Mauritian Family Fried Noodles

By: Brendan Pang, excerpted from This Is a Book About Noodles

By: Brendan Pang, excerpted from This Is a Book About Noodles

Another staple in my family comes from the blending of two cuisines from China and Mauritius, and stems from a preference for authentic, unpretentiously delicious food! It’s similar to a Chinese fried rice and has all the elements you’d expect: lap cheong (Chinese sausage), omelet, prawns and chicken. I prefer to use chicken thigh as they stay moist and the fat gets rendered off, joining the sauce for full flavor. These noodles are oyster sauce–heavy, but with all the usual suspects in there, too.

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Serves4 to 6

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¾” (2-cm) strips
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Fried Noodles
3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil, divided, for wok
5 1/2 oz (150 g) prawns, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, whisked
2/3 cup (60 g) shredded Chinese cabbage
2/3 cup (90 g) matchstick-cut carrot
3 spring onions, white part sliced, green part cut into 1½” (4-cm) lengths
2 1/4 lb (1 kg) Hokkien noodles or wide egg noodles (store-bought)
2 Chinese sausages, microwave with a little water, then sliced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) light soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) oyster sauce
1 cup (100 g) mung bean sprouts
To Serve
Chili Sauce

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the marinated chicken mixture: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all its ingredients. Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the noodles: In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the vegetable oil until hot and fry the prawns, about 3 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper, remove and set aside.
Keeping the wok over the heat and add another tablespoon (15 ml) of oil. Add the whisked eggs and swirl around the wok to cover as much surface area as possible. After 2 minutes, flip the omelet and cook for another 2 minutes. Slide onto a chopping board and slice into ¾-inch (2-cm) shreds.
Heat the wok until very hot and add the final tablespoon (15 ml) of oil to cook the chicken mixture. Add the marinated chicken and cook until it starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the Chinese cabbage, carrot and spring onions, and toss for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
In a microwave-safe dish, microwave your noodles for about 2 minutes, then add to wok. Toss gently with tongs and continue to cook until the noodles are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the fried prawns, Chinese sausages, light soy sauce and oyster sauce. Adjust for seasoning as desired. Toss and then add the mung bean sprouts before removing from the heat. Serve with the chili sauce.