Crispy Noodles

[Woodchuck2000]

I'm always massively impressed by the Chow Mein served in Chinatown in London - partly the flavour of the sauce and partly the consistency of the noodles which tend to be crispy at the edges and soft and juicy in the middle. A couple of questions then;

1) Does anyone know what kind of noodles are used in Chinatown? They look like normal egg noodles but taste a lot better!

2) How do you cook noodles so they go crispy? I'm assuming they're not deep-fried as that's make them all crispy rather than just the edges...

I'm aiming to improve my Chinese cookery at the moment so any general tips greatly appreciated!

[Moby-Dick]

I'm sure I've done cripsy noodles at the edges by adding the noodles into the stir fry towards the end ( after boiling for a bit ).
sitr for a bit , then let the base crips up a little ( I think you need to have a good pan to make sure they dont stick )

[Clingy]

My guess is they add the pre cooked noodles first to a large very hot wok.

I have made a dish where you fry noodles in a frying pan and press them down to form a cake like shape. They end up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

[uchiha_itachi]

@Woodchuck2000

Where abouts are these chinese restaurants with the crispy noodles? I know what you're talking about trying to recreate the noodles as my wife keeps trying to make the crunchy noodles too. She talks of some place in china town where she had crispy noodles but can't remember where it is, maybe its the same place.

All the chinese takeaway shops around where I live dont have crispy noodles so would be interesting to finally try some.

Apparently have heard they do use egg noodles but something about they keep them in cold water before they fry them. Not sure if its true though.

[0iD]

PM Proplus, he owns a big Chinese restaurant in Brum iirc. If anybody should know it'd be him

[Kumagoro]

They no doubt use a higher quality type of noodle for starters.

[TheAnimus]

If your in chinatown, and its not too busy, just ask, you'll probably find the place he buys them is only a 5 minuite walk away. I got shown how to make this loverly beef chow main, just by asking (I'd been stood up , but at least in buisness you get to bill them when that happens)

[unreal]

Ooo if someone can find this out for certain, I will love em' because I go to the chinese restuarant called Won Keis and the crispy noodles there are bliss. Then my mommy can make some

[Woodchuck2000]

The one i'm thinking of is a little place called the Hing Loon on Little Newport Street (near Leicester Square Station). Most of the other restaurants nearby do a similar type of noodle! I've found a similar-looking type of egg noodle in a little chinese supermarket near where I live. I'll try some of the suggestions above and report back asap...

[Fossil]

Originally Posted by PrivatePyle

You made that name up

Its called Wong Kei, haven't ventured in there yet as I've heard many stories

Most of the Chinese restaurants get their ingredients from Chinese supermarkets.. See Woo, Hoo Hing, and Wing Yip are the biggest ones.

[uchiha_itachi]

Originally Posted by Fossil

Its called Wong Kei, haven't ventured in there yet as I've heard many stories

Most of the Chinese restaurants get their ingredients from Chinese supermarkets.. See Woo, Hoo Hing, and Wing Yip are the biggest ones.

I have heard of Hoo Hing, they are very big! And are just down the road from me in/near Spitalfield Markets or Stratford. There is also a smaller chinese wholesale shop called Loon Fung. Its in North London pretty much next to White Hart Lane football stadium. And its more suited for smaller business/home customers, as they dont charge a minimum order or require you to open an account with them. Their range of food is still very large but obviously nowhere near the scale of Hoo Hing.

[0iD]

I thought crispy noodles was just a matter of deep frying them.

[aBuLhAgaG]

Originally Posted by PrivatePyle

You made that name up

I've been in there, the rudest waiting staff I've ever encountered but the food is great...

[Fossil]

Originally Posted by uchiha_itachi

I have heard of Hoo Hing, they are very big! And are just down the road from me in/near Spitalfield Markets or Stratford. There is also a smaller chinese wholesale shop called Loon Fung. Its in North London pretty much next to White Hart Lane football stadium. And its more suited for smaller business/home customers, as they dont charge a minimum order or require you to open an account with them. Their range of food is still very large but obviously nowhere near the scale of Hoo Hing.

Hoo Hing has the most stores.. five.. the one you're talking about is the one just off the A12 *somewhere* in Hackney, and that is the oldest store!

Loon Fung have a superstore in Alperton, and the mini one in Chinatown.

I normally go See Woo in Greenwich as it has what we need, I think HH caters for trade rather than retail customers.. they are more expensive than SW on alot of items.

[Proplus]

Get some nice clean vegetable oil, and heat it all the way up. Boil egg noodles first to cook thoroughly and let it drain away the moisture. Then deep fry in the oil until golden brown and crispy.

When cooking the 'mixture' to go on top, make sure you make it quiet runny, so that once poured on top of the crispy noodles, there's enough sauce for the noodles to absorb and go soft.