Hong Kong Rice Noodles

Sauce:
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp chili paste
1 tsp of meat masala or
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
2-3 tsp hot (Madras) curry
1/4 cup soy sauce or
1/8 cup broth with 1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seed oil


1 lbs thin rice noodles

1 pound baby shrimp, shucked, deveined, rinsed and drained
1 skinless chicken breast, 1/4-inch strips
1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1-2 TB ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 green peppers thinly sliced
1 red pepper thinly sliced
8 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
2 carrots, julienned
6-8 scallions, 1 inch batons
 
1/4 cup chicken broth, optional (to keep noodles from drying out)

oil for frying




First assemble sauce, and set aside.
Next, scald noodles in boiling water for about 15 seconds, then spread out over a baking sheet and let dry.  

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper shrimp, then saute shrimp until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
Sprinkle chicken lightly with white pepper, then cook chicken in remaining oil.
When chicken is nearly cooked through begin to add ginger and garlic. When chicken is no longer pink, add vegetables.

 This is usually a good time to toss your lovely marinade into the rice noodles, or you can throw it right over your veggies and meat.

When vegetables reach desired constancy, add add noodles. Stir gently, but often. Heat thoroughly, and incorporate ingredients well.



(If adding egg, I usually add it last, and never when adding meat or seafood. Make sure you use small amount of sauce, then add egg to fairly dry noodles and quickly scramble.)




Serves 4-6




Note: you can easily substitute common curry powder for the hot. If you want it spicier, just add a little extra curry and some cayenne.
Also, over boiled rice noodles do not hold together as well once you begin frying them, and you will end up with tiny slivers of noodle.

Yakisoba

Sauce:
 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1/2 teaspoon mirin
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix in small bowl and stir until dissolved. Set aside.




12 oz soba noodles
1-3 TB oil for frying
1 lbs choice of meat, tofu, seafood cut thinly against the grain
3-4 carrots, coarsely grated, julienned, or sliced thin on the diagonal
1 lbs cabbage (napa, savoy, bok choy) slightly more may be used if preferred
1 white onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1-2 TB grated ginger
2-3 green onions, finely sliced (optional)




After slicing protein and vegetables begin to prepare noodles according to package, rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside.
Over medium/high heat, add oil to a large frying pan or to a wok. Add protein, stir while frying. Lightly brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add cabbage, carrots, onions, ginger, and garlic to pan. Stir often. When vegetables reached desired consistency, about 7-10 mins, add noodles. Toss lightly, for 1-2 mins. slowly adding in soy sauce mixture.
Return protein to pan. Make sure everything is coated with the sauce. Bring up temp quickly, stirring noodles another 3-5 minutes.

Serve very hot.


 
Traditionally served with sliced, red pickled ginger on top.
Serves 4-6

Throw Together Noodle

Yakisoba can really be prepared with any combination of meat, tofu and vegetable, though most commonly made with cabbage, carrots, onion and pork.
I am not a huge fan of pork, but I will cook it when specifically asked to do so. (ie: pork and raspberry sauce.) I prefer a small amount of chicken or use tofu in yakisoba.
I do love cabbage, though! This is a great way to use purple cabbage.

I usually skip the sauce, citing the uselessness of sugar and grease for dinner; if anyone asks. Instead throwing a bit of mushroom flavored soy sauce, drop of teriyaki or worchesterhire sauce over it and cutting it with broth before it gets too salty. Too much broth, and they won't fry. Just so you know!

The sauce can be bought at any local Asian grocery. I am the clueless white girl perusing the nearby Local H Mart and buying rice in bulk on a regular basis. (The one I went to before I moved had nicer vegetables.)

Supposedly you aren't supposed to use soba noodles, but that's how they were served the first time I had them. I like them that way. I haven't yet found pure buckwheat noodles; most are made from a combination of wheat and buckwheat, so this recipe does not pass the gluten-free test. The recipe above uses soba, but most recipes will call for top ramen (without spice packet) or udon.

Tonight I used buckwheat soba noodles, two chicken thighs cut very small, 1/2 lbs white mushrooms sliced, ginger and mung bean sprouts. I also added about a 1/4 of super delicious celery/mushroom broth I'm making. We were supposed to have chicken soup for dinner, but somehow ended up with this.
Clean plates all around!

(Lucky had rice noodles with egg, broth and cashews. There may have been carrot and mushroom in there, but no one noticed...)