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1
Slice and Velvet the Chicken
8 Mins • Marinate
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Put the 300 g of sliced chicken in a bowl with the 10 g of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the chicken stock. Toss with your hands until every strip is evenly coated in a thin, milky layer, then leave it to rest for 8 minutes while you finish the prep. Pat the 200 g of prawns dry with paper towels.
The cornstarch coat is thin on purpose — a thick coat turns gummy in the gravy, and dry prawns sear instead of steaming.
Done when: The chicken strips look lightly glazed, not clumpy, and the prawns are dry to the touch.
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2
Wok-Fry the Noodles
5 Mins • High Heat
Wok ~220°C (425°F)
Heat 20 ml of the vegetable oil in a large wok over the highest heat until it shimmers and just starts to smoke, about 220°C (425°F). Add the 600 g of loosened flat rice noodles in one layer and leave them alone for 2 minutes so the underside chars lightly, then toss and fry for another 2–3 minutes until the edges are golden and the kitchen smells smoky. Tip the noodles into a large serving bowl or four deep bowls.
Do not stir the noodles for the first 2 minutes — that untouched contact with the hot wok is where the smoky wok hei flavour comes from.
Done when: The noodle edges are lightly charred and golden, and the noodles smell faintly smoky.
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3
Simmer the Gravy
8 Mins • Gentle Simmer
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F); chicken to 74°C (165°F)
Heat the remaining 10 ml of oil in the same wok over medium heat. Fry the 15 g of garlic and 10 g of ginger for 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the remaining 700 ml of chicken stock, the 25 ml of light soy sauce, the 30 g of oyster sauce, the 15 ml of Shaoxing wine, the 5 g of sugar, the 2 g of salt and the 2 g of white pepper. Bring it to a gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F), add the velveted chicken, the prawns and the choy sum stems, and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the chicken is opaque all the way through and reaches 74°C (165°F) at its thickest part and the prawns have turned pink and curled.
Keep the gravy at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil — hard boiling toughens the chicken and clouds the gravy.
Done when: The chicken is white and opaque throughout at 74°C (165°F), the prawns are pink and curled, and the choy sum stems are just tender.
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4
Drop the Egg and Thicken
2 Mins • Simmer
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Stir the remaining 20 g of cornstarch with 60 ml of cold water until smooth, then stir it into the gravy and let it bubble for 30 seconds until the gravy turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Turn the heat down low, then drizzle the 100 g of beaten egg into the gravy in a thin, slow stream while you stir the gravy gently in one direction — the egg will set into fine silky ribbons. Stir in the choy sum leaves and the 5 ml of sesame oil, and take the wok off the heat.
Pour the egg slowly and stir slowly: a fast pour and hard stirring makes scrambled lumps, while a thin stream and gentle circles make ribbons.
Done when: The gravy is glossy and coats a spoon, the egg floats in fine pale ribbons, and the choy sum leaves are just wilted.
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5
Plate and Serve
2 Mins • Serve Hot
Serving hot, ~70°C (158°F)
Ladle the hot gravy, chicken, prawns and choy sum generously over the wok-fried noodles in each bowl, making sure every serving gets egg ribbons and gravy down to the bottom. Scatter the 30 g of spring onions and the 15 g of sliced red chilli over the top and serve immediately, while the noodles are still hot and the gravy is silky.
Serve it at once — the noodles drink up the gravy as they sit, so a bowl that waits five minutes is a bowl with no sauce left.
Done when: Every bowl has glossy noodles under a thick, steaming gravy with visible egg ribbons, chicken, prawns and greens.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve immediately in deep bowls, with pickled green chillies and extra white pepper on the side. The gravy should be ladled generously — the noodles are meant to be swimming, not dry.
Malaysia
1h 10m
