These Birds Nest Noodles will bring the flavors of a Chinese restaurant right to your home! It features crunchy egg noodles smothered in a savory chicken sauce with seafood.
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🥢 What are Birds Nest Noodles?
It's a classic Hong Kong dish found in Chinese restaurants worldwide.
It features deep-fried chow mein noodles coated with a savory sauce and seafood. The sauce softens some noodles while leaving others crispy, creating a wonderful texture.
A similar version, using the same method and ingredients, is known as "Mì Xào Giòn" in Vietnam.
🍜 Which noodle do I use?
I recommend using Hong Kong-style egg-flavored noodles, which are available at Asian supermarkets.
You'll find them in both fresh and dry versions, and they come in thick or thin varieties. For this recipe, go for the fresh, thin noodles because they're faster to prepare and turn out super crispy.
If you must use dry noodles, soak them in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain. Boil for 1 minute, then place them in a colander to drip dry.
🧂 Ingredients
- Thin Egg Noodles: For the crunchy base.
- Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil like canola, vegetable, or peanut.
- Garlic And Ginger: Fresh for the best flavor.
- Chinese Chicken Stock: Homemade is the best, but you can substitute it with chicken powder for similar results.
- Seafood: Any combination of prawns/shrimp, squid, scallops, basa fish fillet.
- Carrot And Snow Peas: Other crunchy vegetables like celery or bell peppers work as well.
- Shaoxing Wine: The secret ingredient - it adds a ton of complexity to the sauce.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds a nutty aroma to the sauce.
- White Pepper: Pairs wonderfully with seafood.
- Cornstarch: Used for thickening the sauce.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Boil a pot of water and cook the egg noodles for 30 seconds until they soften, then place them in a colander to drip dry.
STEP 2: In a wok, heat 1-inch of oil to 350℉. Shape the cooked egg noodles into a round and fry for 2-3 minutes on both sides until crispy. Set them aside.
STEP 3: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Then, add the green onions and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and Shaoxing wine, increase the heat to high, and bring it to a simmer.
STEP 4: Add the seafood, carrots, and snow peas, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes until the seafood is cooked. Season with white pepper and toasted sesame oil. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir and add it to thicken the sauce.
STEP 6: Place the crispy egg noodles on a serving plate and pour the seafood sauce over them. Enjoy!
💭 Top Tips
- Add a sprinkle (⅛ teaspoon) of MSG to the seafood sauce to bring it to the next level.
- Adjust the sauce's thickness by adding more chicken stock or cornstarch slurry. It should be thick enough to coat the noodles but still run smoothly down them.
📋 Recipe
Easy Birds Nest Noodles
Ingredients
Bird's Nest
- ½ lb thin egg noodles (fresh, or dried, see notes)
- oil (for frying)
Seafood sauce
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil (like canola, peanut, vegetable, soybean, corn, or avocado)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 green onion (sliced into 2-inch sticks)
- 1 ½ cup Chinese chicken stock (see notes)
- 1 cup seafood (any combination of shrimp, squid, scallops, basa fish fillet)
- 1 small carrot (sliced ¼-inch thick)
- 16 snow peas (tips removed)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons of water)
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and cook the egg noodles for 30 seconds until they soften, then place them in a colander to drip dry.
- In a wok, heat 1-inch of oil to 350℉. Shape the cooked egg noodles into a round and fry for 2-3 minutes on both sides until crispy. Set them aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Then, add the green onions and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and Shaoxing wine, increase the heat to high, and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the seafood, carrots, and snow peas, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes until the seafood is cooked.
- Season with white pepper and toasted sesame oil. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir and add it to thicken the sauce.
- Place the crispy egg noodles on a serving plate and pour the seafood sauce over them. Enjoy!
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