Oh, crêpe!

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A bit of lore

I don’t usually talk about anything other than the recipe in these posts, but I’m making an exception today if you’ll indulge me for just a minute. A few years ago, I brought homemade jian bing to a friend’s wedding buffet here in Germany, and none of the other guests had heard of it before. They enjoyed it a lot, however, and one even asked me for the recipe. I showed him the one I had followed, but kept going on about tweaks based on my own learnings. At the time, I had a private blog just for myself, in order to preserve and improve recipes I enjoyed. This interaction, as well as the overall delight of some guests at a taste that was new to them, would end up being a big motivator for the creation of Hideout Recipes. Beyond delivering new tastes, food is a powerful vessel for cultural exchange, and I liked the idea of contributing to it by (for now) focusing on East Asian dishes while running a blog out of Central Europe.

Trust your buds

There are many variations of this recipe out there, and this is a pretty classic one. I did opt for all-purpose flour because it’s more widely available than the traditional mung bean flour, and the sauces used aren’t necessarily the most widespread combination. It is often a mix of two sauces, and I like the doubanjiang / tian mian jiang combo in particular, but you will find many alternatives out there if you want to go for something else.

When it comes to the fillings, again, this vegetarian variation is a pretty classic one. You can add whatever you like, sausage or ham being popular additions.

Wonton disregard

As for the “crackers” on the inside, I went with deep-fried wonton wrappers because they appear to be a commonly used substitute for the traditional choice of bao cui, a type of cracker I have never seen in any store I’ve been to. If you can get your hands on those, you can skip the most time-consuming step of frying all the wonton wrappers. Luckily, this can be done in advance as they stay crispy even overnight if stored separately in the fridge.

Do not skip cutting into the wonton wrappers, as the cuts prevent large bubbles from forming in the deep-frying process. If you are unsure about where to cut, you can see one of the slits in the fried cracker on top of the stack in the picture. There is another equally sized one on the opposite side, but it’s less visible.

Oh, crêpe!

Jian bing is often dubbed “Chinese crêpe” (even though it’s the much older of the two), so if you have a crêpe maker at home, it’s a perfect match. However, I can attest that it works almost as well in a non-stick pan on a stovetop.

Thanks to my crêpe maker, I was able to document the exact steps below. You can see what ingredient goes on which side, and how to fold it in the end in case the text isn’t clear enough. It can be confusing that, in fact, the toppings (egg, scallions, sesame seeds) go on the outside, then you flip it just once, and add the fillings on the other side.

Even though it’s traditionally a breakfast item, I can easily recommend jian bing as a mid-sized snack at any time of day. If you want to make it a full meal, you should make two per person.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Red House Spice Jian Bing recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience. The Red House Spice recipe doesn’t involve a crêpe maker, but as a lifelong fan of crêpes and galettes (who has lived in or near France for much of my life), I naturally had one at hand. Finally, I want to shout out Tofu Heaven in Markthal Rotterdam, the only Jian Bing takeout I’ve encountered in Europe so far.

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Jian Bing

A savory Chinese breakfast item akin to crêpes. Stuffed with crunchy crackers, fresh salad, and more!

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 jian bing

Equipment

• 1 food thermometer for the oil

Ingredients

For the batter

• 90 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g whole wheat flour
• 380 ml water

For the crackers

• 16 wonton wrappers ready-made, frozen
• 200 ml neutral cooking oil

Toppings & fillings

• 4 eggs medium to large
• 1.5 tsp black sesame seeds
• 2 stalks green onions
• 4 tsp ready-made doubanjiang aka toban djan
• 4 tsp ready-made tian mian jiang aka sweet bean sauce
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves optional

Instructions

Deep-fry the wonton wrappers

• Defrost your wonton wrappers a few hours ahead of time so they can be easily separated when you start cooking.
• Separate 16 wrappers from the stack in pairs of 2, so you have 8 pairs of stuck-together wrappers.
• Cut two long slits about a third of the way from (and parallel to) the sides, about half the length of the wrappers.
• Heat up the neutral oil in a small pan or saucepan. It should be at least 1 cm deep.
• When it reaches 180°C, try to keep it between 175°C and 185°C from here on out.
• Deep-fry each pair of wontons for 1 minute from each side, for 2 minutes total. They should turn out golden brown and crispy (see picture).
• Shake off excess oil and set aside on paper towels.

