While we sift through the 1000+ photos from our Italy trip, I thought I’d share my attempt at recreating something like the Cho Lon noodles. Not bad for a first attempt, but fun nonetheless!
This was supposed to be a quick one, but I ended up pottering around and dithering (what a great word that is) so in fact it took significantly longer than it should have done. The simple list of core ingredients include egg noodles, beansprouts, red pepper, courgette, sirloin steak, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, chopped chili, fish sauce and sesame oil.
First of all, soak some egg noodles in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes, draining once soft. Put these aside while you prepare the other elements. Thinly slice some peppers and courgettes and put in a hot pan with a drizzle of sesame oil and the chili, turning often. Moments before you turn off the heat, throw in a handful of beansprouts and then transfer to a mixing bowl.
In a large wok/pan, heat some sunflower/vegetable oil until hot (but not smoking). Next CAREFULLY put your soaked noodles in the oil, stirring to ensure they don’t turn in to one giant blob. The oil will spit at you so make sure cats, girlfriends or anything precious are well out the way (that includes your arm). Let them cook for a few minutes until golden brown, then remove and leave to drain.
When they drain, make a quick dressing with soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, fish sauce, sesame oil and some of the chopped chilis. Pour this over the vegetables and then move to the final step. Slice your steak into strips, seasoning with a little salt, a little chili and seal over a hot heat for a few minutes. Leave to rest and add to the mixing bowl of veg with the dressing. Give it a mix up (hands are the best for this). The steak should still be warm, and the heat from the veg should heat up the dressing, so no need to heat it on its own. Heap the noodles on the plate and liberally spoon the steak and veg mixture over the top, ensuring there is enough juice to mop up the noodles.
Bingo! Enjoy!