crispy noodle nests
2 min readLet’s face it, most food is better when it’s bokbok cheow(super-crispy), but these deep-fried noodles are more than just a naughty treat: the architectural’nest’acts as a lacy podium for the saucy topping to rest on. We have made a vegetarian version here but you could easily add some stir-fried meat(coat in cornflour before cooking) along with a dash of oyster sauce, if you like.
Serves 60g thin dried egg noodles 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-frying 1 tsp finely diced ginger 2 cloves garlic, finely diced 2 spring onions, green parts sliced into lengths, white parts of 1 finely sliced 2% medium carrot, sliced celery stick, diagonally sliced 12 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 70g fresh oyster or button mushrooms 100g pak choi, roughly chopped for the sauce 250ml unsalted vegetable stock 1%2 tsp light soy sauce 2% tsp dark soy sauce tsp sa 1 tsp granulated sugar 12 tbsp cornflour 1 Cook the noodles in pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions, then tip into a colander and shake off as much excess water as possible. Stir in a few drops of oil to stop the noo-dles from sticking to each other while they cool.
2 Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep saucepan to a depth of 4cm and put over a medium-high heat. If you are using a deep-fryer, set the temperature at 180C/350F. To test that the oil is ready, drop a small piece of noodle into the oil. It should float to the surface immediately and turn dark brown in about 20 seconds. When the oil is ready, hold half the noodles high above the oil then slowly feed them into the saucepan so they don’t clump together. Use a pair of chopsticks or tongs to loosen up the strands and coax the bundle into a circular shape. Deep-fry until crisp and golden brown (you might need to flip halfway through), then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining noodles.
3 Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
4 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the ginger, garlic and spring onion whites until fragrant. Add the carrot and celery, sprinkle in the rice wine and stir-fry until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the mushrooms, pak choi and spring onion greens and stir-fry to coat the vegetables in oil. Add the sauce bring to a gentle boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has thickened slightly.
5 Put the noodle nests in shallow serving dishes and tumble the vegetables on top. At the table,use chopsticks to break up the nest so that all the noodles are coated in the sauce, and tuck in.
