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Mì Xào Giòn (Vietnamese Pan-Fried Noodles)

By Lan Lam

Published on December 4, 2023

Time

1½ hours, plus 20 minutes freezing

Yield

Serves 4

Mì Xào Giòn (Vietnamese Pan-Fried Noodles)

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) boneless pork chop, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat6 ounces gai lan, stalks trimmed¼ teaspoon baking soda 4 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, divided1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided2½ tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1½ tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil ¼ teaspoon white pepper 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ½ inch thick1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces6 ounces fresh or thawed frozen Hong Kong–style noodles 2½ cups vegetable oil for frying2 scallions, cut into 1½-inch pieces2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 1⅔ cups chicken broth

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe for a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch cast-iron skillet can be used. Don't throw out the leftover frying oil; it can be reused in other recipes that call for high-heat cooking. For serving, kitchen shears or a large spoon work well for cutting through the softer noodles near the center.

Instructions

  1. Place pork chop on plate and freeze until very firm, about 20 minutes. While pork freezes, prepare gai lan. Remove leaves, small stems, and florets from stalks; slice leaves crosswise into 1½-inch strips (any florets and stems can go into pile with leaves); and cut stalks on bias into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Set aside.
  2. Stir 1 tablespoon water and baking soda together in medium bowl. When pork is firm, use sharp knife to shave pork crosswise as thin as possible. (Slices needn't be perfectly intact.) Transfer to bowl with baking soda mixture and toss until well coated. Add 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine and 2 teaspoons soy sauce and toss to combine. Set aside.
  3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water heats, stir cornstarch and ¼ cup water together in small bowl. Stir oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce together in separate bowl.
  4. Add mushrooms to boiling water and cook until tender and pliant, about 30 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to bowl. Return water to boil. Add bell pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using spider skimmer, transfer bell pepper to second bowl. Return water to boil. Add gai lan and cook until stems are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using spider skimmer, transfer gai lan to bowl with bell pepper. (Vegetables can be blanched 24 hours ahead.)
  5. Return water to boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until almost tender (center of noodles should be firm with slight opaque dot), 45 to 90 seconds. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under cold running water, tossing with tongs, until cool to touch, about 1 minute. Drain noodles very well.
  6. Line large serving plate with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to wok until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. (If using skillet, add oil until it measures ¼ inch deep, about 1¼ cups.) Carefully lower noodles into oil (oil will bubble vigorously; do not use colander to tip noodles into oil). Using spatula, spread noodles into even layer. Fry until outer 2 inches of noodle disk are crisp and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, occasionally rotating disk for even crisping. Using 2 thin spatulas, transfer noodle disk to prepared plate. Carefully pour off oil from wok into bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon oil (reserve remaining oil for other use) and wipe out wok. Leaving noodle disk on plate, remove and discard paper towels. Pour off any excess water from cooked bell pepper and gai lan.
  7. Heat now-empty wok over medium heat until smoking. Add 1½ teaspoons reserved oil, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add pork. Cook, stirring constantly, until pork is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bell pepper and gai lan.
  8. Add remaining 1½ teaspoons reserved oil and mushrooms to now-empty wok and cook, stirring constantly, until mushrooms have shrunken slightly, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine and cook, stirring constantly, until no liquid remains in wok, about 15 seconds. Add oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling, about 15 seconds.
  9. Add chicken broth, pork, and vegetables and bring to simmer. Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine; add to wok; and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Spoon pork and vegetables over noodles and serve immediately. At the table, use large spoon to cut through noodles; scoop noodles and stir-fry onto individual serving plates.

