss until fragrant but still crisp. Remove.
Wipe the wok and heat it again on high. Spread the noodles over it and leave them alone for 1–2 minutes.
Why Leaving them still drives off moisture and gives the noodles their dry, springy texture.
Timer · 2 min2:00
When the noodles are hot, add the dark soy sauce and loosen and mix with chopsticks. Return the vegetables, toss, season with the soy sauce, toss once more and serve.

To drink & serve with

Dan dan noodles
A Sichuan wheat-noodle dish for a spicier contrast.

Substitutions

Garlic chives → Spring onions cut into 10 cm lengths.

Common mistakes

Stirring the noodles as soon as they hit the wok: they stay wet.
Overcooking the sprouts: they should still crunch.

Storage & reheating

Best eaten at once. Leftovers: refrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 days, reheat until steaming hot.

Safety

Contains gluten and egg (noodles) and soy and wheat (soy sauce).

Allergens

Gluten · Egg · Soy

Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

Dietary

vegetarian

A Hong Kong plate, recreated

Chef Dan Hong eats this plain plate of noodles at Glorious Cuisine in Hong Kong; SBS published Stephanie Feher's recreation of it from her Lucky Dragon Supper Club. This soy-sauce version, with nothing but sprouts, chives and onion, is about as plain as fried noodles get.

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A dish of execution

With so few ingredients, the result depends on handling. The noodles are blanched for under a minute, drained thoroughly, oiled and loosened. The vegetables are flashed in a smoking wok and set aside. The noodles then sit undisturbed in the clean, very hot wok so their surface dries, before dark soy colours them and light soy seasons them at the end.

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