I actually have to admit that most of my childhood, and perhaps my early adulthood, was spent ignoring, if not denying, my culture and ethnicity. I grew up in Winnipeg, Canada – a wonderful and even progressive city, but without many minorities. So, as most kids who realize they are different from their peers, I tried my hardest to just fit in.
My family’s house was close enough to the school that my brothers and I could go home for lunch. I remember I had this one elementary school teacher who would always sit us down in a circle after lunch and then would ask us, one-by-one, what we had eaten for lunch. I think I always said either macaroni and cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich – my teacher must have thought that my mother only fed us cheese.
The truth was, my mother always had something hot, delicious, but Asian waiting for us. She’d make Chinese egg noodles with oyster sauce and fried garlic and a side of Chinese vegetable, or a whole steamed fish with white rice, or a steaming bowl of rice noodles with roasted park. I look back now and see how lucky my brothers and I were to be able to eat foods that came from fresh ingredients and not from a box or a can. But, when I was 10, I didn’t want to have to explain oyster sauce.
Egg Noodles with Oyster Sauce
1 package of Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons of oyster sauce
There is that age-old argument about who first invented the noodle, the Asians or the Italians? According to a Wikipedia (yes, I am quoting Wikipedia…) post on Chinese noodles, “In October 2005, the oldest noodles yet discovered were found in Qingha, China, at the Lajia archaeological site during excavation of a Neolithic Qijia Culture settlement along the Yellow River. The 4,000-year-old noodles appear to have been made from foxtail millet and broomcorn millet.”
I am sure that this debate will continue for a few more centuries, but what we do know for certain is that both cultures have a love of this versatile yet basic ingredient. Most pasta or noodles are made primarily with flour and a liquid, which is then mixed to form a dough and then either rolled, cut or pulled to make noodles. With egg noodles, an egg is added to a wheat flour and water mixture.
Boil fresh egg noodles for about four minutes or until the noodles are soft and separated. If you’re using dried noodles, boil the noodles following the instructions on the box/bag.
While the noodles are boiling, heat the cooking oil in a pan. Add the chopped garlic and cook until it starts to brown. Watch this process carefully. Once the garlic starts to get even slightly brown, take the pan off the heat. The oil is still hot and will continue to cook the garlic and turn it even more brown, so make sure you take the pan off the heat. You want the garlic to have a nutty crunch and flavor, so you do want it to be brown, however, the difference between brown and black is about three seconds, so watch this process carefully.
Fried Garlic
Once you have the garlic oil ready, drain your noodles and place the hot noodles in the pan with the garlic oil. Add the oyster sauce and toss. You can serve the noodles with a side of steamed Chinese vegetables, if you’d like.
Egg Noodles with Oyster Sauce
I also like to eat it with some pickled chili peppers. Eating it with the pickled peppers is not for everyone. I happen to like the combination of the oyster sauce, garlic and the vinegar in the chillies, but I can see how this might be too much for some people. But, I’ll tell you how to make the peppers anyway.
For a long time I thought my mom was the only one who made these pickled chili peppers. I never really saw it at my relatives or in Asian restaurants, and I certainly didn’t see it at my friends’ houses. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago when I was in Philadelphia that I saw these peppers served as a side condiment in a Chinese noodle restaurant in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. I was so excited to see it that when my noodles came I think I ate every bite with a piece of pepper. The difference with the peppers in Philly and my mom’s peppers was the actual pepper. I think my mom used serrano peppers whereas the restaurant in Philly used jalepeno peppers. The jalepeno peppers work much better, I think. They’re a much meatier pepper than the serrano peppers and not as hot. Now, I see these pickled jalepenos in a lot of Vietnamese and Mexican restuarants, and my old co-worker, who is Korean, said that her mom makes these chilies too.
Pickled Jalepenos Jalepenos White Vinegar
Cut the jalepenos and place in a pot. Pour in the white vinegar until the jalepenos are covered. Cook until the vinegar has boiled and the jalepenos have just started to change color. Turn off heat and let cool. Pour into a glass jar. These will keep in the refrigerator for a few months.
