Chicken Chow Mein

Ingredients:

• 90 g instant noodles or other Chinese egg noodles
• 1/4 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. l. peanut butter
• 0.5 cups chicken broth, homemade or store-bought
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce + extra for serving
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 170g), cut into 5cm long strips.
• 1 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. chopped ginger root
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Half a medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced ​​on the diagonal
• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms (soak in water to plump up, then thinly slice the caps)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced ​​canned water chestnuts
• 170 g fresh mung bean sprouts
• 3 cups boiled white rice, hot

Preparation:

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain in a colander in the sink and rinse under cold running water. Shake the colander to remove excess water and pat the noodles dry with a towel.
2. In a large, seasoned skillet or nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup peanut oil over high heat. Add the noodles, spreading them out to coat the skillet evenly, and cook, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Break up the noodles, stirring, toward the end of the cooking time. Transfer the noodles to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
3. Drain excess oil and wipe out the skillet. Combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Drizzle the chicken with dark sesame oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Heat the skillet over high heat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil until very hot. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until crisp, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the water chestnuts and push them to the sides of the pan, leaving a hollow in the center. Pour the chicken broth mixture into the center, bring to a boil, and stir to coat the chow mein. Add the bean sprouts and remove from the heat. Season generously with pepper. Transfer the chicken chow mein to a warm platter and top with the fried noodles. Serve immediately with rice. Add soy sauce.