For Love's Sake... Indonesian Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp

I have to tell you I have an intense carnal love for noodles. Out of the blue, an image, an image of me twirling noodles with a fork (I wish I could say chopsticks and show off, but I have no clue how to use it!) pops into my mind and refuses to budge. There are times when I crave these thready, slurpy satisfaction. My love began during my childhood when my mom would cook up delicious home-style Chinese Noodles almost every week. I loved it and I pigged out. I was happy at the end of a huge bowl of those flat thready stuff! :)

It is Valentine's Day today and I have for you a special recipe for the occasion which will dazzle your significant other! The dish I have for you is a spicy Indonesian Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp which trumps everything. Super easy to put together and just delicious. Most of the ingredients I have used today can be found in anybody's kitchen.

This dish is not the pump your adrenalin, let's go skydiving kind you want to share with your Valentine. Nor is it a one that says, you are sooooo awesome and I will die, just die, without seeing you every moment of the day.

It is however a one that you want to put on the table, for supper after a whole day’s work, look at your partner and just smile. Because, the sparkle in your eyes is saying so much.

This Valentine’s Day, I decided to showcase this sumptuous Indonesian style Chinese Noodle dish which is not only tasty but a soul satisfying dish. For those of you who plan to have a quiet day at home and haven’t decided what to make this Valentine’s Day, here is the perfect one pot meal for your loved one and you.

While I go enjoy my rest of the day with the hubby and little munchkin, I wish you a good day too. Happy Valentine’s Day once again :)

Ingredients

280 grams Egg Noodles

Vegetable or Refined oil

350 grams boneless Chicken Breasts; cut into bite size cubes

Scallions or Spring onions

2 Red onions; diced

5 to 6 Garlic cloves; crushed

80 to 90 grams of Pak Choi; cut into quarters (refer notes)

5 to 6 Dry Red chillies; coarsely crushed (refer notes)

1 Green chili; slit lengthwise

1 tablespoon Ginger; finely chopped

100 grams raw Shrimp; cleaned and de-veined

3/4 teaspoon Sugar

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon Light Soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon Vegetable/Chicken/Beef stock

Salt and Pepper; to taste

Cilantro or Coriander leaves; to garnish

Method

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions and drain well. (coat noodles with oil to prevent sticking if not preparing the dish immediately)

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet (frying pan), add the chicken cubes and stir-fry for a few minutes or until chicken turns golden brown and is cooked through.

Add the scallions, onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Now add the pak choi, green chili, crushed red chili and ginger and fry for a few minutes. Add the fresh shrimp and fry for a few minutes till shrimp is cooked through. (you can even cover and cook if needed) Sprinkle over the sugar, soy sauce, stock and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the noodles and heat, stirring, until steaming hot.

Once done, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Notes:

1. You can also use fresh spinach leaves instead of pak choi. I used spinach this time as I didn’t have any pak choi in my pantry.

2. The chili flakes lifts the dish to a whole new level. FYI, this dish is spicy, so feel free to reduce the quantity of chili used in the recipe if it doesn’t suit your palate and stomach!

Recipe Courtesy: Food Lovers Chicken (tweaked the original recipe to use our local produce and ingredients and tasted awesome)