Scallops & Asparagus Ee-fu Noodles
Happy Chinese New Year! Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy & prosperous Year of the Tiger. I’m continuing the blog tradition of cooking a different version of ee-fu noodles during CNY. This year’s ee-fu noodles recipe had the reliable & trusted combination of scallop, asparagus, mushrooms and xo sauce. You can cook this not just for CNY, but also for family gatherings and other celebrations as well. If you have leftover frozen scallops from CNY hotpot, this is a great recipe for clearing the scallops from the freezer.
See Also:
More Ee-Fu Noodles Recipes:
- Ee-fu Noodles with Roast Duck
- Baby Abalone Ee-Fu Noodles
- XO Sauce Ee-fu Noodles
- Seafood Ee-Fu Noodles
- Prawns Ee-Fu Noodles
- Ee-fu Noodles with Pacific Clams
KEY INGREDIENTS (Scallops & Asparagus Ee-fu Noodles)
Ingredient #1 Ee-fu Noodles
This is the usual packet of dry ee-fu noodles I bought. It comes in a packet of 4 bundles. You can find it at local supermarkets.
Ingredient #2 Chinese Chives
Chinese chives are to me, the most signature & unique ingredient when cooking ee-fu noodles. Other than Sheng Siong supermarket, I can’t really find chives readily at other supermarkets or even the wet market stalls. They perish fast even in the fridge, so try use up the chives within the next 1-2 days of purchase.
Ingredient #3 XO Sauce
This is my trusted bottle of XO sauce which adds a luxury touch to the ee-fu noodles to CNY or celebratory occasions.
The Rest of the Ingredients
- Thaw the scallops (if frozen) and pat them dry on paper towels.
- Shave the asparagus stems with a vegetable peeler and cut them diagonally to short sections. See tutorial here.
- Cut the carrot to cute flower shapes. See tutorial here.
- I’m using shiitake and hon shimeji mushrooms (not pictured above). You can use any favourite mushrooms such as fresh straw mushrooms, sliced button or king oyster mushrooms.
- Wash the Chinese chives to get rid of any small specks of soil & dirt. Cut them to equal short lengths.
- I also recommend a rich chicken stock (the tetra-pak ones such as Heinz or Swanston chicken broth) for this recipe.
Tips for cooking ee-fu noodles:
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds until they just start to separate & still uncooked.
- XO sauce is optional but a great addition during CNY. If you don’t have XO sauce, add more soy, fish or oyster sauce to taste.
- The cooked ee-fu noodles should be saucy and unbroken. Don’t over simmer the noodles (about 3 minutes will do). To prevent the noodles from breaking, use a gentle hand to stir-fry. Keep the noodles moist (add more water or stock if needed) at all times.
Cooking the Noodles
- Blanch the asparagus & carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes. Take them out and set aside. Then blanch the noodles quickly, drain & set aside.
- Pan fry the scallops with minced ginger. Set aside.
- Stir fry the mushrooms until softened. Add chives and stir-fry quickly.
- Add blanched noodles & pour sauce over. Cover with lid, simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the asparagus, carrots & scallops immediately while the contents are still hot.
Scallops & Asparagus Ee-fu Noodles Recipe
The XO sauce is optional but it is a perfect luxury for holidays & celebration. If you do not want to use XO sauce, add more soy, fish or oyster sauce to taste.
The cooked ee-fu noodles should be saucy and unbroken. Don’t over simmer the noodles. To prevent the noodles from breaking, use a gentle hand when frying and keep the noodles moist (add more water or stock if needed) at all times.
Ingredients:
- 10 slices carrot optional: cut them to flower shapes
- 4 spears thick asparagus prepped & cut diagonally to short sections
- 150g (3 bundles) dry ee-fu noodles (伊府面/Yi mein)
- 3 slices ginger minced
- 250g fresh scallops patted dry on paper towels
- 1/2 tbsp + 1 tbsp cooking oil divided
- 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 150g assorted mushrooms I’m using hon shimeji & sliced shiitake mushroom
- 150g yellow chives (韭黃/gau wang) cut to 5 cm (2 inch) lengths
- 1 tbsp Chinese wine (Hua Tiao/Shao Xing)
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onions and/or coriander to garnish
(A) Sauce
- 150 ml chicken stock see cooking note below
- 2 tbsp XO sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 3 dashes white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp Chinese wine
Directions:
- Blanch carrot, asparagus & ee-fu noodles. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add carrot & asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Next, add ee-fu noodles and cook them in the boiling water for less than a minute. Take out the noodles as soon as the noodles start to separate in the hot boiling water, while they are firm and still uncooked. Run the noodles under cold tap water through a colander to cool. Set aside.
- Cook scallops. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or wokpan. Add ginger and scallops. Pan fry until scallops are cooked. Set aside the scallops including any scallop juices in a plate.
- Cook mushrooms. Add remaining oil, garlic and mushrooms to the pan. Stir fry until the mushrooms start to soften. Add yellow chives and fry until they just start to soften.
- Make the noodles. Add prepared ee-fu noodles and sauce (A). Coat the noodles evenly in the sauce, then cover with lid and simmer until most of the sauce is reduced, about 3 minutes, topping up with stock or water if needed. Stir in the cooked scallops, carrot & asparagus immediately, and mix well while the contents are still hot. Garnish with spring onions and/or coriander.
Ingredients Note(s):
- I’m using a rich chicken stock (Heinz or Swanston chicken broth in tetra-pak) for this recipe. As various brands of chicken broth differs in saltiness & richness, do adjust the light soy sauce to taste accordingly.
- Instead of shiitake mushrooms, you can substitute with hon shimeji, fresh straw mushrooms, sliced button or king oyster mushrooms.