Name: Chicken chow mein stir-fried noodles
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 platters
Ingredients: 250 g chinese noodles; 2 l water; 500 g chicken breast; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 4 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 15 ml sesame oil; 1 teaspoon sugar; 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil; 200 g pak choi; 1 pc carrot; 150 g mushrooms; 2 handfuls soy bean sprouts; 3 pcs spring onion; 3 cloves garlic; 15 g ginger

Step by step process

Marinade and prep

1
Cook the chow mein noodles in a pot of boiling salted water about a minute less than the package suggests. Drain them, rinse under cold water and toss with a drop of oil so they do not stick together.
2
Slice the chicken breast along the grain into thin strips. In a bowl toss them with a tablespoon of soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch and let them rest for 10 minutes.
TIP:
Before quickly stir-frying in a wok, marinate the meat in soy sauce, wine, or another liquid with a little starch. It creates a delicate coating, keeps the meat juicy, and lightly thickens the sauce.
3
Cut the carrot into thin matchsticks, slice the mushrooms and cut the pak choi into wider strips. Separate the spring onion into white and green parts, and finely chop the garlic and ginger.
4
Stir the remaining soy sauce together with the oyster sauce, sugar and two tablespoons of water. Keep this sauce within reach by the stove.

Stir-frying and finishing

5
Heat the wok over high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken for about 3 minutes until golden. Move it aside onto a plate.
6
Add the remaining oil to the wok along with the garlic, ginger and the white part of the spring onion, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the carrot and mushrooms and stir for 2 minutes.
TIP:
Heat the oil to medium-high temperature, add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté them until the onion becomes translucent and golden and they release an intense aroma. Proper sautéing creates a rich flavor without burning.
7
Toss in the pak choi and bean sprouts and stir-fry for a minute so the vegetables stay crisp. Return the chicken to the wok.
8
Add the drained noodles and the prepared sauce. Stir-fry everything for a minute or two until the noodles turn glossy with lightly crisp edges. Season to taste and scatter over the green part of the spring onion.