Make the batter

• Add the two types of flour to a medium bowl or measuring jug.
• Add the water and mix thoroughly.

Prepare fillings & toppings

• Briefly toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.
• Thinly slice the green onions.
• Wash the lettuce leaves, halve them, and discard any hard stems.
• Wash the cilantro and (if you prefer) pluck the leaves, discarding the stems.

Outside & toppings

• Put a medium-sized non-stick pan over medium heat and apply a very thin film of neutral oil (e.g. by wiping it with a paper towel).

  Note: If you have a crêpe maker as seen in the pictures, that's even better!
• Pour one serving of the batter (about 130g / 110 ml) into the pan and quickly distribute evenly across the surface by twisting the pan.
• Once there is no more runny batter on top, crack an egg on it.
• Using a spoon, break the yolk and distribute the egg on the surface.
• Immediately sprinkle with some scallions and sesame seeds. Make sure to do this while the egg is still runny, so the toppings stick to it.
• Flip the pancake onto the other side in the pan and turn off the heat.

  Note: The egg and toppings are facing down now (and will be on the outside of the jian bing), whereas the fillings coming up go on top (and will be on the inside).

Inside & fillings

• Brush 0.75 tsp of doubanjiang and 0.75 tsp of tian mian jiang on the surface.
• Add two halves of a lettuce leaf.
• Sprinkle about 0.5 tbsp of cilantro if using.
• Add two of the deep-fried wonton wrapper pairs in a line.
• Fold up the sides of the jian bing over the crackers, then fold once more in the middle so that one cracker is in each half. See the picture gallery for a visual guide.
• Serve immediately. The fresher, the better!

That’s some hot meat! And the food is pretty spicy, too.

A Patron, about to get punched

Too hot to handle?

When you hear “notoriously spicy dish from a notoriously spicy part of China”, you might be a little intimidated. However, I have good news: The spiciness can be easily toned down, and the dish will still taste great. There are multiple ways to do this: First, not all Sichuan pepper is equally spicy, and neither are red chilies. However, you might not know where your ingredients land. Second: Discard (some of) the chili seeds when making the chili oil. Third: Decrease the amount of Doubanjiang (e.g. use 1 tsp instead of 1 tbsp). I tried discarding the chili seeds once, and the dish came out moderately spicy – maybe a 6/10. That being said, if you’re looking for 0/10 spiciness, you’ll need to cook something else.

There is a lot of minced meat in my recipe because I like it that way. To turn the recipe traditional, use about half the amount of meat, keeping in mind that the spiciness will be less diluted that way.

While the cooking process itself is very quick, the preparation takes some time. Finely chopping the ginger, garlic, and scallion is somewhat tedious. (If you use a hand blender for the ginger and/or a press for the garlic, I won’t tell anyone, although the results won’t be quite the same.) Plus, I recommend pre-measuring all ingredients so you can quickly toss them into the wok once the heat is on.

Speaking of woks, this recipe works fine in a large pan or flat-bottom wok on a countertop stove. You don’t need the heat of an open flame at any point for it to succeed perfectly.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Woks Of Life Mapo Tofu recipe. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Mapo Tofu

Minced meat and cubed tofu in chili oil – a Chinese staple with complex taste, dominated by the unique aroma of freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Equipment

• 1 pestle & mortar

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 500 g silken tofu
• 400 g ground pork
• 2 fresh red chilies hot
• 6 dried red chilies hot
• 2 stalks scallion
• 3 tbsp ginger
• 3 tbsp garlic
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 120 ml neutral oil
• 2 tbsp Doubanjiang
• 150 ml chicken broth
• 0.25 tsp toasted sesame oil optional
• 0.25 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp corn starch
• 60 ml water
• 4 servings rice on the side

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• Dice the tofu into 2.5 cm large cubes.
• Finely chop the fresh and dried chilies and set aside together.

  (If you want to turn down the heat, discard the seeds.)
• Finely chop the scallions.
• Peel and finely dice the ginger and garlic.
• Finely grind the Sichuan peppercorns in your mortar.
• Stir the cornstarch into the water to create a slurry.
• Before you start cooking, make sure all ingredients are pre-measured and ready to go. Once the heat is on, things will move very fast.
• If you're going to eat rice on the side, wash and pop it into the rice cooker now.

