Birthday Claypot Yee Mein

Yan Yat is the seventh day of the lunar new year, a day designated  as 'Everyone's birthday', 'Day of Man' or 'Day of Humanity' and this is an occasion for celebration.  Everybody L-O-V-E-S Birthday, especially when Everyone Around You Celebrates on the Same Day

According to the  believers of The Goddess Nüwa, She created human beings on the seventh day, by molding them from clay, so today is our birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

A drink from seven types of vegetables is made for health and to celebrate this occasion.  Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.  Since i had 'yee sang' on New Year's Eve, i will have noodles today.

Ingredients:

4 pieces dried egg noodles(Yee mein if available) - for 4 persons
1/2 lb choy sum - washed and cut into i inch lengths
1.2 lb of pork/chicken slices
4 cups or more stock
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp tapioca starch mix with 2 tbsp water for thickening
4 eggs
Oil for deep frying the noodles if yee mein is not available

Marinate for the meat:

2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp tapioca starch
1 tsp sesame oil
a dash of pepper

Seasonings

4 tbsp oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp shao-xing wine
1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

Heat wok with enough oil for deep frying.and when oil is 375f, drop one piece of dried noodle in and deep fry noodle until golden brown.  Remove and plunge fried noodle into a large pot of cold water.

Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dried noodles.  (If you have yee mein which are already fried, parboil and then put in cold water)

Marinate meat slices with the marinate and set aside.

Heat wok with 4 tbsp oil and brown marinated meat slices.  Add in chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add in stock and seasonings, bring to a boil.

Add in deep fried noodles/yee mein and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat, cover wok and simmer noodles until noodles are soft. (Add more stock if you want more sauce).

Add in choy sum and increase heat.  Cook until choy sum is cooked just right.

Thicken sauce with tapioca starch solution.  Make sure the sauce is back to the boil and cook for 1 minute before adjusting the taste with salt and pepper.

Divide noodles into 4 portions and put each portion into a small claypot.  Bring back noodles in claypot to a quick boil and crack in an egg  together with a dash of shao-xing wine and sesame oil before serving.

Serve noodles immediately so that the egg can be cooked through from the heat of the noodles.

Serves