Whenever we order Peking duck at Chinese restaurants, we will takeaway the roasted duck meat to make this braised ee-fu noodles the next day. That, instead of letting the restaurant cook the ee-fu noodles (as the “second way” for the peking duck) for us. My family much prefer the home-cooked version, as the roasted duck meat is nicely de-boned, and the noodles are served with lots of mushrooms.
These stewed noodles are popularly eaten on birthdays (as longevity noodles) and during Chinese New Year. I cook this all year round, as one can add almost any ingredient to it, which is perfect for clearing the fridge.
Picture List of Ingredients
As requested by my friends on instagram, here are the photos of the key ingredients and information on where to buy them. Since the ingredients are not that common (especially the chives), you may find it helpful to look for them with these pictures.
Ee-Fu Noodles (伊府面), aka Hong Kong Yee Fu noodles or Yi mein. This particular brand I use, can be easily found at our local supermarkets.
Yellow Chives, Bean Sprouts and Garlic.
Yellow Chives. To me, braised ee-fu noodles are not complete without yellow chives (韭黃/gau wang). This is the photo of the chives before cutting. The pale colour is because they are deliberately grown without direct exposure to sunlight. They are sold at Shing Sheong (SS) supermarket on a regular basis. Outside of SS, they are difficult to find even at the wet market. You can replace yellow chives with spring onions or koo-chye. As they perish quickly, store them in the fridge (vegetable drawer), and consume within 2 days from purchase.
Suitable mushrooms (use 1-3 types): Canned straw mushrooms (most popular), fresh shiitake, hon shimeji (brown and white), maitake and fungus.
Roasted Duck They are leftover takeaway from a Chinese restaurant. You can takeaway from the Chinese deli too. The roast duck add protein and extra flavour to the noodles. Remove the skin & bones before adding to the noodles. You can substitute the duck with other protein such as roast chicken, seafood, or fried beancurd (tau kwa).
Different chicken stock has varying degree of saltiness, so do adjust the seasonings (fish sauce and soy sauce) to taste accordingly. For meatless version, replace chicken stock with vegetable stock, and replace roast duck with fried beancurd (tau kwa).