Shrimp Noodle Bowls

About a year on from the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Hubei, our lives continue to be dominated by the pandemic. Ariel and I have maintained our own safety protocols, which include contactless pickup of groceries about every two weeks. It's important as ever to plan for meals which lack the freshest of produce. The noodle bowls in today's post were a recent invention of mine, intended as an easy lunch that uses up odds and ends with a long shelf life. When Ariel asked me to make them again, I knew it was time for a blog post!

The noodles I used here are thin rice noodles called Xinzhu mifen (新竹米粉), which originate in the Taiwanese city of Hsinchu. I have only used these in one other recipe (minced pigeon), where they are just a fried topping and not the main event. Being so thin, they don't need to be parboiled and only need to soak for a few minutes to be ready to eat. All the vegetables I used have a long shelf life, and the shrimp can be defrosted just before cooking. This is the kind of dish with infinite variations depending on what is on hand. Scallions are a nice addition if available, but don't hold up quite as well as carrots and regular onions. The runny egg on top was Ariel's idea. While I have labeled it "optional," it's a great addition which pulls the whole thing together. This recipe makes enough for two bowls.

Ingredients

• 16 shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 2 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. corn starch
• 1 Tbs. Shaoxing wine
• 5 oz. dry thin rice noodles
• 1/2 small onion (can also use white parts of scallions)
• 1 carrot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. peeled, minced ginger
• 2 eggs (optional)
• Sliced scallions (green parts, optional)
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine shrimp, soy sauce, corn starch, and wine in a bowl. Toss to combine and coat the shrimp. Place the noodles in a large bowl and fill with hot tap water, completely covering the noodles. Pull the noodles apart as they soften. Let both stand while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Dice the onion. Peel the carrot and grate on the large holes of box grater. Peel and slice the garlic and ginger.

Heat a little oil in a wok over high heat. Add the shrimp, shaking off excess marinade. Reserve the marinade in the bowl. Stir fry the shrimp until just cooked through, then set aside.

Add a little more oil, the carrot, and the onion and stir fry a few minutes. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry another minute. Add the reserved marinade and a splash of water to loosen it up. Stir briefly and add the noodles. Add the noodles, allowing water to drain off before adding each bunch. Toss vigorously to coat the noodles. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss again to combine. 

Divide the noodles into two bowls for serving. If adding eggs, rinse out the pan and wipe dry. Turn heat to medium, add a little oil, and fry the eggs one at a time. Carefully flip the eggs and cook until whites are set but yolks are runny. Top each bowl with an egg and, if available, sliced scallions. Serve with Sriracha or other chili sauce.