Happy Lunar New Year! It's the year of the tiger, and we're ready for a fierce celebration. Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, is full of traditions and positive symbolism. One tradition from China is Longevity Noodles or "Yi Mian" 伊面. We decided it was time for these noodles to be more accessible to gluten-free folks, so we made this adaption from Woks of Life's original recipe just for you! These noodles represent living a long life, so be gentle to not break them!
6 shiitake or portabella mushrooms (fresh or dried/reconstituted; thinly sliced)
4 ounces chives, chopped thinly on the white end, chopped into 1 inch pieces on the green end
3 cloves of crushed, minced garlic
Directions:
1. Prep/cut all ingredients before starting!
2. Boil 9 cups of water in a large soup pot. Once the water is boiling, add the noodles, stirring occasionally. Drain 2 minutes before recommended time on the noodle package. This will help avoid mushy noodles. (It should be on the harder side of al dente.) Rise with cold water, drain, and toss with a touch of avocado oil before setting aside.
3. Dissolve the sugar and salt in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Whisk to combine.
4. Heat the wok, and spread 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Add the mushrooms and the light green parts of the chives and garlic, and stir fry for 30 seconds. The mushrooms are like sponges and will soak up the oil, so add another tablespoon of oil if they look too dry.
5. Add the noodles (they still should be warm but with no water dripping), and stir fry everything for another 20 seconds. If they cooled off, just cook them a bit longer until they are warmed, because warming the noodles before adding the sauce is important!
6. Spread the prepared sauce mixture evenly over the noodles, and stir-fry everything together for 1 minute, or until the soy sauce mixture is distributed evenly. Spread another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter of the wok to prevent sticking if you feel you need it. How much oil you use is a personal preference. If the noodles stick together, drizzle a bit of oil directly over the noodles. You can also add a splash of hot water if the noodles are too dry, even after adding the sauce.
7. Mix gently so you don’t break up the noodles! Long noodles are symbolic of longevity and prosperity.
8. Add in the remaining green parts of the chives and mix until they turn bright green and the noodles are heated through. This will take 1-3 minutes, depending on if your noodles were cold or still warm when you started stir frying, and how hot your stove and wok can get.
