Stir-fried E-fu Noddles with Shrimp
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This Stir-fried E-fu Noodles with Shrimp is quick and easy to make, loaded with mushroom and soy sauce umami flavors, and super delicious! It’s perfect for special occasions like Chinese New Year, but also great for simple weeknight dinners!
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!
I wish you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous year ahead! 🤗 And of course, I hope you have a lovely celebration with your families and eat lots of yummy food!
Lately, my name and game has been noodles. Well not my name, but my game certainly has been because I’ve been happily slurping away all kinds of stir-fried and soupy noodles at my favorite local joints here! Not to mention I’ve been giving my local wet market noodle shop lady A LOT of business because of all the new noodle recipes I’ve been testing out and developing!
This Stir-fried E-fu Noodles Shrimp has been my latest success and obsession, and you’re about to be enlightened!
But first, here’s why I love it so much:
- It’s quick and easy to make cause it’s a speedy stir-fry dish. Perfect for a lazy or busy weeknight when cooking is the last the last thing on your mind. 🙌
- It’s made with looooong e-fu noodles and that means it has awesome SLURPABILITY potential. 😉
- It tastes AMAZING and is an absolute delight with its mushroom-y-ness and spicy kick! 😍
- JUICY luscious shrimp. No explanation needed here. (And I am SO glad you cannot see me drooling right now.)
If any of the above sounds appealing to you, then read on my dear friends!
A LITTLE INFO ABOUT E-FU NOODLES:
E-fu noodles (also known as Yi Mien伊麵) are a type of Cantonese noodles made from egg and wheat flour. They have a spongy and chewy texture, which allows them to soak up all the sauce they’re cooked in. These noodles are known for their bright golden-yellow color, as well as for how super long they are!
They also symbolize longevity and are usually eaten on special occasions such as birthdays, Chinese New Year, and special Chinese festivals. They’re first deep-fried and then sold in round discs in bags at wet market noodle stalls or in packages at supermarkets. You’re meant to half cook them first by boiling them for a few minutes before using them in either a stir-fried, braised, or soup noodle dish.
Although they’re considered a special occasion dish in Chinese culture, e-fu noodles are available all year round at wet markets and noodle shops so I cook them whenever I want, and especially when I’m feeling too lazy and don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen and near the stove. 😜
You can also find them in packages in Asian grocery stores, and sometimes with seasoning packets included. If you only find the ones with those seasoning packets, just discard the packets and cook the noodles with the sauce and instructions below. I guarantee you that it’ll taste MUCH better. 👍
WHAT’S IN THE SAUCE?
For the sauce, the usual suspects in an Asian pantry make their way in – low sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce (the thick and sweet kind – I use one from Thailand), oyster sauce, sesame oil, some water and a bit of corn starch to thicken things up a bit.
I also use a mushroom flavored soy sauce because it adds an extra oomph factor with its mushroom essence and also gives the noodles a beautiful dark reddish-brown color. Since I always have to have something spicy in there, I use S&B’s Fried Garlic in Chili Oil for some heat and garlic flavor! 👈 This stuff is amazing and I recommend using S&B’s over any other brand as the flavors are more pronounced.
Other Ingredients:
Other than that, you only need to chop up a handful of essential aromatics and ingredients – garlic, ginger, onion, fresh red chilies (omit these if you don’t want the extra heat), some brown straw (shimeji) mushrooms, and Chinese chives – before you stir-fry yourself up a batch of these beautiful noodles!
A note on the mushrooms: You can swap for any mushroom here really, but I recommend a brown Asian mushroom like shitake. Though if oyster, portobello, or brown button is easier to find where you’re located, feel free to use them instead. The point is to make these noodles saucy and mushroom-y so any type of ‘shrooms or a variety of your favorites will work just fine! 👌
I DON’T EAT SEAFOOD. CAN I USE ANOTHER PROTEIN?
Yes! My protein of choice is shrimp in this recipe because I felt like seafood the day I came up with this recipe. But if you prefer to use sliced beef, pork, or chicken, I say go for it because it’ll taste just as delicious in the spicy mushroom-y sauce!
CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?
You bet you can! Just omit the meat to make it a vegetarian dish – this is something I do regularly when I occasionally feel like a meatless Monday and it tastes fabulous! Also, use a vegetarian mushroom flavored oyster sauce instead of regular oyster sauce.
If going veg, I suggest a side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables as a side dish, but avoid adding a whole ton of vegetables in the noodles stir-fry itself. It’ll take a bit more time to stir-fry everything if you do and will cause your noodles to become mushy. So side dish of veggies is what I do when I’m not adding shrimp to the noodles. 👍
Go now and enjoy. Happy Chinese New Year and happy slurping everyone! 🤗
MORE ASIAN NOODLES RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE
PrintStir-fried E-fu Noddles with Shrimp
This Stir-fried E-fu Noodles with Shrimp is quick and easy to make, loaded with mushroom and soy sauce umami flavors, and super delicious! It’s perfect for special occasions like Chinese New Year, but also great for simple weeknight dinners!
