Saturday, September 19, 2015

Braised Longevity Noodle (干燒伊麵)

Longevity Noodle, aka Yi Mien (伊麵), is "a variety of Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour". It's often used to make a traditional and popular Cantonese vegetarian noodle dish, known as the Braised Longevity Noodle (干燒伊麵), which is very easy to make, tremendously pleasing to taste, and the subject of this post.
  1. Get a pack of Longevity Noodle from a Chinese market (each pack has 2 batches in it; see product image on the right; buy tightly vacuum-sealed packages if you plan to keep for longer than 2 weeks).  Blanch each batch till soft, in a large pot with boiling water (2 - 3 minutes for each batch, 1-2 mins for slightly chewy noodle). Take out the noodle and set aside.  
  2. Place 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil in a large flat bottom cooking pan. Turn on high heat. Add 1 cup of sliced fresh mushroom (aka Shiitake Mushroom), or 8-10 softened (reconstituted) and sliced dry mushrooms (dry mushrooms need to be soaked in water for at least 30 minutes, stems removed and sliced). Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, add 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, and stir for a minute.
  3. Add both batches of Longevity Noodle into the pot. Add 3-4 Tbsp of oyster sauce (蠔油) and 1 cup of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for the vegetarian version) into the pot. Stir-fry the noodle mix for a minute, then add 1-2 Tbsp of soy sauce to add color to the noodle mix (make sure the noodle mix is lightly brown or slightly darker). Stir till the noodle mix is close to dry (with no fluid sloshing around in the noodle mix).
  4. Now add 1/4 cup of Yellow Chive (韮黃).  Stir the Yellow Chive into the noodle mix for 10-15 secs. Turn off heat.  Note- Try NOT to overcook the Yellow Chive.
  5. Sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp of sesame oil on top of the noodle mix. Stir and mix all ingredients thoroughly for a minute, and serve. Attached is a picture of the finished product.

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