Rice noodles stirfried with chicken and shiitake mushrooms

This recipe hails from Hunan province in central China. Rice noodles are delightfully chewy, and are the noodle of choice for this dish fragrant with the earthy aroma of shiitake mushrooms.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

• 100g chicken breast
• 2 tsps shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry
• 1/4 tsp salt + 2 tsps light soy sauce
• 1.5 tsps corn starch
• 2 tsps water

To cook the noodles:

• 1/2 pound wide ride noodles¹
• 6 tbsps peanut oil
• 4 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked²
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 tsps minced ginger
• 2 tsps minced garlic
• 4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced on a steep angle
• 2-3 tbsps light soy sauce
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Preparation

1. Cut the chicken into thin slices with the grain, place in a small bowl with rice wine, salt, soy sauce, and corn starch. Mix well to coat the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Cut the soaked shiitakes into 0.5cm strips.
3. Place the noodles in a large bowl with lukewarm water to cover. Make sure the noodles are completely submerged, and let them soak for 30 minutes until pliable. When pliable, remove from water and let drain a few minutes.
4. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add 4 tbsps of the peanut oil and swirl around briefly. Add the noodles and stir and fry vigorously until the noodles collapse and are almost fully cooked. Try to seperate the noodles as much as possible. Remove from the wok and set aside.
5. Clean and dry your wok, and heat it again over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 tbsps oil and swirl around briefly. Add the garlic, ginger, and shiitakes and stirfry 10 seconds until fragrant. Add the carrots and fry 2 minutes. Add the chicken and fry about a minute, until little pink color is left and the pieces are starting to seperate.
6. Add the noodles and bean sprouts and stir rapidly to mix. Add just enough chicken stock to moisten the noodles slightly, and add the soy sauce. Check that the noodles are cooked and properly seasoned. If undercooked add a little more stock and cook a little bit longer; if underseasoned add a little more soy sauce.
7. Add the green onions and sesame oil, and mix well. Serve.

*notes

1. Rice noodles usually come in several sizes. You will want the ones that are roughly 0.5cm wide for this recipe. They are available at La Depense and asian grocery stores.
2. To soak the shiitake mushrooms, Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Weigh them down with a smaller bowl to submerge, and let rest 30mins to an hour until they are fully rehydrated. They should roughly double in size and be pliable and easy to cut. This can also be done overnight in the refrigerator with cold water.

 Recipe By Gabriel Bégin

Adapted from a recipe by Fuschia Dunlop