hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we're diving back into our series on foods from the Bay Area restaurant scene with a request that a few folks from the Oakland subreddit have been asking for, which is the Hot and Spicy Chow Mein from the one and only, absolutely legendary noodle and dumpling shop, Shan Dong in Oakland, CA.
For the Bay Area locals that are not familiar, Shan Dong is a LONG time staple of the Oakland restaurant scene, offering hand made noodles, dumplings, and Chinese comfort food right in the heart of Oakland Chinatown. While their Hot and Spicy Chow Mein may at first glance look like a pretty typical chow mein (with its inclusion of carrots, zucchini, and onion, paired with a dark soy sauce noodle marinade), it is unique not only because it can be ordered featuring Shan Dong's handmade noodles, but also because of their approach to creating the "hot and spicy" qualities that the dish's name promises. Today we'll be doing this with a combination of Chinese fermented chili paste "doubanjiang," lao gan ma "chili crisp oil," and my personal favorite, a healthy handful of dried toasted tian jin peppers. Hope you try it.
serves 3
INGREDIENTS
4 cloves garlic
1 inch (about 1 tbsp) ginger
2 green onions
16 oz Shanghainese round noodles
1 medium zucchini
2 medium carrots
1/2 medium sweet white onion
8-10 dried Tian Jin peppers
2 medium chicken thighs
1/4 cup chicken stock (or water)
peanut oil
ice
INGREDIENTS (noodle marinade)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
INGREDIENTS (chicken marinade)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
INGREDIENTS (sauce)
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp doubanjiang
2 tbsp lao gan ma
pinch kosher salt
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
SEPARATE the whites and greens of the green onions, then slice thinly on a bias, set aside
LARGE DICE the zucchini, set aside
SLICE the carrots on a bias, set aside
LARGE DICE the white onion, set aside
COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside
SLICE the chicken in 1 inch pieces, then combine with all chicken marinade ingredients, set aside
COMBINE ice with water in a large mixing bowl, set aside
ON THE STOVE
BOIL a pot of water, add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes, then remove, strain, and immediately blanch in the ice bath
STRAIN the noodles, then add to a mixing bowl with all noodle marinade ingredients
HEAT a wok as hot ass possible, then add 4 tbsp peanut oil, and long yao
ADD the noodles to the wok and toss for 4 minutes until crisp, then remove and set aside
REHEAT the wok, add 2 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the chicken one piece at a time and sear for 2 minutes, then toss and saute for an additional minute until cooked through
REMOVE the chicken, then deglaze with chicken stock
ADD sauce mixture, toss to combine, then remove and wipe down the wok
REHEAT the wok, add 2 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the zucchini and carrots to the wok, saute for 2 minutes, then remove
REHEAT the wok, add 2 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the garlic, ginger, and whites of the green onions, then bloom until fragrant for about 10 seconds
MOVE the contents of the wok to one side, then add the Tian Jin peppers to the wok and saute until fragrant for about 10 seconds
ADD the veggies back to the wok, then add the onion and toss to combine
ADD the chicken and noodles back to the wok, then toss to combine
ADD the sauce mix to the wok 2-3 tbsp at a time, and adjust to taste
REMOVE from heat and finish with the greens of the green onions