Seafood chow mein

In this version of chow mein, instead of stir-frying the seafood and noodles together, the noodles are fried into a crisp pancake shape then topped with the tender, aromatic seafood.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable oil, plus extra for shallow frying
• 4 large raw king prawns, shelled, tails intact, intestinal tract removed
• 1 calamari hood, scored and cut into 1.5 cm strips
• 6 Japanese scallops, roe off
• 1 yellow capsicum, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 red capsicum, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 brown onion, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 6 large pippies, rinsed
• 300 g fresh egg noodles
• 50 g ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 50 g garlic, finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, cut into batons
• 200 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• oyster sauce, to taste
• salt and sugar, to taste
• 1 bunch white garlic chives, chopped
• 1 bunch coriander, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Place the oil in a wok or heavy–based saucepan and heat to 180˚C. Add the prawns and stir in the hot oil for 5 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Repeat with the calamari, scallops, capsicum and onion. You are just blanching the seafood and vegetables in the oil, not cooking them all the way through.
2. Meanwhile, place the pippies in a steamer basket over a saucepan of boiling water and steam for 2 – 3 minutes or until just opened.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, then drain and place in a bowl of iced water to cool down quickly. Drain very well, then toss with a good drizzle of oil to keep them separate.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and spring onion and cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the stock and Shaoxing wine, then season to taste with oyster sauce, salt and sugar. Simmer until slightly thickened and reduced, then add the chives and blanched seafood and vegetables and toss to combine well.
5. In another frying pan, heat a generous amount of oil for shallow frying the noodles. Add the noodles in a pancake shape, making sure they're not too thick and heavy and gently fry until golden. Turn and cook the other side, then drain on paper towel. Transfer to a plate, top with the seafood sauce and scatter with coriander. Serve immediately.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.