Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Soy Sauce Fried Noodles
豉油皇炒麵
Recipe overview
Soy Sauce Fried Noodles is a quick Hong Kong home-style staple made with egg noodles, bean sprouts, yellow chives, onion, and a simple soy sauce seasoning. It helps helpers practise loosening noodles in boiling water, draining them well, mixing a balanced soy sauce, and stir-frying noodles until dry, glossy, and fragrant. The key is to keep the noodles dry and add the sauce in small batches so the dish does not become sticky or watery.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 Hong Kong fried noodle cakes or 400g egg noodles
- 150g bean sprouts
- 80g yellow chives
- 1/2 onion
- 2 stalks spring onion
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- A little water
Seasoning
- 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce Soy sauce seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- A little white pepper
- A little sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
02
Tools
- Soup pot
- Nonstick wok or home wok
- Wok spatula
- Chopsticks
- Slotted spoon
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare ingredients
Prepare noodles, bean sprouts, yellow chives, onion, spring onion, shallot, and seasonings. Fried noodles cook quickly, so cut everything before heating the wok.
Step 2
Wash and cut vegetables
Rinse and drain bean sprouts, cut yellow chives into sections, slice onion, cut spring onion into sections, and slice shallot. Drain bean sprouts well to avoid watery noodles.
Step 3
Mix soy sauce seasoning
Mix light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, and water in a bowl.
Step 4
Boil noodles
Bring water to a boil and cook the noodle cakes until just loosened. Do not cook too long or the noodles will become soft.
Step 5
Rinse and drain noodles
Lift the noodles out, rinse briefly with water, then drain very well in a slotted spoon. Drier noodles fry better.
Step 6
Pan-fry noodles
Heat a little oil in the wok and gently pan-fry the noodles over medium heat until the surface is slightly dry and fragrant. Do not press hard and break them.
Step 7
Set aside noodles
Remove the lightly fried noodles first so they do not absorb extra moisture while the vegetables are cooked.
Step 8
Fry shallot and onion
Add a little oil to the same wok and fry shallot slices and onion until fragrant. Keep the heat controlled so the shallot does not burn.
Step 9
Add bean sprouts
Add bean sprouts and stir-fry for 30-45 seconds, keeping them crisp. Do not overcook or they will release water.
Step 10
Return noodles to wok
Return the noodles and use chopsticks with the spatula to loosen and mix them with onion and bean sprouts.
Step 11
Add soy sauce seasoning
Add the soy sauce seasoning along the side of the wok in two batches, tossing quickly each time so the noodles colour evenly.
Step 12
Add chives and serve
Add yellow chives and spring onion last. Stir-fry briefly and serve. The noodles should be dry, glossy, and not watery.
Common mistakes
- Boiling noodles too long makes them too soft and easy to break.
- Not draining noodles well makes the dish wet and sticky.
- Adding all sauce at once makes the noodles too salty and wet.
- Overcooking bean sprouts makes them release water and lose crunch.
- Too low heat makes the noodles lack wok fragrance.
- Too much dark soy sauce makes the colour and flavour too heavy.
Tips
The most important point is dryness. Drain the noodles well and add the sauce in batches. For the first try, keep the seasoning light and ask Ma'am or Sir to taste before serving. For children, use less white pepper and dark soy sauce.
