Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles (豉油皇炒麵)

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 200 gm fresh egg noodles
• 120 gm bean sprouts, trimmed heads and tails
• 40 gm chives, sectioned
• ½ onion, shredded
• shredded ginger, to taste
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 1½ tsp raw sugar
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• sesame oil, to taste

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients of sauce well. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside.
2. Blanch the noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. I only cooked the noodles for about 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t over cook it as you don’t want your noodles turn mushy. Use a pair of chopsticks to help loosen the noodles. Drain well. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Quickly stir fry the bean sprouts and chives until slightly softened. Dish up and set aside.
4. Add oil in the same wok. Saute the onion until translucent. Make sure not to burn it. Push the onion to the sides of wok. Add more oil in the middle. Saute the ginger and shallot. Toss in the noodles. Use chopsticks to help loosen them. Sprinkle the sauce in a steady stream and combine the noodles well. When you’re satisfied with the colour and taste. Toss back the bean sprouts and chives. Quickly combine well. Dish up. Top with some sesame seeds for garnish. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• The fried noodles shouldn't be too wet or not too dry. By using a pair of chopsticks, you can easily stir to combine them well with the sauce.
• There are often two kinds of egg noodles available at Asian grocers. One is for making noodle soup, the other for stir fry. Get the one for stir fry to make this dish as it won’t easily break apart while stir frying.
• Bean sprouts will release some water while stir frying. It’s better to stir fry them separately beforehand.
• The upside of stir-frying the chives separately is that you can easily control the doneness, retaining the crunchiness, yet just right to remove the raw taste.
• To get the best results, try to get raw sugar. It brings up a natural sweetness in the sauce. If it’s not handy, you can use white sugar anyway.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Ginger and Scallion Crab with Noodles (薑蔥炒蟹)

You can skip the noodle cooking parts if you only want a stir fried crab dish. It's equally delicious.

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 1.2 kg mud crab
• 3 Tbsp potato starch
• 1 tsp chicken powder
• 20 gm ginger, shredded
• 3 to 4 spring onion, roughly chopped
• 165 gm e-fu noodles (伊麵)
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 150 ml chicken stock

Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp sugar

Method:

1. Mix potato starch with chicken powder well. Set aside.
2. Rinse the crab well and chop into pieces. Wipe dry with kitchen papers. Lightly coat with potato starch mixture.
3. Heat oil, about ½ inch depth in a wok over medium heat. Test the oil with a pair of wet chopsticks. If many bubbles arise, it means the oil is hot enough. Carefully place the crab pieces in batches and shallow fry until the outside turn orange (Remark: You don’t need to cook through the crab at this stage.) Drain well on kitchen papers to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
4. Blanch the noodles in boiling water, according to the instructions on packaging. Stir to loosen the noodles. Drain out and rinse in cold water. Drain well and set aside.
5. Drain and discard the oil leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Saute half of the ginger and spring onion. Add the noodles and stir to combine and evenly heat. Transfer onto a plate, cover to keep warm.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to sauté the rest of the ginger and spring onion until aromatic. Toss back the crab pieces in the wok. Sprinkle wine. Quickly stir to combine. Add chicken stock and sauce. Cook until the crab pieces are cooked through. Place on top of the noodles. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• The chefs at Chinese restaurants use to deep fry crab briefly before stir-frying with other ingredients. As a home cook, I’d like to use less oil and use shallow frying instead. By doing this, the flavour of the crab will be enhanced and won’t lease too much water in the process of stir frying as a result of thinning the sauce.
• Potato starch can help holding all the delicious sauce on the surface of crab, available at Asian stores.
• Mud crabs are meaty and often used to make this noodle dish traditionally. If you can’t find any live mud crabs, you might like to use other kinds of crabs instead, like blue swimmer crabs.
• To get the best results, stir fry the e-fu noodles beforehand as the noodles will take up the aroma of ginger and spring onion.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Hong Kong ‘Zha Jiang’ Noodles (炸醬麵)

