Chinese Soft Noodles with Stir Fry Vegetables

My twin daughters had their 40th birthday and DH and I wanted to celebrate it properly with them so we snuck around behind their backs as best we could and made a private party with my mom and their siblings in a lovely Asian restaurant, Sheyan by name, where we pulled out the stops and had a fabulous menu. They were mostly surprised but since I wanted them in a good mood and dressed for the occasion, warned their hubbies to tell them on the day that there would be something that evening and get dressed up. This was a wise move since they came in great spirits and all gussied up.

We had a wonderful time and especially felt everyone’s exuberance since Covid had prevented so many get togethers – this was special.

The food was really excellent and reminded me and DH of our olden days of dining out in Chinese restaurants. There were many dishes I may yet try my hand at that we had there, but this one is not difficult and is especially beloved by me and DH happily eats it with gusto as well. So in honor of Rachel and Batya’s 40th birthdays, here we go!

Let me begin by saying that other than fresh ginger (yes, you can use frozen) and maybe sesame oil, none of the ingredients are exotic. In addition, I use regular spaghetti instead of fresh lo mein which is equally delish and so much easier to find. K. Onward.

Start by prepping your veggies which makes life oh so much easier since that’s the main thing in this recipe and once done it comes together easily.

After washing and peeling everything like ginger and garlic, chop the garlic and ginger fairly small but not tiny. Slice the carrots very very thinly since they take the longest to cook and if sliced very thinly will be ready quickly. The rest cut fairly thinly and try to make them similar in size so they will cook and be ready at the same time. K. Set aside and prepare the spaghetti according to package directions (or to your taste but don’t overcook ’em, no mushy noodles for us!).

Let them boil in water with salt and a bit of oil, a rolling boil like so:

When done, immediately drain and return spaghetti to pot and toss with regular and sesame oil and half the soy sauce till completely coated. Set aside.

Back to our veggies.

Take a non stick pot (no I don’t own a wok and ain’t planning on it. I find a non stick pan works just fine), add the additional oil and put in the onion, ginger and garlic and quickly saute not allowing it to brown about a minute or so. If you need to step away to get the rest of your veg, pull the pot off the fire. No browning, no no.

Now add the whole lot of veg, except the mushrooms (since they cook so quickly, they go last) and yup, ya gotta stand over them, stirring and tossing, coating them with oil and getting them quick cooked/fried.

Pull pot off fire again. and add the rest of the soy sauce, the soup powder and cornstarch which you sift right onto the veg, and toss to coat adding the mushrooms. Put back on flame and toss and add the boiling water, stirring and tossing, cooking till the sauce thickens nicely.

The sauce is slightly gelatinous which is correct. Immediately combine the vegetables and noodles, stirring and tossing till fully combined. Now you expect me to say serve hot and so I do. But the best thing about these noodles? They are excellent reheated the next day and I’ve eaten them on the third day too. It’s a big hit with adults and kids and I’ve eaten it many times as a vegetarian main dish. You can toss in some chunked chicken or slices of meat if you wish to make a heartier dish but it’s great as is. Generally, no added salt is needed (especially if you use the full amount of soy sauce) but taste to be sure. A regular on our menu.

Chinese Soft Noodles with Stir Fry Vegetables

1 package spaghetti

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sesame oil + 1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil- not olive!

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 slice fresh ginger peeled and diced

4-6 tablespoons soy sauce

2-3 stalks celery sliced thin on the diagonal

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin on the diagonal

20 mushrooms cleaned and cut into large slices

3 green onions cleaned and sliced

1 red pepper sliced thinly

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable soup powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions, in rolling boil water with the salt and a dribble of vegetable oil. Immediately drain and return to pot, tossing with half the soy sauce (I use the whole amount, so 3 tablespoons) and the sesame oil and one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Toss very well till completely coated and set aside.

In non stick pan, place the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger, quickly sauteeing till fragrant but DO NOT BROWN!! This takes about a minute or so. Pull pot off fire. Add the celery, carrots, green onions and red pepper and add rest of soy sauce and stir and toss on the fire till lightly stir fried, add mushrooms toss briefly and pull pot off stove again, adding soup powder and through a sieve or sifter, the cornstarch and toss and cook slowly adding the boiling water. Cook just till the sauce thickens up, about 5 minutes, maybe even less. As soon as thickened, add to noodles and toss thoroughly to combine both mixtures. Serve hot. Equally delicious heated the next day!