CHICKEN CHOW MEEN

Chinese noodles! yum yum yum! I can eat them almost once a week! Some people say their noodles never turn right…sometimes too soggy and sometimes too dry…Well…first one needs to follow the instructions on the packet of the noodles. Its better to undercook them than overcook because they can always finish cooking in the wok while stir frying, but if they are overcooked they turn out soggy.
So which noodles? I use egg or wheat noodles and sometimes rice noodles too. My favorite is ofcourse egg noodles.
You can stir fry them with vegetables of your choice, chicken, meat, prawns etc. You can even make your own combinations, flavor them with soya or curry powder.
For this particular recipe i have used a different method which i shall explain to all of you in an easy way.
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-6
1 packet (400 grams) of egg noodles
350 grams of finely sliced chicken breast
1 green capsicum, sliced
1 red capsicum sliced
1 big leek, sliced
3 chinese mushrooms, soaked in water and then sliced (do not throw away the water in which they are soaked)
OR 1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of chinese wine (OPTIONAL, FOR HALAAL PLEASE OMIT)
2 tablespoons of sesame oil, one for marinating and the other to add in the end
6 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in the water which the mushrooms have been soaked
METHOD:
Marinate the chicken in the ginger garlic paste, rice vinegar, chinese wine, sesame oil and soem soya sauce.
Boil lots of water in a pan and add the noodles and take off the heat. Let the noodles soften in the hot water. I take a pair of scissors and cut them so they are easier to eat and handle. Once softened i drain them and put them on a big tray to dry out for about 10 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide wok and put a batch of the cooked noodles in and let them cook on one side till browned and crispy and then turn and let them cook on the other side. Brown all the noodles batch by batch using some more oil untill you have all the noodles browned. Keep them aside. In the same wok add some oil and sautee the chicken on high heat till it turns brown, Drain off and keep aside and let the juices remain in the wok. Add the mushrooms, capsicum , leeks and season with a bit of salt. Stir for a few seconds and then add the noodles and the soya sauce and mix well. Keep on tossing on high heat and then add the cornstarch dissolved in the water and cook till the cornstarch thickens. Check seasoning, add more soya sauce if needed. You can also add some chilli sauce if you like it hot. Sprinkle with sesame oil in the end and serve hot.
Follow the same method if using only vegetables, you can use cabbage, bamboo shoot, beansprouts, tofu etc.
I use these noodles