Make chili oil

• Pour half the oil into a small saucepan and put on low heat.
• Add the chopped dried and fresh chilies. Keep stirring over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Be very careful not to burn them.
• Remove from heat and set aside.

Fry

• Heat the remaining half of the oil in your wok over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the ginger and fry for 60 seconds.
• Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
• Add the ground pork and turn the heat up to high. Break it up with your spatula and fry until you see no more pink meat.
• Stir in the ground Sichuan peppercorns and fry for about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the Doubanjiang until it's well-integrated.
• Stir the chicken broth in next.
• Give the cornstarch slurry another stir and pour it into the wok. Mix well and let it thicken for a minute.
• Stir in the sugar, sesame oil, and the chili oil you made at the start (including the peppers).
• Carefully add and stir in the tofu. You do not want the cubes to fall apart, so be gentle. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Finally, add the scallions and let it simmer for one more minute. If you like, reserve some to sprinkle over for serving.
• Distribute to bowls and serve with rice!

This looks more like a place for Low Life Noodles.

A Patron

This classic Chinese dish is usually eaten on birthdays as well as Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year), which is this week! It is considered lucky because the long noodles represent a long life, and each one should be eaten whole to maximize the effect.

Taste test!

Let me make a very important note right out the gate: In my experience, dried Yi Mein can taste quite different depending on the brand. The Thai brand I usually get at my local market (see picture) already contains 8% salt. This is why the recipe calls for no salt in the water, no salt in the sauce, and not that much soy sauce. If your Yi Mein are less pre-salted, feel free to add some more soy sauce and/or salt. Check the packaging – and to be sure, taste a noodle right after cooking and again when they’re coated in the sauce.

Don’t sever the thread

Yi Mein Noodles are supposed to be eaten whole and not broken apart before you eat them because the long strands represent a long life. Unfortunately, they’re impossible to separate when still dry without shattering to pieces, so I always adjust the serving amount to whatever size package I happened to get. Just make a bigger portion and eat it again tomorrow, or freeze some of it. If you’re European like me, let me put it this way: You wouldn’t break your spaghetti in half either, would you?

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Longevity Noodles – Yi Mein (伊面）recipe by The Woks Of Life. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Yi Mein (Long Life Noodles)

It's a greasy, salty, carb-y stir-fry, but hey! New Year's is only once a year.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Shiitake soaking time25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 200 g Yi Mein dry weight
• 3 large shiitake mushrooms dried
• 100 g garlic chives aka Chinese chives
• 2 tbsp neutral oil

For the sauce

• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 0.25 tsp sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 0.5 tbsp water

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• If using dried shiitake, you need to reconstitute them first. Put them into a heat-proof bowl and bring enough water to a boil to fully cover them. Put a lid or plate on top so they stay submerged and the heat can't escape as fast. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Wash the garlic chives. Chop them into 5 cm long strips and separate the lighter stems from the darker leaves. Set aside.
• Once the shiitake are ready, squish them lightly to get the water out, then cut into thin strips and also set aside.

Prepare sauce & noodles

• Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat for the noodles. Do not add salt!
• Once the water boils, cook the noodles according to package instructions, or rather a little shorter than that as they will continue to cook later in the wok. Drain and set aside.
• Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

  Note: If your Yi Mein come out of the package barely or not at all pre-salted, feel free to increase the amount of soy sauce and/or add some salt now or later while stir-frying. Do some taste tests to be sure.
• Prepare a small pan or pot over medium heat and pour in the mixed sauce. Let it simmer for a bit and keep stirring until well-integrated. Take off the heat.

Stir-fry

• Spread oil around a large wok over high heat and let it heat up for a minute or two.
• Add the sliced shiitake and the lighter parts of the garlic chives. Stir-fry for half a minute.
• Add the noodles and stir-fry for another minute.
• Spread the pre-mixed sauce around the wok evenly and keep stirring until everything is well-coated.
• Add the remaining parts of the garlic chives and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• Take off the heat. Distribute the noodles to bowls or plates and try not to break them apart in the process. Enjoy!

My two favorite types of meat, ginger and chicken. Hahahaha!

