The Happy Home Cook: Asian Fried Noodles for All Saints Day
/The Happy Home Cook features cherished recipes of Filipino dishes from well-known foodies and contributors. If you have a recipe that you are proud of and would like to share, please send it along with a photo of the dish, your two-sentence bio and your picture to submissions@positivelyfilipino.com.
In our own car, my sister and I, kids then, were seated quietly with our parents. Food was packed in a cooler in the trunk, beside the floral arrangements and sets of large candles. The car inched slowly through the traffic. As we got closer to our destination, the cacophony of noises grew louder. Modern pop music blasted through speakers. Drivers impatiently honked their cars. Loud voices could be heard. The smell of burning candles & the scent of flowers was all around.
Thousands of Filipinos go to their family tombs on November 1. Cemeteries in the Philippines have mausoleums. Each one has generations of families buried in one plot. Filipinos adorn their family burial sites with flowers, and candles. Food is brought on site, and eaten like one is at a picnic. It is an all-day event, [preparation for] which starts a few weeks before when the grave sites are cleaned up.
Filipino families flock to their loved ones' final resting place on All Saints' Day (Source: sanantonioabadparish.com)
Our relatives traveled from Manila, and put up with the heat and traffic for 3 hours to get to our family’s mausoleum in our hometown in Tarlac. We’d sit by the family tombs and my aunt led the prayers for the departed.
At the cemetery, we’d run into old friends, who were also visiting their own grave sites. Stories were shared. These were customs and traditions we practiced on November 1st, when I was growing up in the Philippines. Coming together at our ancestors’ graves on this day was like a big social occasion for Filipinos.
My husband recalls as a young boy, how he and his cousins would go grave-hopping and collect candle wax from different grave sites. With those collected candle wax, they would form little balls and goof around.
Filipinos love celebrations. The 'Day of the Dead' on November 1st was always a reason to cook a lot of food and have family reunions.
Even if I’m far away from the Philippines I think of those traditions on November 1st. Prayers and remembrance are constant, the first thing I do to start that day.
So today in my American kitchen, I couldn't help but get caught up in my memories. I want to celebrate so I am preparing “fiesta fare”-- an Asian Fried Noodle dish. The good thing about Asian dishes is that ingredients are always “a little of everything”. There is a little meat, a few shrimps, some vegetables, broth, garnishings and noodles.
The sizzling hiss from the garlic, onions, celery and ginger in the pan is irresistible. And as I mixed in the pork and shrimps with the vegetables with the noodles and seasonings, the dish is ready. The aromatic noodle dish flavors brought back memories of how we celebrated November 1st back in the Philippines. What we call "Araw ng mga Patay" (Day of the Dead) was all about celebrating the living. It meant family, good food and good times.
Asian Fried Noodles
Serves 4 to 6
Asian Fried Noodles (Photo by Elizabeth Ann Quirino)
Ingredients
Chinese wheat noodles - 1 pound (pre-boiled, from Asian markets)
sotanghon cellophane noodles - 1/2 pound, pre-soaked in water for 20 minutes
ground pork - 1/2 pound
fresh shrimps - 1/2 pound
vegetable oil - 3 Tablespoons
garlic - 1 teaspoon, minced
fresh ginger - 1 teaspoon, minced
onion - 1 whole, chopped
celery - 2 stalks, chopped
fish sauce (patis) - 1 Tablespoon
carrots - 1 cup, chopped
salted black beans - 1 Tablespoon, canned, drained
organic chicken broth - 1 cup
green beans - 1 cup, sliced in 1-inch pieces
Napa cabbage - 1 cup, shredded
sea salt - 1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
egg - 1 piece, cooked scrambled, for garnish
scallions or green onions - 1/2 cup, for garnish
fried garlic bits - 1 Tablespoon, for garnish
Procedure
1. Pre-soak in water: the sotanghon noodles for about 20 minutes to soften. If the fresh Chinese noodles from the Asian grocery are already pre-boiled, wash and drain them and set aside.
2. In a large wok or skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onions, ginger, and celery. Stir fry till onions and celery are soft, for about 2 minutes. Add the black beans and mix.
3. To the wok mixture, add the ground pork and stir fry for about 3 minutes till meat turns from pink to brown. Add the shrimps and continue to stir fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the fish sauce and chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Let the flavors blend well.
5. Add the vegetables: carrots, green beans. Add the cabbage at the last 5 minutes just before adding the noodles.
6. Drain the sotanghon noodles. Together with the Chinese noodles, add both to the skillet and blend together with the rest of ingredients. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve warm, garnished with scrambled egg, scallions, and crisp garlic bits.
COOK’S COMMENTS: There are many varieties of noodles available. There is no strict rule as to what noodles to use in this dish. The beauty of an Asian noodle dish is that it is a very forgiving dish. Asian cooking is based on what is available in your backyard or pantry. Use meat, vegetables and noodles you have on hand or those that you can easily buy in major groceries near you.
Read the original article: Asian Fried Noodles and How Filipinos Celebrate November 1st - Asian In America
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Elizabeth Ann Quirino, based in New Jersey, is a journalist, food writer and member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). She blogs about Filipino home cooking and culinary travels to the Philippines on her site AsianInAmericamag.com.
More articles by Elizabeth Ann Quirino