THE WASHINGTON POST – Sometimes people ask me to name a favourite – my favourite vegetable, my favourite legume, my favourite restaurant, my favourite food in general – and it’s an impossible question to answer. There are so many! The choice depends on my mood, and on the situation.
I could say the same thing about noodles, but only to a point. Sure, I love bucatini for some sauces and penne for others. And when I discovered ruffled mafaldine I thought I’d met my one true love. But my affection faded, and I returned to my long-standing conviction, which is a paraphrase of Prince lyrics as sung by Sinéad O’Connor: Nothing compares to chow fun.
These wide rice noodles – also called ho fun – are springy, slippery and a little chewy and, perhaps most important, they absorb sauces so beautifully they end up becoming integral to the dish in a way that doesn’t seem to happen with a lot of other noodles.
I overindulge anytime noodles are involved, but with Chinese chow fun dishes, the amount I consume is the amount that’s in front of me. And that’s just as well, because I never like them as much as leftovers, when the noodles tend to clump and get too soft in the reheating.
VEGETABLE CHOW FUN
INGREDIENTS
– Seven ounces dried wide rice noodles
– One teaspoon toasted sesame oil
– Two tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
– One tablespoon dark soy sauce
– One tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
– One teaspoon granulated sugar
– Half head of broccoli
– Quarter cup water
– Four tablespoons peanut oil, divided
– 10 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
– One medium carrot, trimmed and thinly sliced
– Four cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated
– Two tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
– Four scallions, trimmed and cut into one-and-a-half-inch pieces
– Two cups fresh bean sprouts
-One to two Asian long red chillies (depending on how spicy you want it), stemmed and thinly sliced
STEPS
In a large bowl, combine the noodles with enough hot water to cover them by one inch.
Soak until al dente; the noodles should be flexible enough to wrap around your finger without breaking but still remain a bit tough. Rinse with cold water, drain and return to the bowl. Add the sesame oil and toss to combine.
In a small bowl, combine the light and dark soy sauces, oyster sauce and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. Trim off the bottom of the stem and use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the outer layer of the stem until you get to the pale interior. Cut the stem in half lengthwise, and then into thin half-moons.
In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, heat the water until it simmers. Add the broccoli, cover and cook until it turns bright green and al dente, two to three minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard any remaining water.
In the same skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat two tablespoons of the peanut oil until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms and carrot and stir-fry until the mushrooms exude their liquid, it evaporates and they start to brown, about four minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the noodles and drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of the peanut oil over them. Toss to coat the noodles in the oil.
Add the cooked broccoli and pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is mostly absorbed, about our minute.
Add the scallions, bean sprouts and chillies, and cook, stirring, until the scallions are just wilted, to two minutes. If the noodles are still a bit tough, add a splash of water and stir-fry until the water is absorbed. Transfer to a platter or serving plates and serve hot. – Joe Yonan
