What's up everyone?
Today we're making
Hong Kong Style Noodles.
My name is Randy
And we are the Laus
We're on a mission to celebrate
And pass down our Chinese heritage
One meal at a time.
After 50 amazing years as a Chinese chef
My dad's finally retired
And he's here to teach you all of his secrets
To make the perfect Hong Kong Style Noodles
A dish he's made thousands of times.
Hello, my friends!
What we're going to learn today
Is Hong Kong Style Noodles.
Some restaurants refer to this dish as "léuhng mihn wòhng"
But in HK style restaurants, they're called "HK style noodles".
If you've never had this dish, it's basically like a noodle pancake
That's extremely crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
Coated in a delicious savory gravy
Along with a variety of tasty vegetables and meats.
Even though this dish is commonly known as
Hong Kong-style noodles or Hong Kong chow mein
The name is a little misleading, as it's not originally from Hong Kong
Nor is it stir-fried, which is what the word "chow" would suggest.
As my dad alluded to, the original name is léuhng mihn wòhng
Which means yellow or golden on both sides.
It originated in the Suzhou / Shanghai areas
And was brought down to Hong Kong in the 1950s
With the wave of Shanghainese immigrants.
From there, the dish quickly caught fire
As Hong Kong chefs adapted the unique technique
Of letting the noodles slowly form a crispy layer on each side.
Nowadays, léuhng mihn wòhng or Hong Kong style noodles
Are enjoyed all around the world.
Today, we'll be using 12 oz of noodles.
There are 2 types of noodles - cooked and raw.
We'll make this dish using the raw noodles.
Preparing pre-cooked noodles is pretty simple.
All you need to do is to follow the steps provided on the package
Because it's already cooked.
Today, we'll be using the raw noodles.
We need to steam the noodles before pan frying
So the texture will be better.
Now, we'll steam the noodles first.
We'll use hot water to save time.
We'll then place the noodles inside the pan.
We'll steam it for 10 minutes, it won't take long.
For this dish, we’ll be using about 12 ounces of Chinese egg noodles,
Of which there are many, many different types,
Varieties, and brands that offer them.
For simplicity’s sake, here are 3 of the
Most common Chinese egg noodles:
Wonton Mein, Lo Mein, and Chow Mein.
We’ll want to use Chow Mein,
Also known as Hong Kong Style Pan Fried Noodles.
Chow Mein is the ideal type of noodle
For the traditional flavor and texture profile we’re going for.
They’re thinner than Lo Mein
And have less egg content than Wonton Mein.
What other ingredients will we be using today?
We need 6 oz of peeled, deveined shrimp. You can add more if you like.
We also have chicken breast, white mushrooms, carrot, and green onions.
We also have bok choy, around 8 oz.
We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com
Along with step-by-step instructions and video clips
To guide you as you make the recipe at home.
We'll cut the chicken first.
We only need around 4 oz chicken.
Of course, you can also just cook the whole chicken breast
But I think that's too much.
We'll cut the chicken into slices.
Cut into slices.
See?
Do you cut against the grain?
Yeah, against the grain.
Can you see the grain of the chicken?
The grain goes that way, so we cut it like this, right?
Watch how I cut.
Can you see?
Add 1 tsp cornstarch to marinate the chicken so it'll be more tender.
Also add a little bit of salt and 1 tsp water.
Maybe add a little more water.
Then, mix everything well.
Stir the cornstarch slurry and chicken for about 30 seconds
Until the chicken is evenly coated.
I also wanted to make a special shoutout to thank all of our
Wonderful Patreon supporters to help bring this video to life.
If you enjoy our videos and are interested in supporting us directly,
Head on over to patreon.com/madewithlau to learn more!
That's all for the chicken.
The shrimp doesn't need any more preparation
Because they are already peeled and deveined.
For the bok choy, how should we cut it?
Cut big ones into quarters.
Watch this, cut it at the center here.
Like this.
For smaller ones, just cut it in half.
Cutting it in half will do.
Like this big one, cut it into quarters.
As for the carrot, just a little is enough.
For ginger, we just need two slices.
Then, cut into small pieces.
Cut it like this.
Put them here.
For green onions, cut it like this.
This is enough.
These are white mushrooms.
We'll remove the stem and cut it in half.
For people who don't eat meat, just don't add any meat.
You can just use mushrooms, vegetables and other things.
That's all the ingredients.
After cutting all the ingredients, the noodles should be ready.
Let's see, the noodles are cooked now.
We'll lift the noodles up, take out the steam rack
And pour the noodles into the boiling water.
Why do you put the noodles into the boiling water?
The noodles won't be as tough after soaking them in the boiling water.
The texture will be better and won't be tough, you know?
Okay, stir it for a while and it's done.
Once the noodles are done, we'll drain them into a colander
And start fluffing and separating the noodles with chopsticks.
Wait for the noodles to be drier before we pan fry them.
Is it important to separate the noodles?
You have to separate the noodles so they don't stick together.
After the noodles are dry, they won't stick together when pan frying.
Next, we'll heat our wok high heat for about 2-3 minutes.
If you're using a non-stick pan like this one
Use medium-high heat to help protect the non-stick coating.
Then, we'll add 1 tbsp of corn oil.
Swirl it around the pan and let the oil heat up
Until it's shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.
Okay, let's pour the noodles into the pan.
For the noodles, we want each side to become a crispy golden brown.
We'll cook each side for about 6-8 minutes
Occasionally turning the noodles
But not stirring or breaking into the layers.
But you don't stir it constantly?
No! You don't have to stir them for pan fry.
Pan fry them slowly until they turn golden brown.
Why do you turn it?
Because the heat in the pan is not evenly distributed, right?
It's usually hotter at the back of the pan.
Oh, really?
Yeah, it's the same for restaurants or home cooking.
The back side of the pan is hotter usually.
Pan fry it until it's fragrant and turn golden brown.
That's why some of the restaurants called this “léuhng mihn wòhng".
Why do they call it "léuhng mihn wòhng"?
Because both sides are pan fried until they're golden brown.
Hence, the name "léuhng mihn wòhng".
But in Cantonese restaurants, it's usually called HK style noodles.
Actually, you can use any kind of ingredients for this dish.
Beef, chicken, shrimp or if you're vegetarian
You can use mushrooms, vegetables, brocolli, etc.
For home cooking, we'll use less oil for pan frying.
And fry it for longer.
In restaurants, they use more oil so it cooks faster.
But at home, we can take our time and use less oil.
Okay, how do you know when to flip it?
You can look at the bottom, has it turned golden brown?
Yeah.
Can you see? It's golden brown, right?
I'll flip the noodles now.
See it?
It's golden brown.
Is it golden brown on both sides?
That's how Hong Kong Style Noodles are.
We still have one side left.
We'll add a little more corn oil to the noodles.
Why do you add oil?
We need oil to pan fry the noodles, you know?
We used 1 tbsp oil for the first side, we’ll add another tbsp for this side.
How long are you cooking each side?
At least 10 mins for one side.
You have to pan fry it longer at home than at restaurants.
Restaurants use more oil, but we don't use as much in home cooking.
That's why it takes longer, you know?
It's done.
Okay, it's done.
We'll stir-fry the chicken first.
We'll cook the chicken for about 1 minute
Before adding the other ingredients.
Add the green onions and ginger into the pan.
Let the ginger and green onions cook for about 45-60 seconds
Before adding the shrimp.
You usually cut the green onions and ginger smaller.
Why are they in bigger pieces today?
They are cut this way for this dish.
They are usually cut this way for stir-fries.
Add the shrimp to the pan.
We'll let the shrimp cook for about a minute
Until it starts turning orange.
For this step, the chicken and shrimp don't yet need to be fully cooked
Because we'll still be cooking everything more later.
Okay, we'll put the chicken and shrimp into a bowl first.
There's still oil in the pan so we won't add more oil.
Put all the bok choy & mushrooms into the pan.
In this dish, a lot of gravy goes on top
So we'll add around 12 oz boiling water into the pan.
Okay, after all the vegetables are cooked…
This is too much, we don't need so many.
Almost done.
Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for about 4 minutes.
Okay, now add the shrimp and chicken into the pan.
This way the shrimp and chicken won't be overcooked.
Now, let's add some seasoning into the pan.
Around 1/2 tsp salt.
3/4 tsp sugar.
1 tsp chicken bouillon.
You can choose not to add chicken bouillon.
I add it to give the gravy more umami flavor.
1 tbsp oyster sauce.
That's all for the seasoning, do you want to try it?
Tasty?
Uh-huh.
Now we'll add cornstarch into the gravy.
We'll use 1.5 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp water, mix them well.
After mixing the cornstarch with water
Stir the pot constantly with a spoon while pouring the mixture into it.
The gravy should thicken after adding the cornstarch.
The gravy is not well mixed.
This happens because there's not enough cornstarch
So we'll add extra 1/2 tbsp cornstarch to the gravy.
Because there's a lot of sauce to thicken
For this dish, the more gravy, the better.
Add 1 tsp sesame oil.
Okay, all done!
Now, we'll place the vegetables on the noodles first.
Tell everyone to come eat!
Okay! This is our recipe for HK Style Noodles！
Hong Doy, time to eat!
Wow!
