For all those who’ve been following my work for a while might be aware of my nostalgia with the food I grew up eating. One is obviously the food from my own home and heritage and the other is the food we would go out as a family to eat once in a blue moon. Eating out was not as often as it is now. We had one or two places that the family loved and would frequent on special occasion. And my pick would always be a Pan Asian restaurant (which we would refer to as Chinese restaurant).
Guwahati has some real gems when it comes to Chinese food and the taste is very unique till this date. I make it a point to eat at my favourite places whenever I’m there. I also miss their food when I’m away. My most favourite meal back home is a delicious chicken gravy noodles. It’s an order we’ve been making for decades now, and I still love it as much as I used to as a child. Even more if possible.
I always wondered if I could replicate these flavours in my own kitchen but would get intimidated. But after my last visit home, I decided to give it a shot. And after two attempts and some research, I hit the brief!
These chicken gravy noodles are so delicious! It requires a couple of extra steps but the results are so worth it. Crispy bits of egg noodles, juicy and flavourful chicken chunks and a broth loaded with colourful vegetables. I am not a huge fan of loud cooking, and such subtle flavours make me weak on my knees. This is the food I grew up experiencing outside my home and I am really happy to be sharing the recipe with you.
Let’s take a look at the steps to make these delicious chicken gravy noodles and make them taste like your choicest restaurant.
Key Ingredients in these Chicken Gravy Noodles
– Chicken
We use boneless chicken cubes in this recipe. The chicken is first marinated in salt, black pepper powder, cornflour and an egg. It needs to sit for 10 minutes before we fry each piece until its golden brown and crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. This chicken goes into the final broth.
– Chicken Stock
Chicken stock is a very vital element in this recipe. It lends the quintessential restaurant flavour to the broth, making it rich and full of rich flavour. I make my own chicken stock by boiling chicken with bones in a pot of water with salt and a little garlic till cooked. You can also use ready made chicken cubes from the market.
– Vegetables
I love the addition of vegetables in this recipe. I have used carrots, french beans, onions and cabbage. You can also add mushrooms, potatoes, bokchoy and peppers. The vegetables soak all the flavours from the chicken stock and are cooked till soft, but not mushy. The cabbage and onions still need to have some crunch in them in the final bite.
– Egg Noodles
I have used egg noodles in this recipe, which is also the predominant choice in most restaurants. The egg noodles are first cooked in salted water till done. They are then layered with some neutral oil so that they do not stick to each other.
This final step elevates this recipe is when the egg noodles are fried on a wok till bits of them turn crispy.
Since this recipe is a homemade version, I have used less oil as compared to restaurants. The crispy bits add texture to the recipe and make the noodles an extra bit special.
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cook time – 45 minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients
For chicken marination:
- 200 g boneless chicken cubes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 small egg
- 3 tbsp oil for frying
For the fried noodles:
- 150 g egg noodles, cooked as per package instructions
- 3 tbsp oil
For the gravy:
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 100 g green beans
- 800 ml chicken stock
- Cornflour slurry (3 tbsp cornflour mixed with 5 tbsp water)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- Chopped spring onion greens for garnish
Directions
- Boil water in a large pot. Let it come to a boil and add some salt to it. Cook the noodles as per package instructions and drain all the water out in a sieve.
- Rub the cooked noodles with some oil so that they do not stick to each other. Use any neutral oil like canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Pat the chicken pieces completely dry with a paper towel. Marinate with salt, black pepper powder, cornflour and egg. Let it rest for ten minutes.
- Heat oil in a wok and let it get really hot. Fry the chicken pieces without crowding them in the wok. Let them turn crispy and golden brown in a uniform manner. The chicken should also be cooked from the inside. Once done, set aside.
- In the same wok, remove the bits of chicken left and add more oil. Place the noodles on the wok and cook them till they turn crispy on the bottom. Make sure you do not burn them.
- Once the bottom is nice and crispy, flip gently and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Set the noodles aside.
- Heat oil in the same wok and add the finely chopped garlic once hot. Fry the garlic on high heat for a minute. Once they start to brown a little, add the onions and fry for another minute.
- Add the rest of the vegetables, fried chicken and stir. Season with salt and black pepper powder. Saute the vegetables for another five minutes.
- Pour the chicken stock onto the wok and let it come to a boil.
- Allow the vegetables and chicken to cook in the broth. Do not let them turn mushy, they can still have a slight bite to them.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, make a cornflour slurry and pour it over the broth. Mix well and allow it to thicken to your desired consistency.
- Garnish with spring onion greens.
- To plate, place the fried noodles first and then pour the delicious chicken and vegetable gravy on top. Serve hot!
I hope you try the recipe to these delicious chicken gravy noodles. This recipe is very close to my heart and the most comforting thing I make for myself and my family. It is a great recipe to make when you have people coming over. I keep the noodles and gravy separately and guests can serve themselves.
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