Shrimp Dough Sliced Chow Mein (蝦炒刀削麵, Haa1 Caau2 Dou1 Soek3 Min6)

This recipe was updated on 01 Aug 2018. Instructions to make the shrimp crunchy, like that found in restaurant dishes, was added.

I first got introduced to this dish at the local Chinese Muslim restaurant. Ordering this dish and green onion bread makes for a great meal. Dough sliced noodles are aptly named since the noodles are sliced from a block of dough. The noodles have a chewy doughy texture, unlike normal chow mein noodles. I always wondered how to get or make these noodles. Now I don’t have to go to a restaurant to get this dish since I found the dough sliced noodles in the freezer section at my local Asian market.

A typical package contains 5 packs of noodles each weighing 200 grams (for a total of 1 kilogram). While the package says that you don’t have to thaw the noodles before cooking, I defrost my noodles overnight before use. Once I forgot to defrost the noodles and put the noodles in boiling water briefly to defrost them. The noodles definitely get defrosted, but the texture is not as chewy after being boiled. If you can’t find dough sliced noodles, you can substitute another flat noodle.

Now if I can only learn how to make the green onion bread…

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Peeled raw shrimp meat (蝦仁, haa1 jan4)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1	1	Onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), halved and then cut into quarters
1 lb.	500 g.	Bean sprouts (芽菜, ngaa4 coi3)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Baby choy sum (小菜心, siu2 coi3 sam1), quartered
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
4-6	4-6	Green Thai chili peppers (小米椒, siu2 mai5 ziu1) – optional and to taste, diagonally cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
4	4	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6), scrambled
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), cut into thin pieces
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), cut into thin pieces
1½ lb.	600 g.	3 200 g. packages frozen dough sliced noodles (刀削麵, dou1 soek3 min6)
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dark soy sauce (老抽, lou5 cau1)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions (One Day Before Cooking)

1. Thaw the frozen dough sliced noodles in the refrigerator, even though the package says you don’t have to thaw the noodles before using.
2. To give shrimp a “crunchy” texture, like that found in restaurant dishes, use the technique described here: Technique: How To Make Shrimp Crunchy.

Preparation Instructions (Cooking Day)

1. Take the eggs, dough sliced noodles, and shrimp out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Don’t forget to shell and devein the shrimp, and marinate the shrimp as described in: Technique: How To Make Shrimp Crunchy.
3. Remove and discard the tough outer skin from the onion. Cut the onion in half, and then quarter each half-onion into pieces.
4. Wash the bean sprouts and remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
5. Wash and cut the baby choy sum into quarters lengthwise.
6. Cut the ginger and garlic into thin slices and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and diagonally cut the Thai chilies into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces. The use and quantity of Thai chilies is optional and to taste. Place the Thai chilies into the bowl with the ginger and garlic.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the dark soy sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the eggs and scramble them while the wok is heating up. To get fluffy scrambled eggs, use this technique: As the eggs set, remove the pan or wok from the heat while continually scrambling the eggs with a spatula. Once the eggs stop setting off the heat, put the wok back onto the heat until the eggs start setting again. Continue taking the pan or wok on and off the heat as the eggs set until fully scrambled. Transfer the eggs to a bowl when complete.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil. Add the shrimp to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and stir fry until the shrimp just turn pink. The shrimp should look undercooked. You may have to cook the shrimp in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl (not with the scrambled eggs).
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onion pieces. Stir fry the onion and then remove them to the bowl with the shrimp.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the ginger, garlic, and Thai chilies. Quickly stir fry the ginger, garlic, and Thai chilies until fragrant before adding more oil and then the baby choy sum. Stir fry the ingredients together and then place into a bowl with the shrimp.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bean sprouts. Stir fry the bean sprouts and then remove them to the bowl with the shrimp.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil and then the noodles. The wok should be very hot before adding the oil and then the noodles. Noodles cooked in a restaurant wok (over much higher heat than that available in your kitchen) are served slightly burned, which gives the noodles an extra added flavor.  To try to emulate slightly burned noodles, try to put the noodles in one layer in the hot wok and add some liquid (water, stock, or Shaoxing wine; but not too much liquid otherwise you’ll steam the noodles) to facilitate the heat transfer from the wok to the noodles, and leave the noodles alone. You want the noodles to get burned before adding more oil to the noodles and turning them over, repeating the process.
7. Add the green onions, scrambled eggs, and the contents of the bowl with the shrimp back into the wok and stir fry all the ingredients together. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish.