Crispy Noodles - More or Less

My kids love chicken and crispy noodles when we are out having dim sum. However, since the real recipe involves deep frying wet noodles in a wok with consequent hot oil splattering (and burns), I am disinclined to make it at home. However, here is a modified version of Ken Hom's recipe that is similar enough to keep the offsping happy.


 For the chicken:

• 3 large chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt

Combine the egg and dry ingredients and mix into a thick paste. Then stir in the chicken and set aside.

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp chicken or chicken stock powder (chicken powder is an oriental thing - as far as I can tell it is literally powdered chicken with a bit of MSG and salt)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce (or 2-3 tsbp light soya sauce but it's not really the same)
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
• Cold water to make 400ml

Combine all  the ingredients bar the wine and water to make a thick paste in a pyrex jug. Then add the wine and the water to make up 400ml and stir.

For the noodles:

• About three "baskets" of dry fine egg noodles
• Vegetable oil

1. Preheat your oven to 180C and put in an ovenproof serving dish.
2. Soak the noodles in hot water as per the instructions but drain them maybe 30 seconds before the designated time so they are a little dry.
3. Pour a couple of teaspoons of oil into a frying pan and bring to a medium high heat, 
4. Grab a third of the noodles (one "basket"-worth) and dump them into the pan spreading them out to form a noodly pancake. Don't stir but leave the noodles for 3 or four minutes before turning them over - if you are lucky frying will have made them firm enough to flip easily like a pancake - otherwise do you best. They should be slightly browned and crispy but not all the way through.
5. When browned on both sides, decant into the ovenproof dish and repeat for the rest of the noodles, adding more oil if needed.

The noodles will continue to cook and crisp in the oven while the chicken is fried. Simply plop the battered bits in to same pan as the noodles, making sure they don't stick togther and then turn once. There will be more than one pan full so transfer them to the top of the baking noodles as you cook them.

Once that is done you can stir fry some veg in the same pan if you want (and pick up any  leftover bits of chickeny batter). I did some onions, carrots and chinese leaf with a tablespoon of black bean sauce in the pic above.

Finally, the sauce. Give it a stir because the cornflour will have settled. Then microwave on max power for 2 minutes, stir and then give it another minute. It should turn a glossy, thick consistency as the cornflour does its work - if not maybe another 10 seconds or so should do it. Pour about half over the chicken/noodles and serve (it should sizzle a bit in the hot dish).