Make sure not to over-cook the noodles because you don’t want them mushy. You might like to rinse under cold running water to help keep their springy texture.The key element of this noodle dish is the sauce. Make more to mix with the noodles. Hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 100 gm pork fillet, shredded
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 cakes egg noodles
• sesame oil, to taste, optional
• spring onion, diced

Marinade:

• ½ tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp cornflour / corn starch
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp Shaoxing wine
• pepper, to taste

Sauce:

• 100 ml water
• 2 Tbsp chilli bean paste
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• ½ Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ Tbsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• salt, to taste
• ½ tsp chilli oil

Thickening:

• 1 tsp cornflour / corn starch
• 2 Tbsp water

Method:

1. Mix the pork with marinade. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic until aromatic. Add the pork and stir fry until its surface turns white. Set aside. Discard the garlic.
3. In the same pan. Pour the sauce ingredients. Cook over medium heat and bring it to boil. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
4. In the meantime, blanch the noodles in boiling water. With chopsticks or tongs, give the noodles a stir to loosen them up. Following the instructions on packaging, cook the noodles until al dente. Mine needs cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly mix with a dash of sesame oil if desired. Place noodles onto 2 to 3 serving plates.
5. Add the pork into the sauce. When it boils again. Add thickening and cook to preferred consistency. Drizzle over the noodles. Sprinkle spring onion for garnish. Serve immediately.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Dandan Noodles (擔擔麵)

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 285 gm Shanghai white noodles
• 150 gm pork mince
• 2 cups chicken stock, boiled
• 1 Tbsp (about 15 gm) peanuts
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp minced shallot
• chopped spring onion, for garnish

Marinade:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornflour / corn starch
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• pepper, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste

Sauce:

• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp sesame paste
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp black vinegar （黑米醋）
• 1 tsp chilli bean sauce （辣豆瓣醬）
• 1/2 tsp peppercorn chilli oil, to taste
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. Combine the pork with the marinade. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
2. Fry the peanuts in a small pan without any oil, until aromatic and lightly brown. Roughly chop them. Set aside. Combine all the ingredients of the sauce in a cup.
3. Cook the noodles and rinse with cold water according to the instructions on packaging. Drain well and divide them into 2 to 3 serving bowls. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Saute the ginger, garlic and shallot until aromatic over medium heat. Add the pork and stir fry until the surface turns white. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Add the sauce and combine well. Divide the soup and ladle on top of the noodles. Sprinkle the peanuts and spring onion. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• The sauce is the soul element of this noodle dish. Don’t skip the sesame paste. You can easily get it from any Asian grocers.
• You might like adjust the amount of chilli oil and chilli bean sauce according to personal preference.
• Don’t ever over-cook the white noodles. The noodles should be rinse in cold water immediately once they’re finished blanching. This step will help prevent the noodles turn mushy. You might replace the white noodles with udon noodles, that taste equally good.
• Black vinegar is available at Asian grocers, and can be replaced with white vinegar if you can’t find any.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Shanghai Fried Noodles

Shanghai style noodles is white in colour, available at Asian grocers, often stored in fridge, or can be replaced by udon noodles. If you have young kids, you might skip the chilli bean sauce. But if you’re into something hot and spicy, I highly recommend you try adding some chilli bean sauce, it won’t taste the same.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 120 gm pork, shredded
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 500 gm shanghai style noodles or udon noodles
• 150 gm chinese cabbages, shredded
• 2 tsp chilli bean sauce, or to taste

Marinade:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornflour / corn starch
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• white pepper, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste

Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp chicken stock or water
• sesame oil, to taste

Method:

1. Mix pork with marinade and leave it for about 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the packaging, until tender, but still firm. Drain thoroughly. Rinse with cold water, drain well again. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add marinated pork and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add some oil if necessary, sauté garlic. Toss in the cabbages, add a little of water if you find it’s too dry. Add the noodles, then pour the sauce and stir to coat the noodles. Add the pork and chilli bean sauce. Stir to combine well. Serve immediately.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Japanese Salmon Soba Noodles

