‘Dumplings and Noodles’ cookbook: Recipes from lo mein to Singapore mei fun

Serves 4
Prep 10 mins
Cooking 10 mins

This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or as a quicker, cheaper alternative for a Friday night takeaway. The dish looks and tastes quite similar to chow mein, and the ingredients are similar too. The cooking method is different, however. Whereas lo in Chinese means ‘to toss’, chow means ‘to fry’. Lo mein noodles are boiled separately, then added to cooked vegetables and sauce and tossed through. By contrast, chow mein noodles are dry-fried along with the meat and vegetables, cooking in the wok.

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light (soft) brown sugar
About 400g (14oz) fresh egg noodles or 250g (9oz) dried egg noodles
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp neutral oil
2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
3 spring onions (scallions): 2 julienned and 1 thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
150g (5oz) mushrooms (any kind – I used oyster), sliced
150g (5oz) pak choi (bok choy) or any leafy green (such as spinach or purple-sprouting broccoli), sliced
1 red (bell) pepper, julienned
1 orange (bell) pepper, julienned
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish

Mix the light and dark soy sauces and sugar together in a mug or shallow bowl with a dash of hot water to dissolve the sugar. Cook your noodles until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and rinse in cold water, then add the sesame oil to the cooked noodles and toss to coat. This will prevent them from sticking together.

Heat the neutral oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the ginger to the pan and stir quickly, followed by the julienned spring onions (scallions) and the garlic, mushrooms and pak choi (bok choy). Stir-fry for three-four minutes until the mushrooms become a little darker and the pak choi leaves begin to wilt. Add the red and orange (bell) peppers and continue to stir quickly. Add the rice wine and let it bubble away.

After a minute, tip in the drained noodles, followed by the soy mixture, and toss everything together. Stir-fry for one minute more. Serve immediately, garnished with the sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.

Note: You can add or substitute any vegetables that you like in this recipe – bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli, mangetout (snow peas), water chestnuts, etc.

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Serves 2
Prep 15 mins · cooking 10 mins

This is probably my favourite noodle recipe. I say that about a lot of dishes, but I think this one actually is. It’s also one of my longest standing recipes, one that I have been making again and again for years, an organic process that has meant that, over time, it has changed little by little and become very much my own. It is different in appearance and substance from a dan dan mian (mian for ‘noodles’) that you might get in a restaurant or on the streets of a Sichuanese city, but the essence is the same.

About 200g (7oz) fresh thick ramen
Noodles or 120g (4½oz) dried thick wheat noodles (2 nests)
1 tbsp neutral oil
200g (¾ cup) minced (ground) beef (>15% fat) or 100g (scant ½ cup) each of minced (ground) beef and pork
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

2 tbsp sesame paste (or tahini)
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
2 tsp light (soft) brown sugar
¼ tsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp homemade chilli oil or Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil

To serve

100ml (½ cup) chicken stock (preferably homemade) or water
2 handfuls of leafy greens (such as pak choi/bok choy, kai lan, choi sum or spinach), sliced
2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
2 tbsp sui mi ya cai or 1 tbsp finely diced gherkin
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
2 radishes, julienned (optional)

Begin by cooking the noodles until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid, and then rinse in plenty of cold water until they are completely cool (this will prevent them from sticking), then set aside.

Next make the sauce. Add the sesame paste (or tahini) and peanut butter to a small bowl, along with the soy sauce, rice vinegar and two tablespoons of the reserved noodle-cooking water, and gradually mix this together. Sesame paste is quite solid and can be difficult to dissolve, but stick with it. I use the back of a fork to mash it in with the liquid ingredients to begin with. Once the sesame paste is incorporated, add the rest of the sauce ingredients. You can add more chilli oil if you want more of a kick. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the minced (ground) beef (or mixed beef and pork) and let it brown and caramelise for at least one minute, without stirring. Then, stir and continue to cook for five-six minutes until browned all over. Once the meat is browned, add the Chinese five spice powder and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the rice wine and deglaze the pan, then add the sweet bean sauce (or hoisin), soy sauce and black pepper. Mix well and turn down the heat to cook for another two minutes.

To assemble, add 50ml (¼ cup) of the hot chicken stock or water to each bowl. Add half of the sauce to each bowl and combine with the stock/ water. Add half the cooked noodles and sliced greens, then top with half the meat mixture, followed by a tablespoon each of the peanuts and sui mi ya cai, and half the spring onions (scallions) and radishes (if using). Mix it all together and enjoy!

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Serves 4
Prep 10 mins + soaking
Cooking 15–20 mins

Often called Singapore vermicelli, this dish is well known for its yellow colour and curry flavour. It is common in restaurants in Hong Kong and southern China, where rice noodles make a frequent appearance due to the abundance of rice in those regions (as opposed to wheat-based products, which are more popular in the northern regions of China).

4–5 nests dried vermicelli rice noodles
Neutral oil, for frying
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 white onion, sliced
1 long red chilli, deseeded and sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp mild curry powder
165g (½ cup) raw peeled king prawns (jumbo shrimp) – fresh, or frozen and defrosted
1 small red (bell) pepper, julienned
1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
120g (4½oz) Char Siu Pork (see below), cut into 1cm (½in) dice
2 spring onions (scallions), julienned, to serve

For the seasoning sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
A pinch of freshly ground white pepper
½ tsp light (soft) brown sugar

Soak the noodles in boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. It’s important not to overcook the noodles when you boil them as they will finish softening in the wok. Drain and rinse in plenty of cold water to prevent them from sticking, then set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce in a small bowl or mug, stir to dissolve the sugar and then set aside.

Heat a teaspoon of neutral oil in a hot wok or non-stick frying pan (skillet) and add the beaten eggs. Sprinkle over one teaspoon of the turmeric and quickly scramble until just set, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat a little more oil in your wok over high heat and quickly stir-fry the onion slices for two–three minutes, allowing them to char very slightly. Add the chilli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the garlic, curry powder and the remaining turmeric; keep everything moving around the pan with a wooden spoon.

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Tip in the king prawns (jumbo shrimp) and cook for one-two minutes until just translucent. Add the red (bell) pepper, carrot and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Pour in the rice wine and let this bubble away, then add the pork, quickly followed by the cooked rice noodles. Toss these with the ingredients in the pan until well combined. Everything should be a lovely yellow colour. Pour in the seasoning sauce and let this bubble away slightly.

Once the pan is dry, add the scrambled eggs and combine. Remove from the heat and add the spring onions (scallions) to serve.

Extracted from ‘Dumplings and Noodles’ by Pippa Middlehurst (Quadrille, £16.99) Photography © India Hobson