Egg Fried Noodles

Two reasons. The noodles are too wet: after boiling, rinse under cold water, shake off all the moisture, and toss with a few drops of oil in the colander. Wet noodles on a hot pan steam instead of fry. The pan is not hot enough: for stir-frying noodles you need the oil to be almost smoking before anything goes in. A cold or warm pan gives the noodles time to release starch and stick to each other. If your pan is small, cook in two batches — crowding drops the temperature fast.

A regular wide pan with a thick base works, as long as two things happen: heat it on maximum for 2 to 3 minutes before adding any oil, and do not overload it. The problem with a regular pan is not the shape but the heat retention — it cools faster when cold noodles hit it. For 4 servings, cook in two batches. A non-stick pan also works fine — you need less oil, but the noodles get slightly less char on them.

Egg noodles are the right choice for this dish — thin, fast to fry, and what the name refers to. Fresh egg noodles from the fridge section go into the wok with almost no prep. Dried egg noodles need a quick boil to al dente first. Udon also works well — chewier and thicker. Soba is less ideal because it goes soft easily. Rice noodles work but that is a different dish with a different texture. Whatever noodle you use, do not overcook it in the initial boil — it finishes cooking in the wok.

The base sauce is soy sauce plus oyster sauce plus sesame oil at the end. That is the core. A small amount of dark soy sauce adds colour and a faint caramel taste — use less of it since it is very salty. A few drops of rice vinegar remove the flat quality. Garlic and ginger in the first 30 seconds. For vegetables: bean sprouts, julienned carrot, scallions, bok choy. Cook the egg separately at the edge of the wok and break it into large pieces rather than scrambling it through everything — that gives better texture, visible egg chunks rather than smeared yellow coating.

Two approaches both work. Push the noodles and vegetables to the side, crack or pour beaten egg into the cleared space, let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds until the base sets, then break it up with a spatula and fold it in. Or beat eggs separately, fry as a loose omelette, remove, tear into pieces, and return at the end. The key point for both: do not add egg to a cold surface and do not stir immediately. Let the bottom set first or you get wet scrambled egg coating everything rather than distinct chunks.