Here's a quick run-down of the types of HK-style noodles you can buy:

• fresh, unsteamed
• fresh, steamed
• dried

In the video, we demonstrate how to cook with fresh, unsteamed noodles (which is my dad's preference). This takes a little bit of extra work but it's worth it.

We'll need to cook the noodles by steaming them, which is one of the main keys to nailing the perfect texture.

Here's what you do:

• Place your steamer rack in a wok on high heat. Pour enough water so that the top of the rack isn't submerged, and start boiling water.
• Take the rack out, separate, and lay out the noodles (12 oz) on top of the rack.
• Once boiling, set the steamer rack + noodles back in the wok and cover for 10 minutes. Leave the stove on high heat.
• If you're using a steamer rack without holes (i.e. steaming on a plate where the steam can't easily access the bottom, steam for 2-3 extra minutes.)
• Once the 10 minutes is up, quickly dump the noodles in the water for 15-30 seconds.
• Drain the noodles through a colander, and spend about 1-2 minutes fluffing and separating the noodles with chopsticks.
• Let it cool for 3-5 minutes.

If you're using fresh, steamed noodles, you can skip the steaming step. Instead, dunk the noodles in boiling water for about 2 minutes before draining.

If you're using dried noodles, it's somewhat similar to cooking instant ramen. Cook according to the package's instructions, erring on the more al-dente side, and rinse with cold water afterward to stop the cooking.

We'll be washing and cutting our vegetables:

• bok choy (8 oz): cut into quarters for bigger pieces, halves for smaller pieces. We don't need to cut off the stem.
• white mushroom (3 oz): cut away the stem, and cut in halves
• carrot (1 oz): cut into about 2mm thick slices.
• ginger (2 slice): cut into about 2mm thick slices, and cut into little triangles.
• green onion (1 piece): cut only the whites into about 1-inch pieces. It's a stylistic thing but my dad cuts them diagonally.

The amounts are very flexible! If you make more than you can fit on your eventual noodle pancake, then you can also eat it separately.

For the chicken (4 oz), we'll cut it into slices against the grain. Marinate it with cornstarch (1 tsp), water (1 tsp), and salt (0.25 tsp). Stir the cornstarch slurry and chicken for about 30 seconds until the chicken is evenly coated.

Assuming you bought peeled, deveined shrimp, you don't need to do anything extra to them.

Next, we'll heat our pan on high heat for about 2-3 minutes. If you're using a non-stick pan like the one pictured, use medium-high heat to help protect the non-stick coating. Then, we'll add corn oil (1 tbsp). Swirl it around the pan and let the oil heat up until it's shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.

Add the noodles to the pan.

For the noodles, we want each side to become a crispy golden brown. We'll cook each side for about 7-10 minutes, occasionally turning the noodles but not stirring or breaking into the layers.

After flipping, we'll add more corn oil (1 tbsp) to the rim of the noodles, so that this new side also gets a nice crisp.

After the second side has turned golden & crispy, transfer the noodles onto a plate.

My dad explains this in the video, but he turns the noodles occasionally because most pans and stoves have uneven heat distribution. Turning helps ensure that the entire surface of the noodles gets evenly crispy.

Typically, restaurants use a ton of oil, even deep-frying the noodles. The cooking time is much quicker at restaurants with more oil and roaring stoves. At home, we can make a healthier version with less oil and longer cooking times, since we're not rushed to serve a ton of customers.

Add the chicken, and cook for about 1 minute before adding the other ingredients.

Scoot the chicken off to one side, and add the ginger and green onions. Let the ginger and green onions cook for about 45-60 seconds before adding the shrimp.

Add the shrimp, and cook for about a minute until it starts turning orange. For this step, the chicken and shrimp don't yet need to be fully cooked, because we'll still be cooking everything more later.

Transfer everything into a bowl to be mixed back later.

We don't need to add additional oil, since there's already some in the pan.

Place the bok choy, mushrooms, and carrots into the pan, along with boiling water (12 oz).

Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for about 4 minutes.

We'll add the shrimp, chicken, and aromatics back into the pan. Mix everything for a bit.

Then, we'll be adding salt (0.50 tsp), sugar (0.75 tsp), chicken bouillon (1 tsp), and oyster sauce (1 tbsp) to the pan. We'll also mix cornstarch (1.5 tbsp) and water (1 tbsp) in a bowl until it's an even slurry, and add it to the pan as well.

The cornstarch and water help to thicken the sauce into more of a gravy, which is what we want. You may need to adjust with more or less cornstarch to achieve the consistency you want.

Finally, add sesame oil (1 tsp).

Transfer the vegetables, meats, and gravy onto the noodles! It's time to eat :)

It's best to eat this as soon as possible since the sauce will inevitably make the noodles soggier over time.