Crispy Pan-Fried Noodle Cakes with Seafood

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound shrimp
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 pound choy sum or other Chinese greens
• 4 Chinese fish balls, cut in half
• 1/4 pound bay scallops
• 1/4 pound squid
• 8 ounces Hong Kong Style Pan-Fried Noodles
• 8 fresh shiitake mushroom, about 1/2 lb

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the shrimp with the baking soda, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour in enough cold water to cover, stir everything around, and leave it while you prep the rest. In a medium bowl, whisk together the stock, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil and cornstarch, then place that sauce nearby.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in the wok. Drop in the choy sum and cook it just until it softens, about 30 seconds. Lift it out with tongs, rinse it under cold running water so it stops cooking, and let it drain.
3. Put the fish balls into the water and let them simmer for 30 seconds. Add the scallops and squid, then cook the seafood for another 30 seconds. Drain everything and rinse with cold water to cool it quickly.
4. Use your fingers to loosen the noodles, teasing apart any bigger clumps. Set the wok over high heat with 1 tablespoon oil, and when the oil shimmers, add the noodles. Cook for 30 seconds, moving them gently in the pan. Lower the heat to medium, pour in 1/4 cup of water, and keep cooking, rotating the pan now and then, until the bottom starts to color. Check carefully with a spatula, lifting around the sides and nudging the edges toward the middle. Cook, continuing to swirl the pan, until the underside is golden brown, about 5 minutes total.
5. Slip the noodles onto a large plate. Place a second plate upside down over it, hold the plates firmly at the rims, and turn them over so the noodle cake lands on the second plate with the browned side on top. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat it until it shimmers. Slide the noodle cake back into the wok and cook the other side, swirling often, until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Move it to a large plate and keep it warm.
6. Add another tablespoon oil to the wok and heat it over high heat until the oil is smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they are tender and browned, about 2 minutes. Scoop them into a large bowl.
7. Drain the shrimp carefully. Add another tablespoon oil to the wok over high heat, and once the oil is smoking, add the shrimp. Stir often and cook just until they are barely done, about 1 minute. Add them to the bowl with the mushrooms.
8. Pour another 2 teaspoons oil into the wok and heat it over high heat until smoking. Add the seafood and cook, stirring often, until it is just barely cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer it to the same bowl with the mushrooms and shrimp.
9. Put the wok back on the heat. Stir the sauce mixture again, then pour it into the wok. Cook until it comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Add the seafood and mushroom mixture back to the pan and toss until coated. Season to taste with salt. Spoon everything over the noodle cake, arrange the choy sum around it, and serve immediately.