A few little tricks and techniques make this humble weeknight dinner truly epic. The secret is all in the braising sauce that I cook the chicken in – that then becomes the base of the sauce for the noodles. Double the flavour!
Soy Sauce Chicken & Noodles
4 dried shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 slices ginger
6 garlic cloves, smashed
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced lengthways
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
¼ cup Chinese Shaoxing wine
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar
4 chicken thighs
sea salt
400g (14 oz) fresh Chinese egg noodles, cooked
100g (3.5 oz) Chinese broccoli (gailarn), blanched until tender
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp sambal oelek* (optional)
- Soak the mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Drain and set aside. Strain and reserve the soaking liquid.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and spring onion and stir-fry for a minute. Then add the star anise, cinnamon stick, mushrooms, mushroom soaking liquid, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Then add the chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover and allow the chicken to steep in the hot liquid for 30 minutes.
- Lift out the chicken and mushrooms and reserve for later. Taste the braising liquid and season to taste with salt. Place a quarter cup of the liquid into 4 shallow serving bowls. Add the cooked noodles and top with cooked Chinese broccoli, sliced reserved chicken and a mushroom. Drizzle each plate with a little sesame oil and spoon a little sambal on the side if using.
- Notes: – Sambal oelek is a chilli paste that can be found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets or from an Asian grocery store.