Oh yeah, that's it! (laugh)
Cheers! Let's feast! HK Style Noodles!
Hong Doy, do you like the noodles?
-Oh, I'm so happy! -Is it good? Taste good?
Can you hear the crunch?
Uh-huh.
♪Laughter♪
On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like them?
10!
Okay, so 4 people asked
What's the best type of noodles to use?
For pan frying, it's best to use this type of noodles - thin noodles.
There's 2 types of noodles--cooked and raw.
Cooked noodles can be used directly for pan frying
But the raw one need to be steamed before pan frying.
Are fresh noodles best for this dish?
Or can you use dried noodles and rehydrate them?
You can use dried noodles too.
Take out the noodles once they're separated, we can't cook them for too long.
They'll stick together if cooked for long.
Peter from Patreon asked
If you buy fresh noodles, can you freeze them and use them later?
Yes, definitely.
We do it the same way.
Oh yeah, you do! You have a lot of those.
-I stored the noodles in the freezer too. -We always do this.
Because when you have the fresh bag, it's kinda big.
Before you freeze it, do you want to pull it apart
Make it into like 4 bundles?
Yeah, we'll separate them into smaller bags to freeze
So you don't have to take the whole bag out when cooking.
Daddy always separates them into small bags.
Okay.
Is it yummy?
♪Laughter♪
So a lot of people asked about crispiness.
How do you get the most crispy noodles?
This is our most popular question.
Use more oil to pan fry if you want the noodles to get really crispy.
Also, eat the noodles once it's cooked, don't leave it for too long.
A lot of questions also about is there a way to use less oil?
This is already less oil, you know?
At restaurants, they really use a lot of oil.
You must use oil to make the noodles crispy.
How do you make the noodles not stick to the wok?
If you steam the noodles first before pan frying
Then it'll never stick to the wok
But they might stick to the wok if you boil the noodles.
If you're using a non-stick pan then you don't have to worry about this.
Judy from Patreon, she's also from Toisan.
Hi Judy!
She asked, what kind of oil is best?
Corn oil or peanut oil can be used.
Some vegetable oils can also be used, but not olive oil.
You should generally avoid olive oil
For anything that involves higher heat.
This is because olive oil has what's called a lower smoke point
Which is the temperature at which the oil stops shimmering or rippling
And starts smoking or burning
Smoking oil isn't always a problem
And sometimes even desired for getting that perfect
“Wok Hei” in your stir fry
But it's a sign that the oil is breaking down
Which can release burnt or bitter flavors
Or even harmful free radicals
Here's a chart that highlights the smoke points
Of a few of the most common cooking oils
There are a few other factors that go into selecting oils
Like whether they're neutral or flavored
Or refined or unrefined
Most cooking oil is created by extracting and compressing seeds and nuts
And oils that are “unrefined”, “raw”, or “virgin”
Are usually bottled almost immediately
They generally have more nutrients
But a lower smoke point and shorter shelf life.
Refined oils go through more processing
For a higher smoke point, longer shelf life,
And a more neutral flavor.
It's not totally true that you should avoid olive oil,
Since you can buy either refined or unrefined varieties.
But for simplicity's sake, for frying,
You generally want to use neutral, refined oils
Like vegetable oil, refined olive oil, or corn oil.
Tim from Patreon asked, what if you're using seafood?
You can! Just cook it the same way.
Didn't I talk about how to prepare squid in the hot pot video?
Gently make diagonal cuts across the skin of the squid…
I mentioned this in the hot pot video, right?
Watch that video.
♪Laughter♪
I was gonna ask, so this sauce is a little bit more like a white look.
Is there a brown version of this?
I feel like I've seen the brown one before.
You're right. This is a lighter color.
Because I'm using white meat - chicken breast.
If the sauce is in darker color, then it won't look as appealing.
The color of the sauce changes depending on the ingredients you used.
If you're using beef or chicken thigh, then I'll add some dark soy sauce.
Dark soy sauce is not suitable for this version I cooked.
It's not suitable for shrimp and chicken breast.
It'll affect the appearance of the dish, food presentation.
Color, aroma, taste.
Color means the appearance of the food, whether it can whet your appetite.
You use your eyes to check whether the food is delicous.
Aroma means smelling the food.
You'll judge a dish based on the appearance and smell when it's served.
You have an appetite when the food looks good
But you lose your appetite when the food looks bad, right?
Daddy did not add any soy sauce this time - no light & dark soy sauce.
That's why it doesn't look dark.
I see, I see.
But if you want a darker color, you can just add dark soy sauce.
Hong Doy, good boy!
♪Laughter♪
Grandpa has time to cook for you!
He says it's time to go to sleep.
It's time for bed.
Hello, dear friends and audience!
Thanks for watching!