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what are pan-fried noodles?
pan-fried noodles refers to the downright magical combination of noodles that are pan-fried until they are very crispy and crunchy, slightly burned, and are then covered in an impossibly delicious savory sauce accompanied with an assortment of your choice of meat and/or vegetables.
YOU MUST TRY THIS!!!. yes, must. or else.
it's literally the best food you'll ever experience in your entire life. i promise. i hope the exaggerated amounts of emphasis helps convince you to try this food, if you haven't yet.
this dish is sometimes referred to as Hong Kong-style or Cantonese-style noodles.
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...wait, it's just noodles, sauce, vegetables and meat together? what's the big deal?
how dare you
...
okay, i've calmed down. i'll admit, the combination that makes up a pan-fried noodle dish sounds simple. but if there ever was an example of the phrase 'greater than the sum of its parts,' it would be this.
so, why is it so, so so amazing?
let's start with the crispy noodle cake that sets the stage for the performance of flavors that you experience with your mouth. first, let's recognize that crispy things are, in general, just plain better than non-crispy things. hey, i don't make the rules.
and even if somehow you aren't the biggest fan of crispiness, hey: pan-fried noodles are still here for you. because as you eat, the divine sauce that tops this already perfect arrangement slowly soaks into the tangled web of delectableness, nourishing the bittle surface into every possible variation of texture between "crispy" and "soft".
let's pause a moment and reflect on whether you've ever eaten anything that lets you experience an infinite amount of anything with every. single. bite.
and speakin' of the sauce, it's a combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and so many other conveyances of savory delight that surrounds not just the noodles but the meat (chicken, beef, bbq pork, shrimp) and vegetables (bok choy, onions, baby corn, green onions, cabbage, carrots) that are already fantastic by themselves.
jesus fuckin' christ it's SO good and i want some more, right now, even though i've had it twice in the last two days.
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why are you so passionate about this?
i love to spread and share the things in life that bring me great joy, in the hopes that said shared-thing will also make someone else happy. this website is an extension of that. i don't know who you are, internet stranger, but i invite you to give pan-fried noodles a try and i truly hope it brightens your day, if only a little.
then maybe try something one of your friends is equally impassioned about, or share something of your own with 'em. it will be fun, promise. (orrrrrrr, both of you could eat pan-fried noodles together. because they're the best.)
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so, you're sayin' i should eat pan-fried noodles?
yes.
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where can i find pan-fried noodles?
i recommend doing thorough search of local restaurants with your search engine of choice for references to "crunchy", "crispy" especially in combination with pan-fried, Hong Kong-style or Cantonese-style.
note: occasionally, a restaurant will list a noodle dish as pan-fried even if there's no crispiness to be found anywhere in the meal. i believe this misrepresentation to be a crime without equal. (but, it is not illegal. yet.)
protect yourself by triple checking with the restaurant before you order that the noodles you are ordering will indeed be 1. crispy 2. as in, not soft. 3. as in, it's not like regular noodles, but you know how like you eat a potato chip and you hear that satisfying crunch, no i'm not crazy, i really want these noodles to require work to chew through and so help me god i'll leave this restaurant, right here, right now, if i can't snap these cooked strands of dough in half with my hands—
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can i make pan-fried noodles myself?
indeed. there are many recipes online that you can use to make 'em yourself. i've personally found the most success with this recipe at recipetineats.com for "Chinese Crispy Noodles".
whatever recipe you use, there are two critical components to keep in mind.
1. having the correct sauce is essential, and by that i mean it NEEDS to have some form of both soy sauce and oyster sauce together for you to have any chance of experiencing flavor nirvana.
2. the noodles, obviously, have to be crispy. figure out what works best for you—when making these noodles for myself, i typically will air fry a package of fortune yakisoba noodles sprayed on both side with cooking spray.
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how can i convince someone to try pan-fried noodles?
linkin' 'em to this website would be a start. escalate from there as appropriate.
remember, this is a potentially life-changing experience you're gonna introduce 'em to. nothing is off the table. nothing. i'm not responsible for anything you decide to do, so go nuts.
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who did this to me?
it shall forever be a mystery.
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any final thoughts?YES YOU SHOULD EAT PAN-FRIED NOODLES