Grandma’s Chicken Egg & Fried Onion Noodles

Prep Time: 20 Mins

Cook Time: 20 Mins

Total Time: 45 Mins

Serves: 2-4

These are my grandma’s infamous noodles! They tell the story of migration as my family, ethnically Chinese, moved from India to Canada by boat. This dish has influences from all these places, including using spaghetti as the noodle base – which was easily accessible in Canada at the time. As for tradition, the noodles symbolize long lives, so my grandma would make them for us at every birthday and serve them with fresh dumplings

Ingredients

500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut against the grain in 1cm thick strips

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ tablespoon cornstarch

Canola oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)

1 yellow onion

2 (250g) large carrots

2 scallions, thinly chopped

¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

4 eggs

225-400g spaghetti (any thin pasta or noodle works)

Salt

Broth

1.5 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

Directions

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1. Combine the chicken thighs with soy sauce and cornstarch and let marinate as you prep the rest of the ingredients.

2. Cut the onion in half lengthwise. Cut one half into slices lengthwise and dice the other half.

3. Heat a generous glug of canola oil (about ¼ cup) to cover a large skillet over medium heat. The oil is warm enough when you add a wooden spoon to the oil and it sizzles. Add the onion slices and fry until golden. They will go from perfectly golden to burnt quickly so keep an eye on them and remove them with a slotted spoon as soon as they are perfect. Transfer to a wire rack or to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil so they remain crispy. You can pat them with a paper towel to remove even more oil.

4. Pour out some of the excess oil from the frying pan. Add the diced onion and carrots and stir fry until softened. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl. Add a bit more oil, add the chicken, and stir fry until cooked to 165°F (74°C). Remove from heat.

5. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt so that it’s as salty as the ocean. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain, and return the noodles to the same pot.

6. Prepare the egg threads. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Add the eggs, cook for a couple of minutes and once solid enough, flip. Use a spatula to roll the egg into a cylinder. Transfer to a cutting board and slice as thinly as possible to create egg threads.   

7. Make the gravy by warming up the chicken stock in a small saucepan over high heat. Once the broth has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add soy and oyster sauce. Create a slurry by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of room-temperature water in a small bowl and then dumping this into the pot. Stir to combine and thicken the sauce.

8. Turn the pasta pot back on to low heat and add the gravy a little at a time until the noodles are glossy and moist, you may not need all of the broth you made. Add the chicken and carrots, tossing to warm everything up. Transfer the noodles to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with crispy fried onion, green onions, and cilantro.

• Storing Tips

  Leftovers keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

• Nutrition

  Per 1 serving (4 total):

  Calories: 621

  Carbohydrates: 52g

  Protein: 41g

  Fat: 25g

  Saturated Fat: 4g

  Fiber: 4g

  Sugar: 5g