Chinese Noodle Pancakes with Asparagus

Directions

1. In a large pot of water boil noodles until al dente. Drain well. Rinse with cool water until the noodles are cool.
2. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus, and cut the rest of the spears into 2-inch lengths. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, saute for 1 minute, make sure not to brown the garlic. Add the asparagus and 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Put the cornstarch into a small mixing bowl, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup water and the rice wine or sherry. Stir well. Add this mixture, the soy sauce, and the fermented black beans, if you're using them, to the simmering vegetables. Let the sauce boil for a few seconds, add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Remove the skillet from the heat
4. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over high heat. Divide the noodles into four mounds, and place the mounds of noodles in the hot frying pan. Flatten the mounds in the frying pan so that more surface area will brown, reduce the heat to medium-high, and fry the cakes for at least 5 minutes, until they develop a golden-brown crust on the bottom. Turn the cakes over, and fry them for 3 minutes
5. While the noodle cakes cook, reheat the vegetables and the sauce slightly. Add the sesame oil, salt and pepper to the vegetable mixture. Place the noodle cakes on plates, spoon the sauce and vegetables over and around the cakes, and serve.

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Reviews (7)

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32

SHANNON2E

Jan. 25, 2004

"Wow!! This is now one of my favorite recipes, and it really impresses a crowd! I made them exactly as directed, except for cooking the noodle pancakes over medium-high heat, not high. They were bur..." See morening on high. I let them fry for about 3 min on either side. This time may vary depending on how well your pan conducts heat. I will make these again and again and again! It is much easier than it sounds, and totally worth it!"

27

PSPINRAD

Jan. 25, 2004

"This was a surprisingly tasty and satisfying dish. I added a pinch of sugar to the soy sauce and black bean sauce, and I also threw in some cubed tofu to make it a main course dish. The asparagus real..." See morely "makes" the dish, but once it's there, I think the recipe could also handle any other vegetables as well (I also threw in a few red pepper strips). It will definitely be one of my mainstays."

18

ESTEPHAN

Mar. 3, 2006

"Very yummy and different. I wasn't sure if I had the right noodles, and I needed to really press them down while cooking to get them to stay together as pancakes, but the end result was a very unique..." See more and delightful taste and texture. I also substituted broccoli for the asparagus, just because good asparagus is hard to find in February, and the broccoli was very good. I'm sure I'd also enjoy this with asparagus, but I feel like the veggies can be varied to suit what you have and prefer."