Cantonese in New York

Growing up, I could effortlessly tick off a dozen great Cantonese restaurants in New York's Chinatown faster than one can say 'yummy.' Sadly, these days, as parents or older generations pass away and their educated descendants move on to white collar jobs, as talented Cantonese chefs tend to venture out from this oversaturated market, and as other regional Chinese cuisine and Western food chains make inroads into this zone, the lackluster quality of Cantonese cuisine in Chinatown, the hubbub of Canton/Guangdong province immigrants in the US, has rendered me listless. 

What disappointment the sub-par food has illicit is made up by the upgrade in safety, political and cultural interest, and diversity in the greater Chinatown area. An official Visitors Information kiosk was set up painted in auspicious bright red complete with dragon carvings and motifs. The Museum of Chinese in America has relocated out of its one floor space in a converted elementary school to, not one, but two addresses- one for exhibition and one for research and archives! The influx of illegal immigrants from mainland China, especially from Fujian Province, in the early 1990s has dramatically diversified the demographic from its historical core of Cantonese speaking population to Mandarin and regional Fuzhou dialects. Western fast-food joints and chains have finally penetrated into the heart of Chinatown. I thought I was going to crash my car the first time I saw the unveiled McD on Bowery as I drove in from the Manhattan Bridge and made my usual left turn onto Bowery on that limb limping day.

Due to or in spite of September 11, the Cantonese Chinese in Chinatown have remained resilient in yet another hardship they've had to face in their on-going struggle in America as Chinese-Americans. With that in mind and reminder, I'm confident Cantonese cuisine will shine again in one of its first homes in America- New York's Manhattan Chinatown.

Cantonese Fried Egg Noodles

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

• 3 bundles fresh broad-sized egg noodles- unfurl the noodles to separate; blanch in boiling water for a minute; strain, rinse and drain 

• 10 stalks, yellow or green chives, yielding approximately 2 cups- cut into 2 inch pieces 
• 1 medium carrot- peeled and julienned into 2 inch sticks
•  2 fried tofu cakes or 4 tofu puffs- cut into approximately 2 inch pieces
•  2 stalks scallions- cut into 2 inch pieces
•  half medium onion- sliced thin
•  2 - 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts
•  2 eggs
•  4 tbs mushroom or oyster sauce
•  1 tbs soy sauce
•  1 tbs sugar
•  4 cloves garlic- minced
•  Ground black peppers
•  Olive or vegetable oil

  *Add lean pork, beef and/or shrimp for non-vegetarian versions. Julienne the meat to approximately 2 inch pieces; peel, devein, and half the shrimps. Marinade for at least 15 minutes in a mixture of 1 tsp minced garlic and 1 tbsp oyster sauce. For the shrimp, add a tsp worth of crushed or grated ginger.

Equipment

     Wok or large saute pan

Instructions

1. Add a tablespoon of oil into a dry wok or saute pan. Heat it over high fire.  *If using an authentic wok, note that it heats up extremely fast so be careful of burning the ingredients and oil splatters!

2. Add the minced garlic. Give a quick stir until golden in color. 

3. Add carrots and then onions. Toss together, don't let them burn.

4. Add the tofu, chives, and white parts of the scallions. Give a quick stir.

5. Add the noodles and gently distribute them throughout the vegetables as much as possible, being careful  not to break the noodles. 

6.  Add the mushroom/oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix the sauce in uniformly.

7.  Push everything in the wok to the side. Add a little more oil. Then crack the eggs in. Mix the eggs and cook them half through, then fold them into the noodles and vegetables.

8.  Add the green parts of the scallions. Sprinkle in some black peppers, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

9. Turn off the fire. Add the beansprouts and gently fold them in.

10. Dish to serve.

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

If you found the content of this post or any other on this site informative, helpful or entertaining and would like to donate any small amount in its upkeep via PayPal, it is greatly appreciated^^