A Patron

Hot and saucy

This is typically a wok dish, but it works just fine on a countertop stove if you keep the heat high throughout. In fact, I always use a flat-bottom wok on a countertop stove. Whatever wok or pan you use, it is imperative that you have a lid for it.

The amount of sauce left at the end seems to vary greatly between recipes online. Some show the dish fully submerged in liquid, others completely reduce the sauce to a layer sticking to the chicken. This recipe aims somewhere in the middle. Adjust the simmering time and amount of cornstarch slurry at the end to your liking!

Forgot the soy sauce in the first shot, my apologies.

Not just ginger and chicken

Some notes on the ingredients:

• The oyster sauce is optional, feel free to omit if you don’t like the taste or added saltiness.
• You need the (more common) old, dried type of ginger root for this dish.
• The ginger slices are meant to be eaten (not removed from the pan, as is the case in some other dishes). Some Ginger Chicken recipes call for thicker slices, which I found too chewy.

This is the minimal recipe focused on the chicken. Some popular additions if you like:

• Wood ear mushrooms: Don’t forget to rehydrate them beforehand, and add to the pan right after the chicken pieces.
• Fresh red chilies: Sprinkle in towards the end for spiciness and color variation.
• Toasted sesame oil: Another staple in Chinese cooking, you can add this to the wok towards the end for a nutty aroma. It easily overpowers other flavors, so be careful.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Ginger Chicken recipe by The Woks Of Life. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Ginger Chicken

A fantastic ginger wok dish that succeeds even without a wok and is not as ginger-y as the name suggests.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 2 people

Equipment

• 1 cleaver recommended
• 1 wok with a lid can be flat-bottom wok or large pan
• 1 digital timer recommended

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 350 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 shallots
• 2 stalks scallions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 knob ginger 2-3 cm long
• 1 tbsp neutral oil for frying
• 1 tbsp cornstarch for thickening
• 30 ml Shaoxing wine

Sauce

• 250 ml chicken stock
• 0.5 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp oyster sauce

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

• Remove any skin and bones from the chicken thighs, then cut the meat into 3x3cm chunks.
• Separate scallions into green and white parts. Cut each into 5cm long pieces.
• Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half.
• Peel the ginger and cut it into 3mm thick slices. You want about 6 of those, but feel free to add more to make it more ginger-y.
• Peel and quarter the shallots.
• Using a cleaver, smash the cut garlic, ginger slices (more force!), shallots, and white parts of green onions so they will release more flavor when cooking.

  (If you've never done this: Put the cleaver on the piece, then give it a good smack with the side of your fist or the palm of your hand.)
• If you're going to eat rice on the side, now's a good time to pop it in the rice cooker.

Prepare the sauce

• Set aside 30ml of Shaoxing wine. (Do not mix in with the rest.)
• Make a slurry by mixing the corn starch with equal parts water and set aside for later.
• Dissolve the appropriate amount (see packaging) of chicken stock in the water.
• Add all the other listed sauce ingredients to the chicken stock and mix well.

Fry

• Spread the oil around your large wok or sauce pan. Set it to high heat and keep it there the whole time.
• When it just starts smoking, add the smashed ginger slices. Don't touch for 15 seconds.
• Quickly flip them and add the chicken in a single layer. Fry for 45 seconds, then flip them around and keep going for another 30 seconds.

  The ginger slices should be nicely browned, and the chicken no longer pink on the outside.
• Add shallots, white parts of scallions, and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Deglaze with the Shaoxing wine and stir for a few seconds.
• Stir in the pre-mixed sauce, then cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
• Stir in the green parts of scallions.
• Give the corn starch slurry another good stir.
• Keep simmering for a little bit to reduce the sauce. You want a little bit of liquid at the end, but the chicken shouldn't be swimming in it. Add as much of the slurry as you like (at least half); the sauce will be thicker and stickier the more you add.
• Serve with rice!

What do you mean, T-Egg? Looks O-shaped to me.

A Patron

Happy Halloween! I thought I’d mix up the decorations a little this week. Is this recipe spooky in any way? Really depends on your branding. Chinese Tea Eggs – no. But spider eggs? Alien eggs? Put the right label on these bad boys, and they’ll fit right in with your next Halloween buffet. Outside of that, I like to eat them as a snack straight from the fridge, and they’ve also worked quite well as a stand-in for regular old ramen eggs.

