Chicken and Asparagus Dough Sliced Chow Mein (蘆筍雞炒刀削麵, Lou4 Seon2 Gai1 Caau2 Dou1 Soek3 Min6)

 

This recipe was updated on 25 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Here’s another variation, using chicken and asparagus, for making chow mein with dough sliced noodles. Unlike the dish at the local Chinese Muslim restaurant, this version uses spicy black bean chili sauce. Dough sliced noodles are aptly named since the noodles are sliced from a block of dough. The noodles are also called knife-cut noodles. 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.

 

The dough sliced noodle 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. You can always use the microwave to defrost the noodles if you forget to defrost them (1 minute on high works for me). Once I forgot to defrost the noodles, and I 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.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Cauliflower Yellow Curry

This is a very simple dish to make. The yellow curry is available as an already prepared paste (I used Mae Ploy brand). The amount of curry paste you use depends upon the level of spiciness that you desire – use more for more spicy and less for less spicy. You add coconut milk to the chicken, vegetables, and curry to complete the dish. The trick is to incorporate the cauliflower and potatoes into the dish towards the end of the cooking time. If you put them in at the beginning, you’ll get mushy cauliflower and potatoes.

Enjoy!

Winter Melon with Dried Shrimp (冬瓜蝦米, Dung1 Gwaa1 Haa1 Mai5)

 

This recipe was updated on 03 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient measurements were changed.

Here’s another simple winter melon stir fry dish, this time using dried shrimp. Chinese winter melon is not a melon but a gourd with what looks like a white powder covering the outer surface. It’s usually available, eaten, and stored over the Fall and Winter months. It is typically used in soups, the classic being a soup with winter melon and dried oysters either with or without the winter melon’s outer skin.

Enjoy!