Chinese Recipe : Soup Noodles (Tan Mein)

Serves 4 to 6

This dish is eaten all over China , and primarily as a main or noodle course rather than as a soup course, despite the name.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. egg noodles or spaghetti
• 1 ½ tbsp small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 8 oz. lean pork, finely shredded
• 4 oz. mushrooms
• 4 oz. Chinese cabbage, blanched for 4 minutes and shredded
• 4 oz. beansprouts, blanched for 1 minute and drained
• 4 oz. shrimps, shelled
• 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Cook the noodles or spaghetti in boiling salted water until they are just tender. Drain, set aside and keep hot.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, ginger and pork and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in the butter until it melts. Add the vegetables and shrimps and fry for 1 ½ minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Stir in the soy sauce and sugar and stir fry for a further 1 ½ minutes. Remove the frying pan from the heat, set it aside and keep hot.
5. Pour the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Crumble in the stock cube and stir to dissolve it. Add half the pork mixture and the stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Stir in the noodles or spaghetti and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, return the frying pan to high heat and stir fry the remaining pork mixture for 1 minute to reheat it.
7. Divide the noodles or spaghetti mixture between 4 or six individual bowls. Spoon over the remaining pork mixture and serve at once.