Besides the taste and ease of preparation, the best thing about this recipe is that you already have all the ingredients at home if your kitchen is well-stocked. Any black tea will do, you don’t need a specific brand or type. The bagged variety is most convenient, but loose leaves also work.

There’s not much that can go wrong with this recipe as long as you remember to make it a day ahead of time due to the 24-hour marinating period. On that note, if you don’t have a zip-lock bag, make enough additional marinade to cover your eggs in whatever container you have (e.g. a plastic food storage container).

The eggs can be anywhere from soft- to hardboiled depending on your preference. Just be gentle when cracking them – you don’t want any pieces of the shell to fall off completely. If you’re lazy, you can of course peel them right after cooking and marinade them without shell, but where’s the fun in that? We want the cool pattern look, after all.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Chinese Tea Eggs recipe by Omnivore’s Cookbook. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Chinese Tea Eggs

Salty with a hint of cinnamon and star anise, these eggs are an easy to prepare snack that especially hits the spot in the colder months.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Marinating time1 day d

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 6 eggs

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 6 eggs

Marinade ingredients

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 0.5 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 bag black tea
• 300 ml water or more to top up

Instructions

• It is advised to make the eggs and marinade simultaneously to save time:

Boil the eggs

• Put a pot of water on the stove over high heat. It should be enough to cover your eggs completely.
• Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium. If it bubbles too violently, it might crack the eggs.
• Carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water individually using a slotted spoon or ladle.
• Let them simmer for a few minutes depending on your preference: at least five minutes (for soft-boiled), and no longer than ten (for hard-boiled).
• Prepare a bath of cold tap water and, if you have them handy, ice cubes.
• After removing the eggs from the pot, place them in the ice water immediately so they cool down rapidly and completely.

Make the marinade

• In the meantime, mix marinade ingredients together in another small pot.
• Bring the marinade to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Remove the pot from the stove and let cool completely.

Marinade the eggs

• With the eggs fully cooled down, gently crack their shell with the back of a tablespoon. Be careful not to break whole chunks out of the shell, as you only want cracks to form.
• Put the eggs into a small zip-lock bag and pour in the now cool marinade.
• Press out the air and close the bag in such a way that all eggs are fully submerged in the marinade.
• Place the bag in the fridge and marinade for 24 hours.

Snack time!

• Whenever you want to eat an egg, take it out of the bag and peel it.
• Always close the bag again and leave the remaining eggs in the marinade, which both preserves them and deepens the flavor over time.
• Kept inside the fridge like this, the eggs will be good to eat for about five days.

Look! Tiny trees and rocks, it’s like a landslide on my plate.

An inebriated Patron

I’ll admit it, this is definitely more of a Chinese-inspired fusion dish, as broccoli isn’t actually native to China. Fittingly, you don’t need a wok for this recipe, even though it’s the classic choice. A single large-ish frying pan will do the trick, plus your cooker (or pot) for the rice.

The dish is done in a few basic steps: chop the chicken, broccoli, garlic and ginger; marinade the meat; mix the sauce; parboil the broccoli and chicken; stir-fry everything. If you are more sensitive to salt, I recommend skipping the added salt in the sauce. The oyster sauce and dark soy sauce are plenty, plus there’s already salt in the marinade.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Chicken and Broccoli (Chinese Takeout Style) recipe by Omnivore’s Cookbook. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

For very good advice on stir-frying in general and even the Chicken & Broccoli recipe in particular, check out this Epicurious 101 Stir-Fry video! This is where I got the parboiling step from.

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Chinese Broccoli & Chicken Stir-Fry

Two healthy and light ingredients coated in a thick and savory sauce that brings out their best qualities.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Stir-fry

• 450 g chicken thigh or breast no skin or bones
• 1 head broccoli
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Sauce

• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 60 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 0.25 tsp MSG optional
• 0.25 tsp salt optional

Side

• 2 servings white rice or another side of your choice

Instructions

Marinade the chicken

• Cut the chicken into short bite-sized slices about half a centimeter thick.
• Mix the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl until well integrated.
• Add the chicken and mix, then velvet the chicken with your hands for about a minute to thoroughly coat it.
• Let it rest while taking care of the next steps.

