Stir-Fried Noodles

Cooking Skills: Noodles 1

Chapter 2 · Stir-Fried Noodles

Skill goal

Stir-fry noodles so they stay loose and springy, with a very hot pan and a sauce added at the end.

The basics

A stir-fry is cooked in minutes, so everything depends on preparation. For noodles the secrets are noodles that are slightly under-cooked, drained very well and kept loose, a very hot pan, and a sauce added at the end so the noodles fry rather than steam.

Figure 2. The order of work for a stir-fry. The cooking takes minutes, so the preparation has to be finished first.

Getting the noodles ready

Noodle	Before the pan	Why
Egg and wheat	Boil a minute under the pack time, rinse, drain well, toss with a little oil	They finish cooking in the pan and don't clump
Thin rice vermicelli	Soak in just-boiled water, drain well	Boiling breaks them up
Flat rice noodles	Soak in warm water for 20 to 30 minutes	They go soft and finish in the sauce
Instant noodles	Soak or boil briefly, drain well	See chapter 7

The stir-fry rules

Prepare everything first: chop, mix the sauce, drain the noodles. Once the pan is hot there is no time.
A very hot pan: a wok or large frying pan, hot before the oil goes in, so food sears instead of stewing.
Small batches: a crowded pan steams. Cook in two batches if you need to.
Order matters: hard vegetables first, then softer ones, then protein if it is cooked, then the noodles.
Sauce last, poured round the edge of the pan so it sizzles, then toss for a minute.
Keep it moving and serve at once.

Sauce basics

Light soy sauce for salt; dark soy sauce for colour and a little sweetness.
Sugar balances the salt.
Sesame oil at the end for aroma (it burns if heated hard).
Acid (lime, vinegar) brightens the dish.

Stir-fry safety

Try it

Level 1 · Start here

Egg chow mein

25 minutes2 portionsstir-frying loose noodles with vegetables

The classic takeaway: egg noodles tossed in a hot pan with crunchy vegetables and a savoury sauce. Mix the sauce first and have everything within reach.

Ingredients (2 portions)

200 g dried egg noodles
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
150 g white cabbage, shredded
3 spring onions, cut into 3 cm lengths
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce (optional; contains shellfish)

Cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the pack says, drain, rinse in cold water, drain very well and toss with 1 tsp of the oil so they don't stick.
Mix the soy sauces, sugar, sesame oil and oyster sauce (if using) in a small bowl.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over a high heat until it is very hot. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 1 minute more.
Add the noodles and the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing so they heat through without breaking. Pour in the sauce and toss for 30 seconds until everything is coated. Serve at once.

Hot pan

Level 1 · Quick

Soy sauce noodles with greens

15 minutes2 portionsa simple sauce-and-greens stir-fry

The simplest stir-fry: noodles, garlic, greens and soy. A good template for any leftover vegetables.

Ingredients (2 portions)

200 g dried thin wheat or egg noodles
2 heads of pak choi, leaves separated
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water

Cook the noodles, drain, rinse and toss with a few drops of oil. Mix the soy sauce, sugar and water.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic for 15 seconds, then the pak choi stalks and cook for 1 minute. Add the leaves and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add the noodles and the sauce and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until hot and glossy. Serve at once.

Hot pan and allergens

Level 2 · Spiced

Singapore-style vermicelli

25 minutes2 portionsstir-frying delicate noodles with a spice

Thin rice noodles stir-fried with curry powder, egg, pepper and prawns or tofu. Rice vermicelli is delicate: soak rather than boil and toss gently.

Ingredients (2 portions)

150 g dried rice vermicelli
1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 Lion-marked eggs, beaten
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
100 g cooked peeled prawns, or firm tofu cut into cubes
1 tbsp mild curry powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water

Cover the vermicelli with just-boiled water and leave for the time on the pack (usually 3 to 5 minutes). Drain and shake dry. Mix the curry powder, soy sauce, sugar and water.
Heat half the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the eggs, stir quickly to scramble until just set (about 30 seconds) and tip out.
Heat the remaining oil. Add the pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the spring onions and prawns or tofu and stir-fry for 1 minute until hot through.
Add the noodles and the sauce and toss gently for 1 to 2 minutes until the noodles are coated and hot. Return the egg and toss once. Serve at once.

Prawns, eggs and allergens

Meat, prawns and eggs: cook chicken until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices, prawns until pink and opaque, and eggs until set. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat or prawns, and keep raw meat away from the cooked food.

Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.

Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.

Level 3 · Balanced sauce

A pad Thai-style noodle dish

35 minutes2 portionsbalancing sour, salty and sweet in a stir-fry sauce

A home version of a Thai classic: flat rice noodles, tofu, egg and a tangy tamarind-lime sauce, finished with peanuts. The sauce is the point: taste it before it goes in the pan.

Ingredients (2 portions)

200 g dried flat rice noodles (5 mm wide)
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 Lion-marked eggs, beaten
200 g firm tofu, pressed and cubed (or cooked peeled prawns)
3 spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp lime juice, plus wedges to serve
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegetarian version)
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp tamarind paste, or an extra tbsp of lime juice
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed

Soak the noodles in warm (not boiling) water for 20 to 30 minutes until flexible but still firm. They finish cooking in the pan. Drain.
Stir the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and tamarind together. Taste: it should be sour, salty and sweet in balance. Adjust.
Heat half the oil in a large pan over a high heat. Fry the tofu for 4 to 5 minutes until golden, add the garlic for 15 seconds and push to the side. Pour in the eggs and scramble until just set.
Add the remaining oil and the noodles, then the sauce. Toss for 2 to 3 minutes until the noodles are tender and have soaked up the sauce (add a splash of water if they are dry). Add the spring onions.
Serve at once, topped with peanuts and a lime wedge.

Hot pan, eggs and allergens

Experiments

Experiment

Soaked or boiled

Rice noodles.

Make half of the pad Thai-style dish with noodles soaked in warm water and half with noodles boiled for 4 minutes. Cook both in the pan.

Look for: The soaked noodles stay intact and chewy. The boiled ones break up and go mushy once they hit the sauce.

Experiment

Pan heat

Hot or medium.

Stir-fry the same vegetables in a very hot pan and in a medium-heat pan.

Look for: The hot pan gives browned edges and a crisp-tender bite. The medium pan steams the vegetables until they are soft and pale.

Experiment

Sauce early or late

When the sauce goes in.

Cook two portions of soy sauce noodles: add the sauce at the start to one, and at the end to the other.

Look for: Early sauce boils away and the noodles stew. Late sauce coats the noodles and keeps them springy.

Experiment

Crowding

One batch or two.

Cook the chow mein vegetables in one large batch and then in two small batches.

Look for: The two small batches brown and stay crisp. The big batch steams and waters out.

Tasting notes

What I tried	Method or amount	What I saw	What I thought	Will I do it again?
Egg chow mein
Soy sauce noodles with greens
Singapore-style vermicelli
Pad Thai-style noodles
Soaked or boiled
Pan heat
Sauce early or late
Crowding

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Noodles clump in the pan	Wet or not tossed with oil	Drain very well; toss with oil; use a hot pan
Soggy, watery stir-fry	Pan too cool or too full	Heat the pan hard; cook in batches
Noodles break up	Over-soaked, or stirred roughly	Soak less; toss with tongs or two spatulas
Bland dish	Not enough sauce or seasoning	Taste the sauce first; add soy, acid or sugar
Burnt garlic	Pan too hot or added too early	Add garlic for 15 seconds only, with other ingredients
Sticky, clumped rice noodles	Not oiled, or sat too long	Toss with a little oil after draining; stir-fry soon after

Hot pans, cooked-through food and allergens

Stir-frying safely: the pan is very hot and oil spits, so keep your face back, use a long spoon or spatula and stand with a lid or damp cloth to hand to smother any flame. Have every ingredient ready before you start, because there is no time to chop once the pan is hot.

Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.

Meat, prawns and eggs: cook chicken until steaming hot with no pink and clear juices, prawns until pink and opaque, and eggs until set. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw meat or prawns, and keep raw meat away from the cooked food.

Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.

Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.

Leftovers: cool noodle dishes quickly (within about 1 hour), keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 1 day (soups with meat or egg: 2 days, with the noodles stored separately), and reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.

Checkpoint: can you do this now?

I can prepare noodles for a stir-fry and keep them loose.
I use a very hot pan and cook in small batches.
I add the sauce last and toss.
I can balance a sauce before it goes in the pan.
I cook chicken, prawns and eggs through.

Next chapter

Cooking Skills: Noodles 1, chapter 3 is Noodle Soups: broth first, noodles cooked separately.