This noodle dish is very versatile, suitable for lunch or dinner, throughout the year.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Yield: 2 serves

Ingredients:

• 2 x 140 gm salmon steaks
• a pinch salt
• pepper, to taste
• 180 gm soba noodles
• baby bok choy, to serve
• wakame / seaweed salad, to sever

Sauce ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp mirin
• 3 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

1. Rinse salmon and wipe dry. Use tweezers or pliers to remove the pin bones. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan. Cook the salmon steaks over medium high heat with skin side first, until both sides are brown or cooked to your liking.
2. In the meantime, heat a large pot of boiling water. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the packet instructions, adding the bok choy for the last 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small sauce pan. Saute garlic and ginger until aromatic. Place the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
4. Divide the noodles among two serving plates, with salmon steaks, drizzle sauce on surface, topped with wakam. Serve with bok choy.
5. Notes：
6. Wakame / seaweed salad is available from Asian grocers.
7. Mirin is a kind of rice wine similar to sake, available from Asian grocery stores.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Crab Meat with E-Fu Noodles in Oyster Sauce (蟹肉伊麵)

E-fu noodles (aka Yi mein in Cantonese, 伊麵), are often consumed on birthday celebrations in Hong Kong, thus they are also named as "Longevity (long) life" noodles (Sau mein 壽麵). They are flat egg-noodles, made by wheat flour. You might easily find them from any Asian stores, that are deep-fried first before packed in a plastic bag for sale. When it comes to cooking e-fu noodles, all you need is to blanch them in boiling water to get rid of any excess oil, and then cook briefly in simmering liquid. Its colour of golden yellow is very attractive, along with its chewy and elastic texture make them stand out of the crowd. Generally speaking, Chinese people categorize e-fu noodles as a kind of only-have-it-on-special occasions one.

Crab Meat with E-Fu Noodles in Oyster Sauce (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Yield: 2 to 3serves

Ingredients:

• 120 grams crab meat (2 crabs, steamed and shelled)
• 1 pack E-Fu noodles (伊麵), about 220 gm
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 stalks scallion, cut into sections
• ginger, julienned, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste, optional

Seasonings:

• 250 ml salt-reduced chicken stock (homemade or bought)
• 1½ Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp sugar

Sauce:

• 200 ml salt-reduced chicken stock
• thickening (1 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water), mixed well
• 1 egg white, lightly whisked

Method:

1. Cook e-fu noodles in boiling water until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain well, immediately rinse with running cold water. Drain well again. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or a large pan. Saute the shallot until aromatic over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and scallion. Pour in the seasonings, bring it to a boil. Add the noodles. Decrease heat and simmer until noodles absorb the flavours, for about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with sesame oil. Transfer to 2 to 3 serving plates. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.
3. Use the same wok. Pour in 200 ml of chicken stock. Cook until it boils over high heat. Toss in crab meat. When it boils again, stir in the thickening and cook to preferred consistency. Add the egg white and lightly stir with a fork. Once the egg white turns white, quickly dish up. Ladle over the noodles or transfer into the cooked crab shells. Serve hot.

Notes:

• You might choose mud crabs or sand crabs, as long as they are fresh and you like them. Put a few extra slices of ginger and 1 to 2 stalks of scallion to steam with the crabs, to get rid of any fishy smell if they have any. Young kids will love this dish as they don’t have any trouble in removing the crab shells.
• Or you might like to use frozen crab meat if it comes in handy to you.
• You can substitute the crab meat with any other meats you like, or simply omit it. Or add more favourite vegetables. The oyster sauce goes with the noodles really well.
• As e-fu noodles are highly absorbent, they tend to soak up a lot of the moisture when wet ingredients are added, so they would take on all the flavors in the sauce. When it comes to cooking this kind of noodles, don’t let the noodles sit too long before serving. They become dry and too salty otherwise.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Shanghai 'Zha Jiang' Noodles (炸醬麵)

When I came across the recipe of Zha Jiang Noodles (炸醬麵) on Almostbourdain, I said to myself, I’d make it one day. That “one day” had come eventually.

