Chicken Lo Mein with Sesame Flavored Noodles

Since making the peanut butter noodles from last week, I had the thought of experimenting with adding flavors to noodles. I've had spinach and tomato noodles before, why not go an Asian route with them?

So I decided to add some sesame oil to the noodles for this pretty straightforward lo mein. Of course, you can use any noodles you like for this, I was just experimenting.

Regardless of noodle choice, this is an easy stir-fry that the kids will love.

Chicken Lo Mein with Sesame Flavored Noodles

(from here)

Noodles:

200g AP flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon sesame oil

pinch of salt

Marinade:

1 chicken breast, cubed

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Sauce:

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Vegetables:

2 carrots, sliced

1 cup broccoli florets

2-3 leaves of Napa cabbage, sliced

1 shallot, sliced (or small onion)

2-3 tablespoons of oil (divided)

3 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger

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I began by making the noodles. Just make them like one would normally make noodles with the addition of the sesame oil in lieu of olive oil.

Cut the noodles as thin as you can and lay out to dry a bit.

You can actually boil the noodles ahead of time for this recipe, so just cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes or until they are done.

Rinse under cold water to halt the cooking process and remove some of the starch.

Set aside until dinner.

==

Now we marinate the chicken. 

Clean up a breast.

Just dice up the chicken and add the marinade ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine. 

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

1 teaspoon fish sauce

I only let this go for about 30 minutes and I think it could have used much more time. I'll do this in the morning for dinner next time.

==

Since this is essentially a stir-fry like any other, proper prep of ingredients and organization is paramount. 

Get your veggies prepped and ready.

Cut up the carrots.

Broccoli.

Napa cabbage.

Shallot.

Ginger and garlic.

Minced.

==

Go ahead and get your sauce together too.

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Stir to combine.

==

When you're ready to eat, throw a little oil into your wok and add the ginger and garlic over high heat.

Stir quickly and try not to let it burn.

Add the chicken and cook until 75% done.

I know this is tough, but it'll be 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the chunks. I push on them and if they still feel a little squishy in the middle after 3 minutes, you're good.

Remove the chicken from the pan.

Blurry, sorry.

Add a little more oil and toss in your veggies.

Cook for 4-5 minutes over high heat tossing continuously.

Add the sauce and stir to combine.

Cook for another minute.

Add in the chicken and cook until the chicken is re-heated and fully cooked. Shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.

Add in the noodles.

I actually made WAY more noodles than I needed to, and if you're making the noodles, you'll probably not even use all of them. Just add a few big handfuls and judge how much room you have.

I know that's vague, but you'll figure it out.

Toss to combine and heat the noodles through, 2-3 minutes.

This dish turned out pretty good.

It was fairly standard tasting in that there weren't really any new flavors I haven't used a hundred times in the past, but I like these flavors and I love noodles.

The noodles themselves were very good. There was a very subtle sesame flavor from them that I think really added to the overall dish. Yes, it was more work, but now I know that it's possible and experimenting in the kitchen is generally a good thing in my book.

This, like most dishes my daughter calls "Chinese noodles" is a favorite for her. She destroys the noodles and loves the veggies. I'd love for you to give it a try.

Enjoy!