Quick & Easy Chinese (37 page)

9 ounces Chinese-style fresh egg noodles, linguine, or fettucine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

½ cup shredded carrots

1¼ cups diced Char Shiu Pork (page 98, or purchased), roast pork, or ham

2 cups bean sprouts or shredded napa cabbage

3 tablespoons chopped green onion

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.

Cook the noodles until just tender but still firm, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then. (If you are using fresh pasta, cook until tender but still firm.) Quickly drain, rinse with cool water, and then drain again. You should have about 3¼ cups cooked noodles.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sherry, sugar, and salt, and stir well to dissolve the sugar and salt. Set aside.

Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and carrot, and toss well. Add the pork and cook, tossing often, until the carrots have wilted and the pork is heated through, about 1 minute.

Add the bean sprouts and the noodles and toss well to mix all the ingredients together.

Add the soy sauce mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan. Cook, tossing often, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the green onion and toss well. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot or warm.

½ pound wide dried rice noodles, preferably the width of fettucine or linguine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or molasses

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

½ pound thinly sliced beef

5 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves, or 3 cups broccoli florets

¼ to ½ cup chicken stock or water

2 eggs, lightly beaten
Chili-Vinegar Sauce
(optional; page 171)

Soften the dried rice noodles by dropping them into a large saucepan of boiling water. Remove from the heat at once and let stand 5 minutes, until softened and flexible but not yet tender enough to eat. Stir occasionally to separate the noodles. Drain, rinse, and drain again. Transfer to a medium bowl and place by the stove.

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt, mixing well to dissolve the salt. Place it by the stove, spoon and all, along with a serving platter, a pair of long-handled tongs or a spatula, and a slotted spoon for tossing the noodles. Have all the remaining ingredients ready and handy.

Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Swirl to coat the surface, add the garlic, and toss for 30 seconds. Scatter in the beef and toss well as it begins to change color.

Add the spinach and cook, tossing often, until it is shiny, bright green, and tender and the beef is cooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the beef and spinach to the serving platter.

Reduce the heat to medium, scatter in the noodles, and toss well. Cook 2 minutes or so, tossing and pulling the noodles apart so that they cook evenly, and adding splashes of chicken stock as needed to keep them moist and prevent sticking. When the noodles have softened, curled up, and turned white, push them to the side of the pan.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the center of the pan. Pour in the eggs and swirl to spread them out into a thin sheet. When they are almost set, begin to scramble them, and then scoop and turn the noodles to mix them in.

Return the beef and spinach to the pan. Add the soy sauce mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan, and using the spoon to get every sticky drop. Toss everything well for about 1 minute more, until the noodles are a handsome brown. Transfer to the serving platter and serve hot or warm, with Chili-Vinegar Sauce on the side, if desired.