Mì Xào Giòn (Vietnamese Pan-Fried Noodles)

Save

Time

1½ hours, plus 20 minutes freezing

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) boneless pork chop, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat
6 ounces gai lan, stalks trimmed
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 ounces fresh or thawed frozen Hong Kong–style noodles
2½ cups vegetable oil for frying
2 scallions, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1⅔ cups chicken broth

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) boneless pork chop, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat
6 ounces gai lan, stalks trimmed
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 ounces fresh or thawed frozen Hong Kong–style noodles
2½ cups vegetable oil for frying
2 scallions, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1⅔ cups chicken broth

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) boneless pork chop, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat
6 ounces gai lan, stalks trimmed
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 ounces fresh or thawed frozen Hong Kong–style noodles
2½ cups vegetable oil for frying
2 scallions, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1⅔ cups chicken broth

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Mì xào giòn is a restaurant dish that usually features a variety of seafood and vegetables. Our version pares back the ingredient list by using pork in place of the usual mix of shrimp, squid, and scallop. We blanched shiitakes, gai lan, and bell pepper, draining the latter two ingredients, but leaving the shiitake juices in place. Using the same water, we quickly boiled noodles before frying them into a disk that was crisp at the edges but pliable at the center. After flavoring some oil with scallion and ginger, we quickly sautéed marinated pork before removing it from the wok. Next, the juice-laden shiitakes were stir-fried. As they cooked, their juices were released and their flavors remained behind as water evaporated. An addition of Shaoxing wine enhanced that savory flavor. We then added pork, vegetables, and sauce. That sauce was made by stirring umami powerhouses oyster, soy, and fish sauces into chicken broth and balancing those flavors with sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. By the time the mixture came to a simmer, the meat and vegetables were warmed through. The sauce was thickened with a cornstarch slurry and the entire stir-fry spooned over the noodles.

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Before You Begin

We developed this recipe for a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch cast-iron skillet can be used. Don't throw out the leftover frying oil; it can be reused in other recipes that call for high-heat cooking. For serving, kitchen shears or a large spoon work well for cutting through the softer noodles near the center.

Instructions

  1. Place pork chop on plate and freeze until very firm, about 20 minutes. While pork freezes, prepare gai lan. Remove leaves, small stems, and florets from stalks; slice leaves crosswise into 1½-inch strips (any florets and stems can go into pile with leaves); and cut stalks on bias into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Set aside.
  2. Stir 1 tablespoon water and baking soda together in medium bowl. When pork is firm, use sharp knife to shave pork crosswise as thin as possible. (Slices needn't be perfectly intact.) Transfer to bowl with baking soda mixture and toss until well coated. Add 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine and 2 teaspoons soy sauce and toss to combine. Set aside.
  3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water heats, stir cornstarch and ¼ cup water together in small bowl. Stir oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce together in separate bowl.
  4. Add mushrooms to boiling water and cook until tender and pliant, about 30 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to bowl. Return water to boil. Add bell pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Using spider skimmer, transfer bell pepper to second bowl. Return water to boil. Add gai lan and cook until stems are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using spider skimmer, transfer gai lan to bowl with bell pepper. (Vegetables can be blanched 24 hours ahead.)
  5. Return water to boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until almost tender (center of noodles should be firm with slight opaque dot), 45 to 90 seconds. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under cold running water, tossing with tongs, until cool to touch, about 1 minute. Drain noodles very well.
  6. Line large serving plate with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to wok until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. (If using skillet, add oil until it measures ¼ inch deep, about 1¼ cups.) Carefully lower noodles into oil (oil will bubble vigorously; do not use colander to tip noodles into oil). Using spatula, spread noodles into even layer. Fry until outer 2 inches of noodle disk are crisp and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, occasionally rotating disk for even crisping. Using 2 thin spatulas, transfer noodle disk to prepared plate. Carefully pour off oil from wok into bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon oil (reserve remaining oil for other use) and wipe out wok. Leaving noodle disk on plate, remove and discard paper towels. Pour off any excess water from cooked bell pepper and gai lan.
  7. Heat now-empty wok over medium heat until smoking. Add 1½ teaspoons reserved oil, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add pork. Cook, stirring constantly, until pork is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bell pepper and gai lan.
  8. Add remaining 1½ teaspoons reserved oil and mushrooms to now-empty wok and cook, stirring constantly, until mushrooms have shrunken slightly, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine and cook, stirring constantly, until no liquid remains in wok, about 15 seconds. Add oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling, about 15 seconds.
  9. Add chicken broth, pork, and vegetables and bring to simmer. Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine; add to wok; and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Spoon pork and vegetables over noodles and serve immediately. At the table, use large spoon to cut through noodles; scoop noodles and stir-fry onto individual serving plates.

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