Crispy Chicken Chow Mein

So it's been a few months, er, years, since I've blogged and the industry sure has changed! I remember the days when people used to read blogs for in-depth reviews of various new restaurants but now, it's all about Instagram, isn't it?

I miss the days when people would read a blog post to get the sense of the restaurant, cuisine, service and overall value. However, it's just all about the IG boomerang post. It's hard to put all of that into one image, no?

But despite all that, I'm going to take another crack at blogging again. But instead of restaurant reviews and publicity events, I'm going with a different focus. I am cooking a lot more at home and trying new recipes, instead of the tried and true foods that I usually make. 

The goal is to learn more about nutrition, FODMAPs, and organic ingredients, as well as to remake some restaurant favourites. Here the first of a remake! I found this recipe from RecipeTinEats for Crispy Chicken Chow Mein. 

It seemed daunting at first, as the boy had quite high expectations for this, hoping against hope that I could replicate what we have at Cindy's Palace for our weekend dim sum brunches. 

And you know what? It was easy peasy! I followed the recipe to the letter and could not have been happier with the result!

See above for the crispy noodles, and no, there's no deep frying going on here. Just oil, noodles and a few tablespoons of water. The key is to let the heat do the work. Once you've toasted one side, pour that onto a plate and flip it back into the wok or frying pan for another few minutes before putting it into the oven to keep warm.

Now, before you do all that noodle frying, you should make all the sauce and marinade the chicken about 30 minutes before because once you start, you can't stop to look for that sesame oil in the deep recesses of your pantry.

The chicken marinade is easy and you can probably do that the night before. Once the noodles are done, wipe the wok down and add the marinated chicken. Then add the veggies (carrots, bok choy stems <--low fodmap! and some shallots or green onions).

Then add the sauce which has corn starch in it to thicken it. Remember to stir it before adding into the wok/frying pan. It might look wet and way too liquidly at first but Give It Time. The corn starch will do its thing and make this the glossiest and creamy sauce. Once everything has incorporated, add the bok choy leaves and bean sprouts and just gently toss until everything is coated.

All that's left to do now is to take the crispy noodles out of the oven and pour this magnificent sauce over it. But take it easy, don't drown it or you'll lose the crispiness that you tried so hard to achieve.

I serve mine with some of the sauce on the side as well as a small dish of chili oil. If you've been looking for a way to make chow mein at home, I sincerely hope that you give this a try.