Chicken Abalone Sauce Noodles (鮑魚醬鷄乾撈麵, Baau1 Jyu4 Zoeng3 Gai1 Gon1 Lou1 Min6)

This is actually a variation on the previous noodles in sauce recipes: Noodles in Sauce (乾撈麵, Gon¹ Lou¹ Min⁶), Chicken and Chinese Broccoli Noodles (芥蘭鷄乾撈麵, Gaai³ Laan⁴ Gai¹ Gon¹ Lou¹ Min⁶), and Basil Noodles in Sauce (紫蘇乾撈麵, Zi² Sou¹ Gon¹ Lou¹ Min⁶). Rather than using oyster sauce, as was done in the previously mentioned recipes, abalone sauce was substituted, and the dish used many fresh ingredients that are more often used to make chow mein. I would characterize the taste of the noodles as being more subtle by using abalone instead of oyster sauce. So the next time you reach for the oyster sauce, try substituting abalone instead.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Chicken thigh (鷄髀, gai1 bei2) or breast meat (雞胸肉, gai1 hung1 juk6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
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)
3	3	Eggs (雞蛋, gai1 daan6), scrambled
3	3	Cabbage leaves (青椰菜, ceng1 je4 coi3), cut into ½-inch (15 mm) pieces
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can unpeeled straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained and cut in half
10.5 oz.	297 g.	One 20 oz. (566 g.) can bamboo shoot strips (筍, seon2), drained or use fresh if available
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
3	3	Red chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces; optional and to taste
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 lb.	454 g.	One package chow mein noodles (炒麵, caau2 min6)
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Lee Kum Kee brand Abalone Sauce (鮑魚醬, baau1 jyu4 zoeng3) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 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)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lee Kum Kee Brand Abalone Sauce
(鮑魚醬, baau1 jyu4 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by removing any bones, excess fat, and skin. Cut the chicken into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the chicken, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the chicken in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the chicken overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking and scramble in a bowl.
4. Wash and cut the cabbage leaves into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
5. Open and drain the can of unpeeled straw mushrooms, and cut the mushrooms in half.
6. Open and drain the can with the bamboo shoots, or use fresh if available (wash first). Remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
8. Wash and remove the stems from the red chili peppers, and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. The amount of red chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste and is optional, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
9. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
10. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lee Kum Kee brand Abalone Sauce or equivalent, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package and until the noodles are al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside. If using thawed, ready-made, or fresh noodles, “fluff” the noodles to separate them (i.e. you don’t want put a single mass of noodles into the wok).
2. 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.
3. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the chicken pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the chicken in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the chicken to a bowl separate from the eggs.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer them to the bowl with the chicken.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the red chili peppers. Stir fry the red chili peppers to brown them, before adding the cabbage. Stir fry the cabbage until just slightly wilted. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Transfer the contents of the wok to the bowl with the chicken.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bamboo strips. Stir fry the bamboo strips and then transfer them to the bowl with the chicken.
7. 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.
8. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the chicken 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 and serve immediately.