Hokkien noodles are a popular dish in Southeast Asian cuisine. They typically contain wheat flour as the main ingredient and are known for their chewy texture and ability to absorb flavours well.
The key differences in hokkien noodles lie in their texture and thickness. They are typically thicker and denser than other Asian noodles, such as rice or egg noodles.
To prevent Hokkien noodles from becoming soggy, it's important not to overcook them. In this recipe, Clarissa recommends putting the noodles in a colander set over a large heatproof bowl and pouring over the boiling water to rinse.
Hokkien noodle recipe with chicken and prawns
Ingredients
250g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra
3 Tbsp 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 medium green prawns, shelled, deveined, tails intact
1 bunch choy sum or gai lan, leaves and stalks separated, 5cm lengths
1/2 cup chicken stock
500g Hokkien noodles
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional)
Thinly sliced long red chilli, to serve
MARINADE
2 tsp Shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp sea-salt flakes
1/4 tsp caster sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp cornflour
Method
-
To make Marinade, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken to marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
-
Heat a large wok on high heat. Add oil. Once oil is just smoking, add chicken. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until chicken is golden.
-
Add prawns and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add choy sum stalks. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add leaves. Pour in chicken stock and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove mixture from wok and set aside.
-
Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Put the noodles in a colander set over a large heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water to rinse. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
-
Heat extra oil in same wok on high. Once oil is just smoking, add onion. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Add noodles. Spread evenly over wok and cook without stirring for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp on base.
-
Return chicken mixture to wok with soy sauce and fish sauce (if using). Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until noodles are cooked. Serve with sliced chilli.