I often cook rice not noodles for dinners. After moving to Australia, I still try my best to keep the Chinese tradition and cook 3 dishes with one soup for dinner. If I’m not wrong, Ellie asked me twice on twitter, that if I still followed the Chinese tradition making 3 dishes. My answers were “yes” and “no”. I would try to, as long as I have time and energy. Honestly speaking, many things would get into my way so that I can’t keep this tradition. For an instance, my daughter needed to go out before 5:30pm the other day. Apart from the time constraint, cooking dinner that early was not my default mood. Then Ellie’s Zha Jiang noodles came up in my mind instantly. It’s a yummy quickie, good for meals at any time, for lunch, dinner or supper.

For making this dish, all you need is to get the “sweet bean sauce” with Shanghai noodles. Both of them are easily found at any Asian grocery stores. For the vegetables and minced pork, I think it’s not a problem for you at all.

Shanghai 'Zha Jiang' Noodles (炸醬麵) (Printable recipe)

Recipe adapted from Almostbourdain

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 500 g Shanghai noodle (I cooked 450 gm)
• 2 tbsp sweet bean sauce (more if you prefer stronger taste)
• 500 g minced pork (I added marinade, see below)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water (I used Campbell’s salt-reduced chicken stock)
• 1 carrot, thinly shredded
• 1 cucumber, thinly shredded
• chopped spring onions for garnish

Marinade:

• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat a wok or frying pan with oil. Add pork mince (Note: I mixed it with marinade for 15 minutes before stir frying.) and stir fry until brown. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry together with the pork mince until fragrant.
2. Add sweet bean sauce, dark soy sauce and mix until combined.
3. Add 1/2 cup of water/chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a slow simmer until sauce is thicken. Add sugar to taste.
4. Cook the noodle according to packet instructions. Drain and put into four individual serving bowls.
5. Divide pork mince into 4 equal portions and pour on the noodle.
6. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and garnish with shredded carrots and cucumber.
7. Serve immediately.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Salmon Pasta with Tomato Chickpea Sauce

As I said before, I have really been motivated to make some fresh pasta since I got with my new kitchen toy – pasta machine. Making pasta is so much fun indeed. I cooked the first batch of pasta with some homemade tomato sauce, tossing in some chickpeas to add more textures with more protein and fiber. As for myself, the dinner at that night was one of my favourites with lots of satisfaction in cooking and tasting. Since my daughter loves to have all her pasta swimming in the sauce, the amount used in this recipe was quite large. It might be more than you need. So you can reduce the ingredients according to your need, or keep the leftover sauce in fridge for a week or so. The sauce is so tasty on pizzas or breads as well.

Salmon Pasta with Tomato Chickpea Sauce (Printable recipe)

Makes 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon steaks (about 300 gm)
• 200 gm pasta (bought or homemade)
• sweet basil for garnish
• salt, to taste
• freshly grated black pepper, to taste
• fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Ingredients of sauce:

• 2 cans (each 400 gm) Italian diced tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 40 gm unsalted butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 Tbsp fresh sweet basil, chopped
• 2 Tbsp raw sugar
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 can chickpeas, optional

Method:

1. Open the can and drain chickpeas. If it’s soaked in salted water, use hot water to rinse away the saltiness. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft and fragrant. Be sure not to burn the garlic. It tastes bitter otherwise.
3. Add tomatoes and increase heat to high. Bring it to a boil. Add tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano. Mix well and continue to cook until it boils again. Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Toss in chickpeas. Once it boils again, turn off the heat. Mix in the basil. Set aside.
4. Use another clean frying pan, add little oil (Note: salmon would release oil when cooked.) Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of salmon. Pan fry salmon over medium high heat until cooked to your desired doneness.
5. Use a large pot of boiling water, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. When it boils again, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions of bought packet. For the fresh pasta, cook 3 to 5 minutes depending on how thick your pasta noodles are. The pasta should be cooked through but still gives a sense of firmness. Remember to test by tasting yourself.
6. Drain out the pasta and divide on serving plates. Ladle sauce over the pasta, place salmon steak on top, season with freshly grated lemon juice. Garnish with basil. Enjoy!

