Step 1: Cooking the Chow Mein Noodles
- 1/2 lb fresh chow mein noodles
- salt (for cooking the noodles)
- 1/2 tsp peanut oil
To cook the noodles, fill a medium pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Add approximately 1/4 tsp table salt per liter/quart of water.
Add the noodles and let the water return to a rolling boil. Cook for approximately 1 minute or according to the package directions.
Drain the noodles and immediately rinse with several changes of cold water to remove the excess starch. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
Transfer the noodles back to the empty pot and add the oil. Toss to combine to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Set aside.
Step 2: Preparing the Sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sambal oelek
To prepare the sauce, simply mix the ingredients together and set aside.
Step 3: Preparing Your Mise en Place
- 1/2 cup onions
- 1/2 cup carrots
- 1/2 cup red peppers
- 1 tbsp ginger (approx. 1" -inch piece)
- 1 tbsp garlic (approx 3 to 5 cloves)
- 2 green onions
- 6 long, Thai red chilies
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup peanuts (optional)
- 6 oz small prawns
- 3 dried, red chilies
To prepare your mise en place, first slice the onions. Julienne the carrots and red peppers. Thinly slice the Thai red chilies into rounds. Mince the ginger and garlic. Shred the green onions into thin pieces, approximately 2" -inches long. Measure out the dried chilies, sesame seeds, and/or peanuts (if using) and set aside.
Peel and devein the shrimp. Set aside.
Step 4: Stir-Frying the Dish
- 1 to 2 tbsp peanut oil
To stir-fry the dish, line the ingredients up in the proper cooking order. Heat a wok over high heat. Once hot, cook the stir-fry according to the basic steps in the lesson. Keep in mind that vegetables should be added in the correct order so that they are all done at the same time.
First, stir-fry the dried chilies for a few seconds before adding the prawns. Once opaque and almost cooked through, remove the prawns from the wok and set aside. Stir fry the onions — carrots — Thai chilies and red peppers — followed by the ginger and garlic. Add the noodles and toss to combine. Return the prawns, along with any juices to the wok and add the sauce. Toss again to thoroughly heat through. Add the green onions, peanuts and/or sesame seeds. Toss again. Feel free to add a touch more oil during the stir-frying process, if needed. Serve immediately.