Los Angeles-born celebrity chef-restaurateur Jet Tila is a skilled teacher. The son of Thai parents who immigrated to the United States, Tila reveals every essential step in the preparation of dishes in cooking sessions on his Food Network show, “Ready, Jet, Cook.” He offers helpful hints along the way, and relays stories tied to his delicious Thai and Chinese dishes.
His Lo Mein Noodles are a delight. Once all the ingredients are assembled, the irresistible dish cooks in just a few minutes. The dish centers on fresh egg noodles. In the marketplace they are found refrigerated, often labeled “lo mein noodles,” or “egg noodles,” or “pancit noodles.” Sadly, at my local supermarket, they no longer stock fresh egg noodles, but they carry fresh Japanese Yaki Soba noodles. They are tightly packed and accompanied by small sauce packets. I’ve found they work just fine for Tila’s Easy Lo Mein, but they tend to stick together and require some pulling apart in the heat of the skillet using two forks — some of them break but it doesn’t seem to matter. The sauce packets that are included with them in the package can be discarded or used for another dish.
Tila’s Easy Lo Mein Noodles
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Asian-style toasted sesame oil
Noodles:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, sliced into bite-size pieces
2 to 3 cups fresh egg noodles
1/2 medium-large peeled carrot, cut into thin strips (julienned)
1/4 pound baby bok choy, bottom 1-inch removed, cut on the diagonal into strips
Garnish: 3 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch diagonal pieces
DIRECTIONS
1. Before you start to cook, get all ingredients ready to use.
2. Sauce: Stir together the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil; set aside.
3. Noodles: Heat a deep large skillet over high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add ginger and garlic; cook stirring frequently until lightly browned and fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is halfway cooked, about 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Add noodles, carrots and bok choy and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir sauce and pour it into the pan, making a thin stream over entire surface of noodle mixture; toss and stir to incorporate sauce into ingredients.
5. Continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, and the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with green onions.
Source: Food Network, courtesy of Jet Tila
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.
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