Quick & Easy Chinese (36 page)
Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
EVERYDAY NOODLES WITH SESAME OIL
Though noodles are a mainstay of Chinese cuisine, they play a minor role in Chinese restaurants in the West. Noodle cafés abound throughout Asia, as do cooks preparing noodles in market stalls or in small boats. With a small charcoal stove and a rickety table or two, a good noodle cook can build a strong business on a corner across from the train station. Chinese noodle dishes tend to be simple and hearty, quickly made and quickly consumed, and a favorite option when dining alone.
You can make many Chinese noodle dishes at home with excellent results, and the many kinds of noodles now available in the West are a bonus to home cooks. Even supermarkets often carry dried rice noodles and bean thread noodles, as well as egg noodles and wheat noodles galore. Fresh noodles can be found in Asian markets, and all the dishes in this chapter can be made using pasta, from spaghetti and angel hair to linguine and fettucine, depending on the particular dish you want to make.
For anytime noodles to enjoy with your meal instead of rice, make
Everyday Noodles with Sesame Oil
(page 143) part of your repertoire. Lo Mein fans can get handy with
Roast Pork Lo Mein
(page 144), using it as a template for lo mein dishes, and tossing in cooked chicken, shrimp, or sausage, depending on what you like as well as what you have handy.
Soy Sauce Noodles with Beef and Greens
(page 145) and
Singapore Noodles
(page 148) are two classic noodle stir-fries that you will find at many Chinese restaurants in the West. Both are standard in dim sum parlors, where people often order a platter of noodles to fill out a meal of tidbits and dumplings offered on carts. Both are delicious and doable, at their best if you prepare your ingredients ahead of time and cook them just before serving. (Though I have taken Singapore Noodles to potluck parties with excellent results.)
Completing this chapter are
Almost-Instant Noodles
(page 151), an extremely quick and simple stirred-up sauce for just-cooked noodles that can be a quick lunch, or the foundation for a toss up of cooked peas and ham. Last comes
Crispy Noodle Pancake
(page 152), a companion dish to any saucy stir-fried dish when you want a presentation piece. Try it with
Moo Goo Gai Pan
(page 50) or
Mongolian Beef
(page 73), and use a big spoon to cut chunks of noodles apart from the pancake as you serve yourself a portion.
The simplest Asian noodle dish of all is soup noodles, and for that you need no recipe. Ideally, get a big bowl (bigger than cereal size, smaller than serving size, and available in Asian markets), and put into it a good-sized clump of just-cooked pasta, such as egg noodles from an Asian market, or fresh linguine. Pour on a cup or so of wonderful chicken stock, homemade or canned but simmered with some ginger, garlic, and onion and seasoned with a dollop of sesame oil. Finish with a handful of baby spinach leaves or water-cress, a sprinkling of green onion and cilantro, and a few pieces of roast chicken, ham, or cooked shrimp. You can vary the noodles, the meat, the broth; in fact, everything is mix and match, and the resulting equation is almost always one-bowl, short-notice, praiseworthy comfort food.
You can serve these noodles instead of rice with any stir-fried dish. They provide a whisper of toasted sesame flavor and can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature along with grilled salmon, shrimp, kebabs, or vegetables. For a heartier noodle dish, add thin strips of ham, shreds of roast chicken, or a bowlful of cooked shrimp and toss to mix them in well. If you need to keep it for more than an hour before serving, cover and refrigerate. Then allow the noodles to return to room temperature before serving, or warm them gently in the microwave or the oven.
8 ounces thin spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or Chinese-style egg noodles
½ cup thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
SERVES
4
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat and add a generous pinch of salt. Add the noodles and stir to separate them as they begin to soften. Cook the noodles until just tender but still firm, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then. Quickly drain, rinse with cool water, and then drain again, shaking off excess water.
Transfer to a medium bowl and add the green onion, sesame oil, and salt. Toss to mix everything evenly and well. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Lo mein dishes are simple stir-fried concoctions of soft egg noodles, salty flavors, and tidbits of cooked meat such as Chinese-style roast pork or
Char Shiu Pork
(page 98). Use this as your basic lo mein guideline, adjusting it to your liking. You could use any kind of cooked meat or seafood, such as cooked shrimp, diced ham, or shreds of roast chicken. I love it with
Cool and Tangy Cucumber
(page 126) for a cool contrast to the luscious and hearty noodle dish.