Prepare other ingredients

• If you're making rice with this dish, now is a good time to pop it into the rice cooker.
• Heat up a small pot of water over high heat now so it will be ready for the parboiling step.
• Mix all sauce ingredients together and stir until well mixed. Skip the salt if you're more sensitive to saltiness.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger, and set aside in a small bowl together.
• Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Remove any thicker stems, and cut larger florets into halves or quarters.

Parboil

• Now, we are going to parboil both the broccoli and chicken so they are already half-done when added to the wok.
• Once your pot of water boils, add the broccoli. This cools the water down, let it come back to a simmer.
• After 1-2 minutes of simmering, remove the broccoli from the water and set aside in a bowl.
• Next, add the chicken to the simmering water. Again, wait until it simmers again.
• After 45 seconds of simmering, take out the chicken and set aside as well. Discard the water.

Stir-fry

• Add the oil to your wok or pan and set the heat to medium high.
• Add the chicken and spread it out so it forms one layer.
• After a minute or two, add the garlic and ginger.
• Once fragrant, after about another minute, add the broccoli as well.
• Give the sauce a quick stir to dissolve the corn starch that started separating, then pour it into the work or pan.
• Stir until the sauce thickens, for about another minute.
• Transfer to plates or bowls and immediately serve with rice.

How about you chow down on mine?

The Chef

This recipe works best in a round-bottom wok over an open flame, but you can use a large pan or flat-bottom wok on a stovetop if that’s all you have available. Either way, it is imperative that you get all ingredients ready in their bowls ahead of time.

It’s best to make no more than two servings at a time so the wok doesn’t get overcrowded. If making more, you need to increase cooking times accordingly, or better yet, do it in batches. I made four servings at once (over an open flame) at one point, and it turned out alright, but it took a little longer. I added no water that time because the cabbage gave off plenty of moisture.

Recipe credit

Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Chicken Chow Mein recipe by RecipeTin Eats. I’ve since practiced it many times, made changes to the ingredients and steps (sometimes very few, sometimes many), and written up as much additional advice as I could based on my own experience.

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Chow Mein

Chinese eggs noodles tossed in a wok with an array of fresh and healthy ingredients in a savory sauce.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Sauce

• 4 tsp corn starch
• 3 tbsp soy sauce light
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil toasted
• 0.5 tsp white pepper ground

Stir-fry

• 250 g Chinese egg noodles dry weight
• 400 g chicken breast
• 1 small head napa cabbage ~8 cups when chopped
• 2 carrots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 200 g mung bean sprouts fresh
• 6 stalks scallions
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 100 ml water

Instructions

Prep sauce, chicken and noodles

• In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the soy sauce until fully dissolved.
• Mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Slice the chicken into thin strips and place in a medium bowl.
• Mix 2 tbsp of the sauce into the chicken. Set aside while preparing the rest, for at least 10 minutes.
• Prepare the noodles according to package instructions, ideally shorter to undercook them a little.

Prepare the veggies

• Get some bowls ready so you can store and quickly toss the prepared vegetables into the wok later. You'll need one large bowl for the carrots, cabbage, and white parts of scallions; a medium one for the bean sprouts and green parts of the scallions; a small one for the garlic.
• Peel and julienne the carrots.
• Wash the cabbage and chop into small bite-sized pieces.
• Separate the white and green parts of the scallions, then cut them all into 5 cm long pieces.
• Finely chop the garlic, and rinse the mung bean sprouts. Set everything aside.

Stir-fry

• If you are making four or more servings, you may want to make them in two batches. It's possible to make it all at once (I did it), but it will overcrowd the wok, and each step will take longer.
• Heat the oil in the wok over high heat for about 1 minute.
• Add garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds until it turns golden. Careful not to burn it!
• Add the chicken and keep stirring until it's no longer pink on the outside (but still raw inside).
• Throw in the bowl of cabbage, carrot, and white scallions parts. Stir-fry until the cabbage has wilted and considerably reduced in volume.
• Add the noodles and sauce, stirring constantly.
• The sauce is supposed to coat everything at this stage. If it starts looking too dry, add as much of the water as desired.
• Stir for another minute or two, then add the bean sprouts and green parts of scallions.
• Toss for around a minute and remove from the heat.
• Distribute to bowls or plates and serve immediately.