擈面Lo mein

"Tossed noodles" — the egg noodle cooked firm, drained, rested, and then brought into a hot wok with a 2 min of fast work. The wok-heat does the job of browning the surface of the noodle and setting the soy to it, and the stir-fry is the sequence: the egg and the aromatics, the protein, the green of the vegetable, the noodle, the soy, and the final balance check before the plate.

Origin

China, the Cantonese and Sichuan home and restaurant versions both

Difficulty

2 / 5

Servings

2

Prep

15 min

Cook

~8 min

Total

~25 min

Equipment

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

Ingredients

• 300 g (dry, 10 oz) fresh egg noodles (or 200 g (dry) of dried egg noodle), cut to 15 cm lengths
• 150 g (5 oz) chicken thigh, cut 1 cm strips, or 150 g of the firm tofu, cut 1 cm dice
• 1 (150 g) bok choy, the white and the green kept separate and cut 3 cm pieces
• 3 (15 cm) scallions, cut 3 cm lengths, the white and the green both
• 1 (80 g) red or green pepper, the seed removed and cut 5 mm dice
• 1 (15 g) carrot, the thin-cut, cut 2 mm matchsticks
• 15 g (3 cloves) garlic, sliced thin
• 5 g (1, sliced) bird's eye chili (or 3 slices of a 5 cm chili), for the heat in the dish
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 2 (120 ml) eggs, beaten
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) light soy sauce — the salt
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) dark soy sauce — the color and depth
• 10 ml (2 tsp) sesame oil — the fragrance
• 10 g (1 tsp) sugar — the sweet edge against the salt

Method

1. The noodle, cooked firm. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and into it the 15 cm noodle. Cook 3–4 min, until the center has a slight resistance to the bite — the noodle logic of a stir-fry, not a soup. The noodle will keep cooking in the wok, and a noodle that's fully done in the water is the one that goes to mush in the stir-fry. Drain the noodle in a fine sieve, and a little 5 ml of 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 1 cm strips of chicken (or the 1 cm dice of tofu) with a 10 ml of the light soy and a 5 g of cornstarch, and a 5 min rest while the wok gets hot. The marinate logic — the salt of the soy and the 5 g of the cornstarch is the thin, glossy coat of the stir-fry.
3. The mise en place. The 3 cm pieces of bok choy, the 5 mm dice of pepper, the 3 cm lengths of scallion (white and green separate), the 2 mm matchsticks of carrot, the slices of garlic, the sliced chili. Measure the 30 ml of light soy and the 15 ml of dark soy and the 10 g of sugar together in a small bowl, and stir — the 55 ml of the soy-and-sugar 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 keep it in the wok. In with the garlic and the sliced chili, and 15–20 s, until the garlic is a pale gold and the raw smell has gone to fragrance. In with the protein, and 1–2 min, until it has lost its pink and taken on the salt of the soy. Tip it all to one side of the wok.
5. The vegetable, briefly. In with the 3 cm pieces of the white part of the bok choy, the 5 mm dice of pepper, and the 2 mm matchsticks of carrot, and 1–2 min, until they have just softened and the white has taken on the salt of the wok. In with the green of the bok choy, and a 30 s more.
6. The noodle, and the soy. Into the open side of the wok, the noodle, and 30 s of fast work, tossing the strands against the hot surface so the wok-heat bounces and browns the surface of the noodle. Pour the 55 ml of mixed soy-and-sugar 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 raw starch smell is gone. In with the green part of the scallion, and a 15–30 s more, until the green is just wilted at the 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 fragrance of the sesame oil, and the sharp edge of the scallion and the green of the bok choy, all in the strand.

What to serve with it

This is the "noodle" of the section — the one that stands in for the egg-fried rice (the rice grain) and is the "starch" of the table. 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.