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Chinese Crispy Noodles

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Crispy noodles is a classic Chinese dish made with pan fried noodles, topped with a shrimp and vegetable stir fry with a thick, delicious sauce.

crispy noddles on a plate

If you’ve never tried crispy noodles, man you’re missing out. I mean it’s the ultimate spread. A little bit of carbs, a little bit of veggies, and a whole lot of good.

The crispy noodles soak up all that yummy sauce and leaves you with a mix of crisp and tenderness.

Just about any Chinese restaurant serves their own style of crispy or cake noodles, but why go out to eat when you can make your own at home.

Choose all your favorite fixings and customize it to your liking. And of course there’s just something about home made that makes it so much better.

large plate of crispy noodles

What are crispy noodles?

It’s just as the name sounds. Noodles that are pan fried to become crispy. It is then topped with a stir fry blend of vegetables and often some type of protein.

Ingredients for crispy noodles:

For the noodles

  • 10 ounces fresh chow mein noodles
  • 4 tablespoons oil

For the stir fry

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ½ pound shrimp
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ cup baby bok choy
  • ½ cup mushrooms
  • ½ cup zucchini
  • ¼ cup carrots
  • ¼ cup onions

For the sauce

  • 1 ½ cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons shoyu
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • salt/pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup water
crispy noodles ingredients

Fresh chow mein noodles are best, but in a pinch you can totally use any type of egg noodles. And if all else fails use the dried, packaged ones.

The great thing about this stir fry is that you can totally customize it to your liking. Absolutely love broccoli then add it in. Dislike something else, then feel free to leave it out. Add more of one, less of another. Totally up to you.

Many crispy noodle recipes call for some type of protein. I like to add shrimp. If you’re not a meat or seafood fan you can opt to leave this out. You can also use chicken, beef, or any other protein of your choice.

hand using chopsticks to pick up crispy noodles

And of course you can’t forget the sauce, which in all honesty is the star of the show. If you like a more saucey cake noodle you can totally double up the sauce recipe.

Sesame oil is a strong flavor and that’s why I opt to use just a small amount. If you like sesame oil you can add a little more, but be careful as this can quickly become over powering.

The cornstarch and water used in the sauce is a thickener. You can replace this with potato starch as well.

Cake noodles are similar to crispy noodles, but are cooked in a thicker stack then cut into triangles or squares. Some recipes use egg as a binder and others don’t.

Where are crispy noodles from?

Crispy noodles originated in China.

How to store crispy noodles?

It is best to keep the noodles and shrimp and vegetable stir fry separate until you are ready to eat. If you store them together the noodles may become overly soggy. These are best kept in airtight containers in the refrigerator and will last up to three days.

pan of vegetable stir fry for crispy noodles

Can you freeze crispy noodles?

You can freeze this dish in airtight containers for up to six months. Again keep the noodles and the stir fry separate until ready to serve.

Can you reheat crispy noodles?

Sure can. You can opt to fry the noodles in a pan to both heat up and retain the crispness. If you don’t mind not having the crisp you can just heat in the microwave.

For more homemade take out recipes check out:

How to make crispy noodles?

For the noodles: Set a large pan over medium high heat. Add oil and noodles. Spread noodles into an even layer and cook until browned. Flip the cake noodle and repeat the cooking process on the other side. Remove from pan and set aside.

For the stir fry: Add butter to another pan set over medium high heat. When butter has melted add shrimp and garlic salt. Toss to combine. Cook until shrimp is no longer translucent and pink or about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add oil to the pan along with mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini, carrots, and onions. Stir fry until just softened. Be sure not to over cook veggies.

For the sauce: While veggies are cooking begin the sauce. To a pot over medium high heat add chicken stock, oyster sauce, shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Mix cornstarch and water then add to sauce to thicken.

Place veggies back on the heat. Add shrimp to pan along with the sauce. Toss until well combined.

Serve stir fry over crispy noodles and ENJOY!

crispy noddles on a plate

Cripsy Noodle Recipe

Relle Lum
Crispy noodles is a classic Chinese dish. Pan fried noodles, topped with a shrimp and vegetable stir fry covered with a thick, delicious sauce.
4.95 from 60 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 8 servings
Calories 342 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the cake noodle

  • 10 ounces fresh chow mein noodles
  • 4 tablespoons oil

For the stir fry

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 baby bok choy chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 cup zucchini sliced
  • 1/4 cup carrots sliced into matchsticks
  • 1/4 cup onions sliced

For the sauce

Instructions
 

  • Set a large pan over medium high heat. Add oil and noodles. Spread noodles into an even layer and cook until browned. Flip the cake noodle and repeat the cooking process on the other side. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add butter to another pan set over medium high heat. When butter has melted add shrimp and garlic salt. Toss to combine. Cook until shrimp is no longer translucent and pink or about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add oil to the pan along with mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini, carrots, and onions. Stir fry until just softened. Be sure not to over cook veggies.
  • While veggies are cooking begin the sauce. To a pot over medium high heat add chicken stock, oyster sauce, shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
  • Mix cornstarch and water then add to sauce to thicken.
  • Place veggies back on the heat. Add shrimp to pan along with the sauce. Toss until well combined.
  • Serve stir fry over crispy noodles and ENJOY!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 11gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1118mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g
Keyword cake noddles, chinese crispy fried noodles, chinese food, crispy noodles, keeping it relle, noodles, stir fry
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By on September 2nd, 2020

About Relle

Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).

I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.

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3 thoughts on “Chinese Crispy Noodles”

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night, turned out beautifully and oh so delicious, sauce is great, pre made the ingredients, left it cold then mixed it in when cooking chicken and vegetables, sauce came nice and thick when I mixed it in over heat, then poured the whole thing over the noodles, the 💣

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