Authentic Vegetable Chow Mein

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 8 ounces fresh thin chinese egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (preferably shaoxing) or 1 tablespoon medium-dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup peanut oil (or less)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 3 scallions, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps quartered (2 1/2 cups)
• 6 ounces choy sum, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (2 1/2 cups) or 6 ounces inch-wide broccoli florets

Recipe

• 1 bring 8 cups unsalted water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot, then add noodles, stirring to separate, and cook 15 seconds. drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until noodles are cool, then shake colander briskly to drain excess water.
• 2 stir together soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, and cornstarch with 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until smooth, then stir in chicken broth.
• 3 heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within 1 to 2 seconds of contact, then add 1/2 cup peanut oil and heat until just smoking. carefully add noodles all at once, flattening top to form a 9-inch cake. cook until underside is golden, 4 to 5 minutes, rotating noodle cake with a metal spatula to brown evenly and lifting edges occasionally to check color.
• 4 carefully flip noodle cake over with spatula and tongs, then cook, rotating cake, until other side is golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. transfer noodle cake to a large paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. discard any oil remaining in wok and wipe out wok with paper towels.
• 5 transfer drained noodle cake to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
• 6 heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within 1 to 2 seconds of contact.
• 7 add 1 tablespoon oil to wok over high heat. when oil just begins to smoke, add ginger and garlic and stir-fry 5 seconds, then add scallions and stir-fry 30 seconds. add mushrooms and stir-fry until softened, about 3 minutes. add choy sum and stir-fry until leaves are bright green and just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes (if using broccoli, cook until almost crisp-tender).
• 8 stir broth mixture, then pour into wok and stir-fry until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
• 9 return mixture just to a boil, then pour over noodle cake.