Notes:

• The amount of sauce might be more than you need. Keep in an air-tight container and chill in fridge. It can keep for a week or so.
• You might omit the salmon steaks. The pasta is still very delicious if only severed with the sauce.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Homemade Fresh Pasta

One of the most luckiest things I came across last week was getting a pasta machine from  Kmart. Believe it or not. It’s 15 dollars. Here, you can’t get one without 100 dollars, or even 145 dollars from those classy department stores. I was too lazy and not motivated to make any fresh pasta until I got this new kitchen toy. There’s nothing wrong with using the ready made pasta from supermarkets, very quick and handy. Yet nothing can compare with homemade fresh pasta, given you have a bit of spare time. The process is simple and easy. All you need is a pasta machine to help you roll out a dough made by 3 to 4 ingredients and cut them within a minute.

By adding a small amount of Semolina flour that is commonly used in making pasta, you’ll enjoy delicious pasta with a hint of wheat flavour, light yellow colour and stretchy texture.

Homemade Fresh Pasta (Printable recipe)

Makes 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients:

• 200 gm plain flour
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 to 3 Tbsp semolina flour + extra for dusting

Method:

1. Use a food processor, add flour and salt, then process a few seconds. Pour in the eggs and process until the mixture begins to come together.
2. Transfer on a clean surface. Dust with the semolina flour. Knead until the dough is smooth. Divide into two equal portions and wrap in cling wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. Put the dough through a pasta machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Roll to your preferred thickness and cut. Set it on a clean tray liberally sprinkled with more semolina flour or plain flour/all-purpose flour to avoid them from sticking together. Gently toss the pasta through your fingers to separate it, then lay it on a floured tray while you cut the remaining dough.
4. When you’re ready to cook the pasta, toss them in salted boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how thick your pasta is. The pasta should be cooked through but still gives a sense of firmness. Remember to test by tasting yourself.

Notes:

• You can omit the semolina flour if can’t source it. And substitute it with plain flour for dusting.
• Keep the unused dough in moist.
• Throw the fresh pasta into boiling water at the last moment, then immediately plate this dish up.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef (Classic Cantonese Noodles)

If you have a chance of going for Yum Cha in any Chinese restaurants, you might notice this traditional dish on their menu. The Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef (Beef chow fun, 乾炒牛河) is a classic Cantonese noodles. My father used to order it for us whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant, our all time favourite. I love eating it from childhood and it’s got lots of beautiful memories associated with this dish. Even after moving to Australia, I’d like to cook this dish every now and then, enjoying a cup of Chinese tea.

This dish looks simple, yet involves lots of cooking skills and experiences, as the Wikipedia says, “it’s a major test for chefs in Cantonese cooking”. But I don't want to intimate you to try and cook this dish at home, it can be done nicely with some measures taken into account.

Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef (Printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 500 gm flat rice noodles ("hefen" or known as "Shahe fen" 河粉), available at Asian stores
• 150 gm beef
• 1/2 onion, shredded
• 120 gm bean sprouts, trimmed
• shredded ginger, to taste
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped

Marinade:

• 2 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp water
• sesame oil, to taste

Seasonings:

• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tsp Sugar

Method:

1. Rinse beef and wrap dry with kitchen papers. Thinly slide across the grain. Mix with marinade for 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place beef on a single layer and fry both sides, until they are 70% cooked. (Note: Don’t need to stir the beef. The yummy meat juice inside will leak if the heat is down otherwise. This frying method helps the surface of your beef to be cooked quickly and seal the juice inside.) Set aside.
3. Heat more oil in pan. Add onion and stir fry until truculent and fragrant. Be sure not to burn them. Add ginger and bean sprouts. When the bean sprouts are softened, push the onion and bean sprouts to the sides of pan if it’s big enough, or dish them up if your pan is too small. Increase heat to high. Toss in flat noodles and stir fry until it’s really heated up. Add seasoning. Remember to taste by yourself. Add more light soy sauce if needed, bit by bit at a time. If you find the colour of flat noodles is not dark enough, you can add more dark soy sauce if you like. Mind you that if too much dark soy sauce is added, your noodles will taste bitter.
4. Toss back the beef, onion and bean sprouts, combine all ingredients. Add spring onion and mix. Serve hot.

Notes:

• Trim the tails of bean sprouts if you have time, and get a better looking. But I have to say, it takes lots of time and effort to trim every tiny bean sprout. Some Asian stores would have trimmed bean sprouts available, but much expensive than the regular ones. Having said that, if you don’t trim them, it’s not a big deal because the whole bean sprout can be eaten and is nutritious. Just the looking is different.
• If you don’t want soggy and sticky fried flat noodles, don’t ever blanch them. If you do, there’s no way to turn them around. Normally, when you get a packet of flat rice noodles, they are coated with some oil. You can just drop them into a frying pan and stir fry right away. Use less oil in pan, of course. If you’re concerned with the hygiene, you might like to put the rice noodles in a drainer, then pour over boiling water to wash away the oil on the surface. Drain very well.
• When it comes to frying flat rice noodles, it should be soft, smooth and seasoned with the flavour of soy sauce. We all like very hot and tasty fried noodles, right? Many people would find it’s not easy to get very hot flat rice noodles in good shape. The flat rice noodles are very fragile in a certain sense. They would quickly and easily break into pieces and turn into a mess. So in a Cantonese restaurant, the heat that the chef used is very high (It’s known as "wok hei" 鑊氣) and the chef only flips the wok without stirring the noodles too much and get the dish done very quickly. But in home cooking, the temperature of our stoves is not as high as those in Chinese restaurants. Is there any way of cooking a nice plate of HOT fried flat noodles without stirring too much?
• Here’s a quick and simple way: Preheat them in a microwave! Carefully separate each strip of rice noodles apart before tossing them in your pan.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Fried Noodles with Chicken

What’s for lunch today? Our family seldom eats rice for lunch, sometimes clears away the leftovers in fridge. Very often, I like to have fried noodles. Previously I shared the classic Cantonese fried noodles with pork (肉絲炒麵). Here I post another one of my favourite fried noodles, it’s fried with chicken together with lots of vegetables. As a matter of fact, whatever kind of fried noodles dish is placed in front of me, I won’t hesitate to taste and will definitely eat a lot, even though it’s just fried with veggies. So I’ve got a nickname, “Noodle Queen” in my family, haha..

Ingredients:

• 250 gm fried noodles (available at Asian stores)
• 165 gm chicken breast (or chicken thigh)
• 60 gm bean sprouts (available at Asian stores)
• 1/2 stalk red carrot, julienned
• 1 stalk celery, julienned
• 1/2 onion, julienned
• 12 green beans
• julienned ginger, to taste
• sectioned green onion, to taste

Marinade:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp sugar
• pepper, to taste

Seasoning:

• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• sesame oil, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Thickening:

• 1 Tbsp cornflour
• 2 Tbsp water

Method:

