A history of noodles, noodle making, and noodle varieties is followed by more than eighty recipes for international dishes from such diverse locales as Italy, Eastern Europe, and Japan--including soups, pasta salads, a variety of entrees, and some desserts.
The crispy fried noodles and crunchy vegetables contrast perfectly with the moist, tender meat.
3/4 pound lean boneless pork, diced
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice water
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon each salt, sugar, and freshly ground pepper, all mixed together
4 drained tree or wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in water
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 carrot
1 bunch scallions
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound dried thin egg noodles
About 1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup beans sprouts
1/4 pound peeled shrimp
4 to 6 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Put the pork in a bowl. Mix together the dark soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, and seasoning mixture and add to the pork. Cover and let marinate about 1 hour.
Cut the drained mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrot in thin strips. Slice the scallions. Peel and mince the garlic.
Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until al dente and drain well. Let dry and then make 4 noodle cakes, as shown in the picture sequence on the right; keep warm.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic briefly.
Add the pork with its marinade and stir-fry over high heat until browned; remove from the wok and keep warm.
Put the vegetables, bean sprouts, and shrimp in the wok and mix in the stock, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Taste and add salt if necessary. Spoon onto the noodles cakes.
Noodle Cakes
Spread out the noodles in a dish lined with paper towels and let dry completely.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Divide the noodles in 4 portions and add one portion to the oil.
Fry until golden brown and crisp, then carefully turn the noodle cake and fry until the other side is lightly browned.
