How do you make noodles taste like takeaway ones?

Triker

Hi, does anyone have a foolproof recipe to make noodles taste like they do from the takeaway. Chow mein is my fav but obviously I don't want to buy them when I could make them cheaply.

I've tried before but mine taste bland and uninteresting and I'm craving for them. Thanks.

floyd

I got this recipe from the back of a noodle packet and its really good. They are quite spicy but do taste quite alot like Singapore Chow mein (without the char sui pork)

SINGAPORE NOODLES
2 BLOCKS FINE EGG NOODLES
2 TBSP OIL
1 CLOVE OF GARLIC
2 CHICKEN BREASTS FINELY SLICED
1 RED PEPPER
1 TBSP HOT CURRY PASTE
200G BEANSPROUTS
100G PRAWNS
2 TBSP LIGHT SOY SAUCE
2 SPRING ONIONS

1.HEAT THE OIL IN THE BASE OF THE PAN AND FRY THE CHICKEN UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWNED, ADD THE GARLIC AND COOK FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN ADD THE CURRY PASTE.
2.ADD THE SOY SAUCE AND THE ONIONS, PEPPER AND PRAWNS AND CONTINUE TO STIR FRY.
3.MEANWHILE ADD THE NOODLES TO BOILING WATER AND COOK FOR 2 MINUTES, DRAIN AND TRANSFER TO ICED WATER.
4.FINALLY ADD THE BEANSPROUTS AND NOODLES AND WARM THROUGH.

LJM

that sounds lovely def one for the meal planner i love chinease

rygon

thats basically how i make mine but i marinate the meat (chicken, pork, prawns) in a chinese 2tbsp rice vinegar, 1tbsp soy sauce and 2tsp cornflour mix for 30mins.
Once meat + veg are cooked i break 2 eggs into the wok (with a bit of oil add the noodles (which have been in boiling water for 2mins). Add 2-4tsp curry powder (this is instead of the curry paste) then put everything back in and fry until hot

floyd

Will try that next time, sounds great

randomtask_2

Without wanting to sound too pretentious about the quality of takeaway noodles (and of course I don't know about the quality of your takeaway), but in general dishes like chow mein are pretty low in quality. It's a commonly a mish mash of leftover ingredients and the noodles often used will be quite floury and poor.

As for cooking it yourself, I would firstly say don't over boil the noodles. A few minutes is all is needed for a decent quality noodle. No need to rapid boil it like pasta, but ensure you seperate them out while they are in the liquid, drain well and leave to cool. It is actually possible to cook some types of dried noodle by just pouring boiling water over them and covering (like a pot noodle).

As for the meat, the other posts have it pretty much spot on - strong flavours in the marinade are what's needed. Soy sauce is a must. Other options are honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, chilli, or the usal spices/herbs you like with different types of meats.

Some basic rules for chinese cooking - if you don't have a nice toasted sesame oil or other fancy oil, flavour your cooking oil with garlic, ginger, spring onion (the 'chinese trinity' according to Ken Hom) and maybe some chillis if you like it hot. But don't use too much oil, and use a wok on a high heat.

If you want a variation - you can do a crispy noodle 'pancake' by using a good non-stick frying pan and very slowly frying the noodles in some oil and soy sauce, flipping it over as it begins to stick and get crispy and golden. Cook your other ingredients in a wok separately and serve on top for a snazzier presentation.

Helenka_3

I do agree with the above poster, that there can be some dubious things in take away noodles. I think that Monsodium Glutimate can be added a lot.

But that said, my OH adds MSG to our noodles if I am not watching. :rolleyes::o

Spices such as 5 spice can make a noodle dish tasty.

The above poster mentioned Ken Hom. That reminded me that I have been watching a series on BBC2 in the early evening @ around 6:30pm which is called "Take on the Takeaway" where top chefs take on members of the public's local takeaways in a price, speed and taste tests. Every episode I have seen so far the chef has won.

Ken Hom took on a Chinese Takeaway and won.

There are a set of receipes available to order for the whole series here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/takeaway_contact.shtml

BUT I THINK IT COSTS THE PRICE OF A PHONE CALL (otherwise I would have posted it on the freebies board!)

There are also receipes online if you click on the "get receipes" picture at the above link.

There is a noodle receipe there.

These receipes could be useful for people who want takeaway like food but want to save £'s and people who would rather cook there own food and know what goes in it.

Hope this helps Triker.

Happy Cooking People!



Oh I should add that Ken Hom's receipe was very expensive because he put the absolute best cut of beef in it and bought a bottle of sherry...thereby blowing his budget and making his much more expensive than the takeaway. But of course people can always add the receipe to suit budgets!


But his was also quicker than the takeaway and won the taste test.

The takeaway people also give hints and advice with the receipes.

craftynutters

hi I do a quick chow main noodles it's a bit of a cheat in the suppermarkets Mr T and asda they have blue dragon sauce in little sachets about 43p they are great you just add them to cooked noodles and onions and veg or meat and mix together in wok. only takes about 10 mins and they taste great The garlic and chilli is also nice in pasta the kids take it to college for their lunches quick and cheap better than the ones you buy from the supermarket:T :T :T :T :T

portsmouthali

I find stir-frying my noodles with a little garlic in very hot sesame oil gives them a takeaway-ish taste.

I'm sure I got the idea from Ken Homs' Foolproof Chinese Cookery, which I borrowed from the library a few years ago. It also had a cracking recipe for egg fried rice, which I had been trying to get right for years! The secret is never fry the rice when it's just been cooked - let it get cold first.

tightasagnats

The only way to get the genuine takeaway taste for Chinese food is to add MSG. People are very sniffy about it, but if you are going to have it from the takeaway, then the odd meal made at home with it won't make any difference.

So, for authentic cheap style Chinese show mein, boil your egg noodles for. couple of minutes, along with your veggies, which will keep them tender but fresh. Drain noodles. In a non stock pan or wok, add a small amount of vegetable oil, a sliced onion, and cook till brown. Then add a clove of garlic, crushed, a spoon of toasted sesame oil, half teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon of MSG, splash of soy sauce, and any meat or fish/prawns, and stir until just cooked. Then add the drained noodles, and cook on medium to high heat, stirring all the time.

You can make fried rice in the same way, but you must use COLD cooked rice or you will get mush. Add an egg at last minute for egg fried rice.