1. Blanch noodles in boiling water to wash away the starch and to loosen them up, about 3 minutes, according to the instructions of the packet. Rinse with plenty of water. Drain well.
2. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix with marinade for 20 minutes. Sauté with hot oil in a wok or frypan over medium-high heat, until cooked through. Set aside.
3. Add some oil and cook onion until translucent. Add green beans, celery, red carrot and cook until softened. Lastly, add bean sprouts. Pour in seasoning and bring it to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, use another wok or frypan to stir fry noodles. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, sauté ginger and spring onion until aromatic. Add noodles, turn heat to high and stir fry until noodles are lightly brown and crisp. Season with salt along the way of frying noodles. Remember to taste by yourself. When the noodles are hot enough and you’re satisfied with the taste, it’s done. Transfer to a platter.
5. When the seasoning boils, add thickening, and cook to your preferred consistency. Pour over noodles. I usually do it this way for getting better presentation and the dish appeals my family’s eyes. Yet, you can use another way as many people do. Return the noodles and stir fry with seasoning. Stir and mix all ingredients together. Either way will do. Serve hot.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Meatballs with Pasta Recipe

I love cooking Angle Hair pasta. Not only does it taste good, but also quick to get it done, especially on a hectic day. The Angle Hair pasta I used in this recipe is fantastic, that only needs two minutes to cook until al dente. This dish Meatballs with Angle Hair Pasta is my daughter’s favourite. When it comes to cooking this quick dish, it won't take too long to prepare fresh meatballs. Sometimes I just use the meatballs that cooked in advance and kept in freezer. Then grab them out to cook in the last minute. The pasta absorbs all the flavours of the sauce, going really well the juicy meatballs.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 200 gm Angle Hair pasta
• 500 gm minced beef
• 2 cans Italian diced tomato with sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 chili, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, to taste
• basil (fresh or dried), to taste
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Marinade:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 to 2 stalks rosemary, chopped leaves
• 1 stalk oregano, (chopped leaves or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Mix minced beef with marinade and leave for 15 minutes. Spoon out mixture and use two palms to shape balls.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through. Set aside.
3. Add some more oil to sauté garlic and chili until aromatic. Stir in basil and add diced tomato with sauce. Bring it to a boil. Slower heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
4. Meanwhile, use a large saucepan to prepare boiling water. Add salt in water. Follow the instructions on the packet to cook Angle Hair pasta. Mine only needs two minutes of cooking to al dente. Drain well and toss to combine with meatballs and tomato sauce. Serve hot, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips:

1. The breadcrumbs are to help the beef stick together. I only used 3 slices of white bread, trimmed crust. Dice and process them in a food processor. Then pop them in a preheated 160C (320F) oven for a few minutes. The baked breadcrumb is wonderful for mixing meatballs.
2. Chili and tomato are “good friends” to make your pasta taste heavenly.
3. I bought the canned Italian tomato with sauce at supermarket. Very handy.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/

Curry Beef and Vermicelli in Hot Pot

Again, this traditional hot pot recipe is very classic and easy to make. I just can’t resist the flavor of hot curry. The combination of beef, onion and vermicelli were just right in this hot pot. Yummy !

Ingredients:

beef tenderloin 150gm
vermicelli 75gm
1 onion
Spring onion (sectioned)
1 teaspoon garlic (hashed)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup stock

Seasoning:

1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 tablespoons light soya sauce
1/4 teaspoons sugar

Marinade:

1/2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1/3 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons corn flour
a dash of sesame oil

Method:

1. Soak vermicelli till tender, drain for later use.

2. Slice beef tenderloin and stir in marinade, then fry briefly. Put aside.

3. Cut onion into thick shreds, fry with a little oil till tender.

4. Heat a bit of oil to sauté hashed garlic and curry powder, then stir in half portion of the onion shreds and mix thoroughly. Pour in stock and transfer ingredients into an earthen pot. Add in seasoning mixture and bring to boil, then put in vermicelli.

5. Place beef tenderloin and the remaining onion shreds over vermicelli. Add in sectioned spring onion and bring ingredients to boil again. Serve hot.

©2026 Christine's Recipes - https://en.christinesrecipes.com/