CHINESE DIM SUM: When I first put this recipe together years ago, making the "silver needles" noodles at home was the only way to go, and it was very labour-intensive to make them from scratch. Nowadays, it is easy to enjoy them at any time.

SILVER "NEEDLE" NOODLES銀針粉:

 

 

 

home-made noodle dough or 3 packages store-bought silver-thread noodles****

    ¾ cup “tang” flour or wheat starch

    ¾ cup boiling water

   dash of salt

1/2 cup of char-siu or BBQ pork, cut into julienne strips        

½ each red & green bell peppers, cut into strips

                    

1 each shallot and garlic clove, thinly sliced   

2 dried mushrooms, soaked and sliced           

6 oz. bean sprout, tail ends removed

1/2 lb shrimp

seasoning sauce for noodles:

    1 tsp. each salt & sugar, or to taste

    1 tsp. each light & dark soy sauce                          

    dash of sesame oil

    1 to 2 tsp. oyster-flavour sauce

seasoning for shrimp:

   1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt & sugar

   1/2 tsp. each light soy sauce, rice wine & tapioca starch

   dash of sesame seed oil

  

 

****packages of freshly-made silver-needles noodles are available in the "refrigerated items" department of Chinese supermarket****

 

 

 

To make home-made noodles:   Sift wheat starch and salt into a bowl and pour in boiling water Use a pair of chopsticks or wooden spatula to mix and stir vigorously into dough. Cover with a towel and let stand 10 minutes. Turn out onto dry work surface and knead into smooth and soft dough.

 

Roll dough out into a long rope and cut rope into 24 portions. Knead each portion into the shape of chopstick and cut into small cubes. Put each cube between the palms of both hands to roll into pin-shaped noodles. Put noodles, in batches, in a single layer on a greased plate. Sit plate in a large bamboo steamer fitted over a large pot of boiling water. Cover steamer and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Repeat and cook all noodles.

 

If using store-bought noodles, open packages and sit noodles on large microwavable plates/containers to allow noodles to come back to room temperature. When softened, squeeze noodles gently to separate and spread out the "needles". At serving time, warm up noodles in microwave at high power for 3 minutes.

 

Rinse, shell and devein shrimp. Wrap in double thickness of paper towers and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Season shrimp with seasoning and marinate 30 minutes.

 

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in wok or non-stick saucepan over high heat until very hot. Add in garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant. Add in shrimp and cook until no longer pink, but turning bright orangey coloured. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon; then add in another tablespoon of oil. Add in peppers and mushrooms, cook until softened; then add in bean sprout. Cook together for 1 minute; then add in BBQ pork. Toss for 30 seconds or so. Transfer all to serving platter.

 

Heat wok or saucepan up with 1 tbsp. oil and add in noodles, tossing well to coat with the oil and to heat up. Add in sauce ingredients, tossing well to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Turn off heat, return rest of ingredients to noodles in pan and toss everything together well.

 

Serve right away.