Chow Mein Noodles Stir-fry with Shrimps and Vegetables
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Birthdays remind me of how life continues no matter what goes on in the world. I cooked this Chow Mein Noodles Stir-fry with Shrimps and Vegetables for my son’s birthday today. February is a short month but so much has happened to our family. A myriad of emotions has flowed through our hearts the past few weeks. We have experienced joy simultaneously with sorrow, anticipation with remembrance, sadness with trepidation all at once. There have been many birthdays celebrated in our family this month – my son’s, my two brothers-in-law, my late mother-in-law, cousins, best friends, and hey, even Presidents. And sadly, there has been a death in our family, too. As I was writing this blog post, I got a text message from our niece that she had gone into labor and the baby could come anytime now. And thus, the circle of life continues.
Traditionally for Filipinos, we celebrate birthdays with a “handa” (a feast). Whether we have a big or small party, we must always serve and eat noodles or ‘pancit’ for long life and prosperity. I was in search of a noodle dish which was somewhat different, but sort of familiar for my son’s birthday. Thankfully, my friends at Tuttle Publishing had sent me couple of cookbooks a while back and I reached for The Complete Book of Asian Stir-Fries by Vicki Liley for ideas.
I found a recipe for Chow Mein and I knew it would make a scrumptious entree for our family dinner. In the original recipe of the cookbook, the Chow Mein was deep-fried. I decided to stir-fry the noodles instead together with the rest of the vegetables especially because my son would have preferred a dish with lesser grease. It didn’t take long to put together the entire noodle dish. The crisp, fresh vegetables in the skillet looked festive and colorful next to the soft, silky, thick noodles nestled in between the greens. I gathered the noodles and vegetables altogether with a large pair of chopsticks and marveled at its magnificence. The hearty noodles glistened, and the appealing aromas of hoisin and soy sauces were hard to resist. As I added the finishing touches of scallion slices, I couldn’t help but appreciate that the opportunity to celebrate life comes once a year for all of us. But really, there’s no stopping us from celebrating life and love every single day.
Chow Mein Noodles Stir-fry with Shrimps and Vegetables
Equipment
- Large wok or skillet - about 12 to 14 inches in diameter
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed
- 1 whole white or yellow onion sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger peeled, grated
- 1/2 pound fresh shrimps large, peeled, heads and tails removed
- 1 whole red or green bell pepper seeded, sliced
- 1 whole yellow bell pepper seeded, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth add half a cup more if noodles get dry or need reheating
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 cup sliced green beans 2-inch length pieces
- 1 cup snow peas edges trimmed
- 1 cup coarsely chopped bok choy
- 6 1/2 oz. (200 g.) pancit canton (Chinese dried noodles)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
- 2 stalks scallions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok, over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil. When oil is hot enough in about two minutes, stir-fry the garlic, onions and ginger. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes till onions are soft and ginger emits its aroma.
- Add the fresh shrimps and bell peppers. Stir-fry till shrimps turn to pink, about 8 minutes.
- Pour hoisin sauce, soy sauce and broth. Blend ingredients well.
- Add the vegetables and combine ingredients. Continue cooking till greens are cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Gradually add the dried noodles. Mix well till the liquid coats the noodles. Continue cooking for 5 minutes more till noodles soften.
- Season with salt, black pepper and sesame oil. Garnish with chopped scallions just before serving.
- Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and recipe content I wrote, on your website,books, films, television shows or videos without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video, news article,or media outlets mentioned above please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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Nutrition
Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.
Did you like this recipe?I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot by Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino. I also have more classic recipes inspired by my mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
