炒河粉Chow fun

The flat, wide, glossy rice noodle of the stir-fry — cooked briefly in a little water (the chow fun softening), drained, and then brought into a hot wok with a 2 min of fast work. Same wok-heat and same soy-and-sesame as the lo mein, but the flat, wide surface of the rice noodle is the one that browns and shatters at the edge, and the thin-cut of the bean sprout and the leaf of the cabbage is the 30 s that sets the balance.

Origin

Cantonese, the wok at the fast work end

Difficulty

3 / 5 — the rice noodle is the one that breaks if under-done

Servings

2

Prep

15 min

Cook

~6 min

Total

~25 min

Equipment

• A wok or a 26–28 cm heavy skillet — the wide surface is what gives the rice noodle its browning, and the wok-heat that a small pan can't hold
• A fine sieve, for the noodle drain
• A flat spatula or a wooden spoon, to toss the noodle against the hot surface

Ingredients

• 250 g (dry, flat and wide) dried rice noodle (the flat, wide hei fun), soaked in warm water to soften and then drained
• 150 g (5 oz) prawn, peeled, the tail left on and cut once across the back
• 3 (120 ml) eggs, beaten
• 300 g (a handful) bean sprouts, the crisp edge of the 30 s
• 1 (150 g) Chinese (or baby) cabbage, shredded 5 mm wide, the leaf for the crisp edge
• 4 (20 cm) scallions, cut 3 cm lengths
• 2 (20 g) cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• 2 (10 g) bird's eye chilies, sliced thin, for the heat in the dish
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) light soy sauce — the salt
• 20 ml (1¼ tbsp) dark soy sauce — the color and depth
• 10 ml (2 tsp) oyster sauce (or 5 g of the mushroom depth) — the umami edge
• 10 ml (2 tsp) sesame oil — the fragrance
• 10 g (1 tsp) sugar — the sweet edge against the salt

Method

1. The rice noodle, softened. The 250 g of the dry hei fun in a bowl of warm water, and 10–15 min, until the flat, wide surface is soft and pliable and can be broken into 15 cm pieces with a pair of chopsticks. The noodle logic of a stir-fry — the rice noodle breaks if under-done, so this soften is the one that gets it to pliable without making it mushy. Drain the rice noodle in a fine sieve, and a little 5 ml of the sesame oil over it to keep the strands loose, and let it rest 2–3 min, so the surface moisture can evaporate and the noodle can take on the wok-heat without steaming.
2. The protein, cut and seasoned. The peeled 150 g of the prawn with a 10 ml of the light soy and a 5 g of cornstarch, and a 5 min rest. The marinate logic — the salt of the soy and the 5 g of the cornstarch is the thin, glossy coat.
3. The mise en place. The 5 mm shred of the cabbage, the 30 s crisp crunch of the bean sprout, the 3 cm lengths of the scallion (white and green both), the slices of garlic, the sliced chili. Measure the 30 ml of light soy, the 20 ml of dark soy, the 10 ml of oyster, and the 10 g of sugar together in a small bowl, and stir — the 70 ml of the soy-and-umami mix, all in one, so the 30 s it's in the wok is the seasoning, not a pause.
4. The egg and the aromatics. High flame, the wok properly hot. In with the oil, in a thin film, and the beaten eggs, in a thin stream down the middle. 20–30 s, and the egg sets into a loose, thin film — break it up into strands, and into the same wok, the garlic and the sliced chili, and 15–20 s, until the garlic is a pale gold. In with the prawn, and 1–2 min, until it has just turned a clean, even pink. Tip it all to one side of the wok.
5. The cabbage, briefly. In with the 5 mm shred of the cabbage, and 30 s, just enough to soften at the edge and keep the crisp edge — the crisp and the sharp are the edge that the noodle carries.
6. The rice noodle, and the soy. Into the open side of the wok, the 15 cm piece of the rice noodle, and 30 s of fast work, tossing the flat, wide surface against the hot surface so the wok-heat bounces and browns the edge of the noodle. Pour the 70 ml of mixed soy-and-umami down the side of the wok, and it will spit and steam, and that's the point. Toss the noodle in, and 30 s, until the strand is an even, deep gold and the flat, wide surface has a faint wok hei at the edge. In with the bean sprout and the green of the scallion, and a 20–30 s more, until the thin-cut of the bean sprout has just wilted at the edge and the green has a sharp edge.
7. The sesame oil, and the plate. Into the wok, off the heat, the 10 ml of the sesame oil, and a few turns, to coat the noodle, and the fragrance half of the dish is done. Toss the noodle onto a plate, and the balance of the dish is the salt of the soy, the sweet of the sugar, the depth of the oyster, the fragrance of the sesame oil, and the sharp, crisp edge of the bean sprout and the green of the scallion, all in the flat, wide, glossy surface of the rice noodle.

What to serve with it

This is the "noodle" of the section — the rice noodle of the stir-fry, and the one that stands in for the lo mein (the egg noodle) and the egg-fried rice (the rice grain). It pairs with anything that's a light, fresh, sharp plate to set the edge against the wok-heat of the noodle: the som tum (the raw, pounded, the salt–acid–sweet) is the "cut" against the wok-heat noodle, and the mapo tofu is there for the people who want the heat and the salt of the Sichuan edge to go with the noodle.