Singapore Noodles

This recipe is presented with the kind permission of Chef Paul Wildermuth of Opera. He demonstrated, explained (and we devoured) this dish on October 25, 2003, at a class arranged by the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago.

bullet6 oz rice noodles
bullet1 Tbsp Madras-style curry powder
bullet1 tsp finely minced garlic
bullet1 tsp finely minced ginger root
bulletShaoxing wine
bulletPure soy
bullet1 egg, lightly beaten
bulletChopped scallion
bulletChopped cilantro
bullet1 minced chili
bulletShrimp
bulletCrab
bulletScallops
bulletLapchong (Chinese dried sausage)
bulletSugar

Notes on the ingredients:
bulletYou will note that many of the ingredients above do not list amounts. Chef Paul notes that Chinese meals tend to be heavy on the starch (noodles in this case) and light on protein and veggies. So the basic guideline is: add as much or little as you want.
bulletRecommended brands: Wai Wai Rice Noodles, Pearl River Pure Soy.
bulletShaoxing is a cooking wine made from rice similar in taste to sherry. Chef Paul says that if you try to duplicate Chinese cooking at home and can't quite make the flavors match what you've eaten at restaurants, chances are that the lack of Shaoxing is the crucial difference. It, like other ingredients listed here, should be available in Asian markets in major cities.
bulletPure soy is not the same as lite or low-sodium soy sauce. In fact, it's quite high in sodium and is a purer essence of soy than regular soy sauce.
bulletLapchong is a dried pork sausage similar in appearance to the German landjaeger.
bulletYou can use any kind of chili pepper, depending on your taste and on your tolerance for spicy hot foods.

Soak the noodles in cold water for about twenty minutes.

Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt, turn to simmer. Poach your shellfish in water until half cooked.

Heat oil in sauté pan.

Add egg and cook it halfway (runny). Add scallions, cilantro, chili, sugar, lapchong, ginger and garlic.

Drain the noodles and add them to the pan. Toss with other ingredients, fry on high heat.

Flavor with curry powder, Shaoxing and pure soy at the end. Adjust your seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve.

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