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 bowls 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
CHOPPING
- 7 Garlic cloves – minced
- 2 TBLS Ginger – grated
- ¼ Yellow Onion – thinly sliced
- 3 – 8 Red Chilies (Bird’s Eye preferred) – to taste, chopped (optional)
- 75g / a little over 1 cup Brown Straw Mushrooms (Shimeji mushrooms) – ends chopped and discarded, rinsed properly
- 40g / 5-6 pieces Chinese (Garlic) Chives – chopped into 2-inch long pieces, whites and greens seperated
SAUCE BOWL
- 1 TSP Corn Starch
- 2 TSP Mushroom Soy Sauce
- 4 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- 2 TSP Sweet Dark Soy Sauce (the thick and viscous type)
- 1.5 TBLS Fried Garlic in Chili Oil, to taste (I use S&B’s but feel free to use any other Chinese chili oil with chili flakes)
- 2 TBLS Oyster Sauce (or Vegetarian Mushroom Flavored Oyster Sauce if making this veg)
- 1 TSP Sesame Oil
- 3 TBLS Water
SHRIMP MARINADE
- 1.5 TSP Corn Starch
- 3 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- 2 TSP Shao Xing Wine
- ½ TSP (a little) Sesame Oil
OTHER
- 4 TBLS Peanut Oil (or any other cooking oil with a high burning point)
- 1 TSP Chili Oil (optional)
- 1 TSP Sesame Oil
- 200g Shrimp, fresh or frozen – peeled, tails removed, and deveined
- 150g dry E-Fu Noodles
- About 2400ml/2.5 quarts water (to boil the noodles – the amount may vary depending on the size of your pan/pot and the noodles disc)
- A pinch of coarse ground Black Pepper, more to taste
- A pinch of White Pepper, more or less to taste
TO SERVE
- Crushed red chili pepper (optional)
- Chinese chili oil (optional)
Instructions
Prep:
- Chopping: Chop up all your fresh ingredients – the garlic, ginger, onion, red chilies (discard seeds if less heat is desired), and the Chinese chives. (The straw mushrooms can be left whole as they are usually pretty small and will shrink while stir-frying them later.)
- For the Noodles: Boil about 2,400ml of water in a large pan/pot. Once the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook until they have separated into strands but are still firm – about 3-4 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook them, as they will become too soggy when you stir-fry them later. The goal is to soften them up just enough before you stir-fry them.) Drain the water and set aside in a colander. Run some tap water over the noodles to prevent them from sticking.
- Make the Shrimp Marinade: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the shrimp marinade. Add the shrimp, mix to coat, and set aside.
- Sauce Bowl: In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients listed under “Sauce Bowl” and mix thoroughly with a spoon to combine. Set aside.
- Prep for Marinated Shrimp: Heat 2 TBLS peanut oil and a dash of sesame oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Lift the wok and swirl it in a circular motion so that the oil spreads around the perimeter and then place it back on the stove. Once hot, add the shrimp and spread them evenly in the wok. Cook on one side for about 30-45 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side for 30 more seconds. Toss until no longer translucent, then transfer to a fine mesh strainer and hold above the wok to let the oil drain. (You can gently shake the strainer to speed up the draining process, but be careful not to shake too violently as that’ll cause some of the cornstarch to come off and make the shrimp a bit mushy.) Transfer the shrimp into another clean large bowl and set aside. Discard the oil in the wok and wipe with paper towels. Set back on stove.
For the Stir-fried E-fu Noodles with Shrimp:
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil, chili oil (if using), and about 1 TSP of sesame oil in the wok. Lift the wok and rotate it in a clockwise motion to spread the oil around the perimeter. Set it back on the stove to let the oil heat up for a minute.
- Once hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent – about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and Chinese chives whites and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Then add the red chilies and continue stir-frying.
- Add the straw mushrooms and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds. (They don’t need to soften up entirely here, as they will continue to cook as you add and stir-fry everything else.)
- Add the shrimps and toss with the rest of the ingredients in the wok to combine.
- Mix the contents of the sauce bowl with a spoon (to loosen up the corn starch), then add the noodles and pour the sauce over them evenly. Stir-fry and toss continuously to ensure that everything is combined and coated well in the sauce.
- Season with black and white pepper to taste and continue stir-frying.
- Add the greens of the Chinese chives and stir-fry to combine. Cook until they turn radiant green – about 1-2 minutes. Continue tossing and stir-frying everything until the noodles have heated through, then turn off the heat and transfer to a serving dish/plate.
- To serve: Serve the noodles with Chinese chili oil and crushed red chili pepper on the side if desired (optional).
Notes
- Deseed or reduce the amount of red chilies if less heat is desired. You can also omit them entirely if you like.
- Chinese chives (also known as garlic chives) are different than your normal chives. They can be found at Chinese grocery stores in your local Chinatown. I’ve also heard of people finding them at farmers markets in their locality too.
- You can find the e-fu noodles in either a noodle shop in your local Chinatown (if there is one in your town) or at an Asian grocery store. The latter will be a packaged version and likely one that comes with seasoning packets, which you can discard to make this recipe. Here in Hong Kong, I’ve also seen Sau Tao brand of e-fu noodles available at supermarkets, but for this recipe I purchased the e-fu noodles disc from a noodle and dumpling wrapper shop near my local wet market. See what you can find in your locality!
- Adapted from The Woks of Life.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 471
- Sugar: 4.1g
- Sodium: 1343.6mg
- Fat: 24.3g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 40.6g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 24.5g
- Cholesterol: 143.5mg
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