Soy Sauce Instant Noodles Chow Mein
Ingredients: Instant ramen noodles, Green onions, Celery, Onion, Oyster sauce · 20 min cook time · 350kcal · ~₩8,400
Ingredients
5packages Instant ramen noodles, 2oz Green onions, 2oz Celery, 0.5half Onion, 1tsp Oyster sauce, 1.5tbsp Light soy sauce, 2tsp Dark soy sauce, 1tsp Chicken bouillon powder, 1tsp Sugar, 2tbsp Water, 3tbsp Oil, 10oz Bean sprouts, 1tbsp Sesame oil
Instructions
1. Cut the green onions into 1.5-inch pieces and separate the white and green parts, as we'll be cooking the white parts first. The dish looks nicer when the greens are bright. If you cooked the greens with everything else, they'd overcook and turn yellow, which doesn't look as good.
2. Slice 1 stalk of celery (about 2 oz) horizontally. This way, you won't feel as much resistance when you bite it.
3. Peel and use the first few layers of half an onion. Slice the onion with the grain to minimize water release, resulting in crunchier cooked onions.
4. Prepare the sauce prior to cooking. Combine 1 tsp of oyster sauce, 1.5 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp of sugar, and 2 tbsp of water. Mix it, and if it needs more color, add more dark soy sauce.
5. Let the water boil, then add the noodles. Don't boil the noodles too long; they're done once they've loosened and separated. We only need to briefly cook the noodles, as they will be stir-fried later. Lower the heat. It might boil over. Scoop the noodles out. Our instant noodles took roughly 45 seconds to loosen up. Now we'll drain the water and transfer them to a bowl. We'll do the same thing with the second batch of instant noodles. Loosen up the cooked noodles and cool them down. Loosen them up so they don't stick together. We don't need to shock them. Loosen up the noodles and drain them as well. Use chopsticks or tongs to lift and separate the noodles. This will dry them out a little for subsequent stir-frying. Now you can try it, make sure the texture's right. The noodles already started out cooked. If they're too soft, they won't stir-fry nicely.
6. We'll switch over to a wok and set the heat to high. When the wok is hot enough, add 1 tbsp of oil and give it a swirl to coat. When you see the oil forming ripples across the surface, add the white onions, the white parts of the green onions, and the celery. Stir-fry the onions on high heat until aromatic, or about 20 seconds, then add 8 oz of bean sprouts. Cook everything for 30-40 seconds or until the bean sprouts have softened slightly. Just lightly cook them. The bean sprouts don't need to be cooked much. Set this aside for now. Transfer the stir-fried vegetables to a plate and reheat the wok on high heat.
7. Add oil now. 2 tbsp of oil. Swirl the oil around the wok. Add the noodles to the wok. Pan-fry so that it's golden-brown on both sides. Pan-fry until it's aromatic. Give it some gentle nudges. Spread out the noodles with chopsticks or tongs. Add more oil around the edge. 1 tbsp. It'll help the noodles loosen up. Lower the heat and gently pan-fry. We'll cook the noodles on medium heat for a total of 5 minutes, stirring and flipping them occasionally. This will allow the side in contact with the wok to develop a nice crisp. Why low heat? Then you can develop the aroma. You risk burning the food if you use high heat. Now, we flip the noodles. See that? Golden brown. The crackling sounds indicate that you are successfully achieving the highly sought-after wok hei. Aromatic, right? We turn it to high heat at the very end. That's how we develop wok hei. We want to pan-fry until aromatic, like traditional Soy Sauce Chow Mein. See that? It's golden-brown and fragrant. It's nearly ready now. We'll add a bit more oil around the edge for more aroma. This also helps the noodles develop extra crispiness. Pan-fry this side, okay, good!
8. Lower the heat. Now, we'll add the sauce. With the heat setting on low, we'll stir the sauce and pour it all into the wok. Mix everything for 30 seconds to ensure even distribution of flavors. When the starchy noodles have soaked up all the sauce, we'll add the stir-fried vegetables back into the wok. Add the cooked bean sprouts. Add the green onion greens. Why did you put them at the bottom? It's hotter at the bottom. Okay. High heat. Stir-fry everything on high heat for 1 minute. Why are you tossing the wok? It mixes everything faster. Now we can lower the heat. Give it a taste. Mm, good! Add a bit of sesame oil. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and an additional 2 oz of fresh bean sprouts to the wok. Stir-fry everything on high heat for a final 30 seconds. 10 oz of bean sprouts in total? Yes. It's tastier with fresh, juicy bean sprouts. The dish won't be as dry. Okay! Heat off.
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