Kung Pao Noodles: Recipe Using Chicken

Who invented noodles? For years, the Chinese, Italians and Arabs have tried to lay claim to this ingenious culinary invention. If dead people can talk; buried, long dead noodles probably can talk too! Just ask some long, lost millet noodles.

According to a BBC News report, archeologists uncovered the remains of the world’s oldest noodles. Sitting in pot, are some 50cm long strands of yellow noodles, browned with age, but nonetheless intact, probably buried during a catastrophic flood. Now, the million dollar question is where? In the Laijia Archaelogical site on the Yellow River, China.

Radiocarbon dating of the material taken from this site indicated that the noodles were 4,000 years old. Wow! But noodles actually date far back—the earliest written record of noodles is traced back to a book written during the East Han Dynasty (bet. AD. 25 and 220).

While the Italians and Arabs can still contend about these archaeological evidences, researchers in Beijing were quick to explain, “Our discovery indicated that noodles were first produced in China.”

Whoever! I’m just glad that someone came up with these culinary strands of deliciousness.

My version of Kung Pao Noodles is a happy marriage between Chinese sauces and good old Italian noodles. Here’s to Asian Fusion:

Kung Pao Noodles

Sauce:

3 tablespoons of oyster sauce

3 tablespoons of Ketchup

1 teaspoon of soya sauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

Mix all the above in a small bowl.

2 chicken breast, thinly sliced

2 scallions, cut into chunks

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup of green beans (optional)

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 thumb of ginger, sliced

4 or 5 dried red chili pods

A handful of peanuts or cashews

1. Coat the pan with some sesame oil.

2. Sautee garlic, ginger, red chili pods until fragrant.

3. Add chicken and sautee until done.

4. Toss in diced peppers and green beans and sautee for a minute or two.

5. Add noodles and sauce and mix well.

6. Season with salt and sugar to taste if needed (according to personal preference).

7. Garnish with scallions and nuts.

Dish it up and enjoy!