I've found these delicious fresh rice noodles in the refrigerated section of my local Asian market- they are to DIE for! I buy them in a folded-whole-sheet configuration if that makes any sense, and then cut them myself to whatever thickness I'm feeling like that day. Usually I'll stir fry them with some GF tamari until they're nice and soft and have some slight caramelization on them.
Oyster sauce is also another good idea, and there are also GF versions available of this tasty treat. Wok Mei seems to make quite a few whole food Asian style sauces, and so far they've all been pretty good! Just drizzle a bit of sauce on your cooking noodles, and toss to coat. Sometimes the noodles stick together while cooking, so I just take 2 chopsticks and work them apart- takes a little while, but it's worth the effort.
Also to be found in the Asian market is Chinese broccoli or gai lan. This slightly bitter green is absolutely delicious, and really is a cross in my mind between kale greens with asparagus stems. It's a great source of vitamins A, C, and K. Also a good source of Iron if, like me, you tend to be a bit deficient in that area. You can stir fry this with some minced garlic, ginger, and tamari- or soy sauce if you don't have issues with gluten.
On to the recipe!
For the Chicken:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1T Corn Starch
2t.Tamari (or soy sauce)
1T Dry Sherry or Shaohsing Rice Wine
1t. Sesame Oil
Pinch of Black Pepper
Oyster Sauce
Sweet Chili sauce or Garlic Chili sauce (found in the Asian section of your grocery store) to taste
Veggies:
1 bunch Gai Lan rinsed and chopped into 1" sections crosswise
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1t. fresh Ginger, grated
1-2t. Tamari
Sliced shiitake mushrooms if you like
Noodles:
1 package fresh Rice Noodles cut to your desired thickness.
1-2T. Tamari
Oyster Sauce
*toss the cut noodles and tamari in a bowl or plate to coat before cooking*
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. Let marinade while you chop up any veggies you may be using in your dish. You can also toss your noodles in the tamari at this point as well.
Heat your wok on high till just smoking, add about 1T of any kind of oil with a high smoke point. Typically this would be peanut oil, but you could use grape seed oil or canola oil, and I'd be interested to try avocado oil. Swirl this around your wok and place on the high heat. You should see a slight shimmer in the oil- this means your wok is hot and you're ready to rock!
Add in 1/2 your chicken and spread around the wok. Let it sit on the hot wok to get a good sear and develop that slightly crisp delicious coating for about a minute or so. THEN stir the chicken with a wok spatula to turn- again letting it sear and brown. Stir again more frequently now until the meat is no longer pink, and is done in the center. Set aside on a covered plate and repeat. As the second batch nears the 'done' point, add in your first batch of chicken along with a good drizzle of your oyster and chili sauces. Maybe a couple of tablespoons each. (I do a lot of cooking by sight and feel, so please forgive my approximations!) Set the sauced-up chickies to the side and get on with your veggies!
Usually I'll rinse and scrub my wok in hot water between stages. This just reduces any sticking and prevents any sauce residue from burning. Once you've rinsed and scrubbed, set your wok back on high heat to dry it and bring it up to temp BEFORE adding your fresh oil.
Add your oil to your hot, dry wok- swirl to coat. Take your gai lan and add it not to the center of the wok, but sort of slide it down the edge toward the center- less chance of oil splattering this way. Stir fry to start the greens wilting, then add in your garlic and ginger. Stir again and let cook just a little bit before adding in the tamari. Toss to coat, and set aside.
You can rinse your wok again, but I probably would just plug along as is at this point. Add just a smidge more oil to your hot wok and add in your marinated rice noodles. These can take a little while to soften up, so be patient. I'll turn the little bricks of noodles every so often and when I start seeing some slight caramelization on the noodles I know I can start breaking them apart. Basically I just take my two chopsticks and work them apart creating separations in the noodles wherever I can. Stir and repeat on any clumps. Sometimes I'm lazy and leave some clumps together- these wind up being my favorite bites! Once the noodles are softened and slightly browned on the edges, it's time to eat!
Layer the noodles in your bowl, top with the gai lan and chicken. You can make this as fancy as you want- add more sesame oil, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, peanuts, tofu, whatever you like. Go find a quiet place to hide from your kids, because they'll want some too. (At least mine always do!)
*Again, I know this seems like a lot of steps, but like so many things I PROMISE it gets easier and faster with practice. Ready? GO!*
