Chinese New Year or any time of the year, people lose their "noodle" for noodles. This is not a fad at all. What makes these special at Chinese New Year is their symbolism and the mind-blowing flavor. The represent longevity of life, prosperity, and are served at full length. It is considered bad luck to cut these noodles. The noodles are slurped fully into the mouth before chewing them. It is comfort food at its finest. They are simple to make, requires fairly common ingredients, and they can easily be made at home. You do not need a wok for this but, you won't get the wok hei appeal with typical homemaker pans. Traditionally, they use yi mian/yi mein noodles for this dish. However, you can easily use just about any noodle you want (not pasta, there is a difference!). Where I could not get my hands on yi mian, I did manage to get plenty of fresh dan mian noodles at my local Asian grocery store. The way I wrote this recipe, is intended for vegetarian dishes. You can easily make this vegan by simply researching the brands that are available on your own. You may have to order online in that situation. You can still make these beautiful noodles even with gluten-free options and sauce options!
PLEASE NOTE: My recipe uses MSG, which is completely safe. For educational resources with verified medical and scientific data, please review www.knowmsg.com and consider reading this article. If you opt not to use MSG, you will not completely omit MSG because this recipe uses mushrooms and Asian sauces. Some fresh noodles sold at Asian markets are made with MSG. Changes made to the recipe will change the quality of this dish.
The video how-to is on my YouTube channel. Find me there, on FB, and on IG and please be sure to like, subscribe, and share!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb/454g Chinese Egg Noodles
1 lb/454g Mushrooms, variety, quartered
1 Bundle Scallions, one-inch cuts
8oz/227g Carrots, julienned
8oz/227g Onions, thin-sliced
4oz/114g Green Beans, small diced
1oz/29g Garlic, finely chopped
3oz/89ml Tamari or Soy sauce
3oz/89ml Oyster Sauce
3oz/89ml Dark soy Sauce
3oz/89ml Shaoxing Wine
2oz/59ml Sesame Oil
Neutral Oil
MSG - to taste
White Pepper - to taste
1.) Set up a medium-sized pot with water filled about three-quarter's of the way to the top and set the heat on high. This will be for your Chinese noodles. Refer to package instructions for cooking times, but undercook your noodles by 1-2 minutes. When done, drain the noodles and set them aside.
2.) Into a wok or large saute pan, add a little neutral oil and let the pan come up to temperature. Add your mushrooms to the wok. Begin dusting with MSG and white pepper. Stir-fry about 80% of the way. Taste-test one mushroom to determine if there is enough seasoning and make adjustments. Remove the mushrooms from the wok into a bowl and set aside.
3.) Add a little neutral oil to the wok if needed. Add your garlic, onions, carrots, and green beans. Again, dust with MSG and white pepper. Stir-fry about 80% of the way. Taste test an onion to determine if there is enough seasoning and make adjustments. Add your par-cooked mushrooms to the wok. Combine and toss. Remove the vegetables from the wok into a bowl and set aside.
4.) Add a little neutral oil to the wok. Add your drained Chinese egg noodles to the wok. Toss to coat that oil all over the noodles and begin separating with a pasta fork. Once you start to smell toasty notes in the noodles, you are now beginning to develop wok-hei. This can take up to five minutes to develop. 5.) Add your stir-fried vegetables to the wok. Toss to combine for about two minutes.
6.) Add your sauces to the wok. Toss to combine and make sure the entire batch gets a good coating of the sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the noodles take on a dark caramelized color.
OPTIONS: Garnish with fresh chopped scallions, and some sesame seeds, and lightly dress with toasted sesame oil.

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