ALMOND CHOW MEIN

Ingredients

• 1 lb noodles (Use Chinese-style egg noodles if available. Dried or fresh both work.)
• 0.25 lb mushrooms (Sliced. Button, shiitake, or any fresh mushroom you can find.)
• 0.25 lb bamboo shoots (Canned bamboo shoots, drained and sliced into thin strips, work well.)
• 0.25 lb water chestnuts (Canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced, are a convenient option.)
• 0.125 cup chicken meat (Thinly sliced. Use cooked or raw chicken breast sliced as thin as possible.)
• 0.125 cup cooked ham (Thinly sliced. Deli-style cooked ham works perfectly here.)
• 2 whole eggs (These will be beaten and fried as a thin omelette, then sliced finely.)
• 0.5 cup roasted almonds (Pre-roasted almonds. Whole or roughly chopped both work.)
• 0 to taste salt (Used both in the boiling water and to season the vegetables.)
• 0 to taste pepper (Used to season the vegetables.)
• 0 to taste soy bean sauce (Also known as soy sauce. Add gradually and taste as you go.)
• 0 to taste ginger (Fresh grated or ground ginger can be used. Add to taste.)
• 0 as needed cooking fat (Used for deep-frying the noodles and greasing the pan for vegetables and eggs. A neutral oil such as vegetable oil works well.)
• 0 optional, to garnish parsley (Used as an optional garnish to finish the platter.)

Instructions

1. 1Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop the raw noodles into the boiling water, add a little salt, and boil for five minutes. The noodles should be just cooked through — not mushy.
2. 2Once the noodles have boiled for five minutes, drain them in a colander. Run cold water over them to stop the cooking and rinse off excess starch. This also helps them dry out more effectively.
3. 3Spread the drained noodles out on a clean surface, a baking tray, or a rack. Leave them to dry for half an hour or until they are thoroughly dry. Drying them completely is important — wet noodles will splatter dangerously when dropped into hot fat. You can gently pat them with a clean cloth or paper towel to speed this up.
4. 4Heat a generous amount of cooking fat in a deep pot or deep pan — enough to fully submerge small portions of noodles, similar to frying doughnuts. The fat should be hot but not smoking (around 180°C / 350°F is ideal). Drop the dried noodles into the hot fat in small batches, just as you would doughnuts. They will puff and crisp very quickly. Take them out quickly — they only need a moment — and drain them on brown paper or paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Work in batches and set aside.
5. 5Take a clean frying pan and grease it with a little cooking fat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Fry, stirring occasionally, until they are cooked through and tender. Season them with salt, pepper, soy bean sauce, and ginger to taste — add each seasoning a little at a time and taste as you go. Once tender and well-seasoned, remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
6. 6Using the same frying pan (with the remaining cooking fat from the vegetables), add the deep-fried noodles and fry them briefly in the pan over medium heat. This step adds extra flavour from the vegetable juices left in the pan. Toss gently and then set aside.
7. 7Lightly grease the frying pan again with a little cooking fat. Beat the two eggs well in a bowl, then pour the beaten eggs into the pan over medium heat. Cook as a thin, flat omelette — do not scramble. Once set and just cooked through, slide it out of the pan. Once cool enough to handle, slice the egg omelette very finely into thin strips and set aside.
8. 8Take a large serving platter and build the dish in layers. First, spread an even layer of the fried noodles across the bottom of the platter. Next, arrange a layer of the cooked vegetables (mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts) over the noodles. Then lay out a layer of the thinly sliced chicken meat and thinly sliced cooked ham over the vegetables. Spread the finely sliced egg strips over the chicken and ham. Finally, sprinkle the roasted almonds evenly over the top. If desired, trim the platter with parsley as a garnish before serving.