Five-Spice Noodles
My noodle obsession continues to be fuelled by this super quick-fix supper. The flavours here work so well together, and the recipe can be scaled up to suit how many people you are serving.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 1
FOR THE SAUCE
1/2tbsp sugar (I prefer brown, though any will do)
1 1/2tbsp soy sauce
1/2tbsp oyster sauce
3tbsp water (if scaling the recipe up, keep the amount of water the same)
FOR THE STIR FRY
Sesame oil (vegetable oil is also fine, but I recommend sesame oil if you can find it!)
1 star anise (optional, if cooking for multiple people, I rarely bother scaling up)
1 cinnamon stick (optional, if cooking for multiple people, I rarely bother scaling up)
5 raw, peeled king prawns (I like to use frozen ones - defrost them in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes; you can also use 1/2 chicken breast sliced finely, or protein of your choice)
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Small 1/2cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
Leafy stems of celery, finely chopped (yes this includes the leaves!)
~1/3 large carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1x dried nest egg noodles, prepared according to packet instructions (I recommend rinsing in cold water to stop them from cooking, then dousing in some sesame oil (or vegetable oil) to prevent sticking
1/2tsp Chinese five-spice powder
White pepper, to serve (optional)
RECIPE
1
As stir-fries move fast, it's important you have all your ingredients ready to go as mentioned above!
Mix together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
If using non-seafood protein, I recommend drizzling a small amount of your pre-prepared sauce into it before using.
2
Preheat some sesame oil in a large wok over high heat, along with your star anise and cinnamon stick, if using. If using protein other than prawns, which cook very fast, I recommend putting this in first and stir-frying in the hot oil until browned.
3
Add the garlic, ginger, spring onion, celery and carrot, and fry for a couple of minutes. Add your five-spice powder (and prawns at this stage if using) and fry for another minute or so.
4
Go in with your sauce and noodles.
Continue to stir fry over high heat. You want all the water in the sauce to evaporate and for everything to cling to the noodles.
5
Finish with some white pepper, remove from the heat and serve! Don't forget to warn others not to eat the cinnamon and star anise! You can remove these, or use them as decoration!
TIP #1
Customise this dish to however you like! If you are vegetarian or vegan, sub the prawns for more vegetables. If you want this with chicken, sub the prawns with chicken, or even have both!
