The Stir-Fried Vermicelli My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most stir-fried vermicelli recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 50 years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 224.5K views, 4.4K likes on YouTube.
Every family's Lunar New Year feast is a bit different. For some, meaty Cantonese classics such as Siu Yuk and White Cut Chicken are a must. For others, the holiday wouldn't be complete without plenty of seafood, like Lobster Yee Mein and Abalone with Lettuce. Filled with symbolism, noodles are another essential and one of my family's favorite preparations is this Stir-Fried Vermicelli (蝦米炒粉絲).
The star ingredient is mung bean vermicelli. My dad has used the noodles in Egg Rolls, Steamed Garlic Shrimp and other dishes and it's an ingredient we recommend having on hand all the time. Two other Chinese pantry staples (dried shrimp and dried shiitake mushrooms) make an appearance to add flavor and texture.
While stir-fried vermicelli is known as a Chinese New Year dish, the crowd-pleaser is great for everyday dinners, too. With my dad's tips, this vermicelli is easy enough to make anytime you're craving a comforting Chinese meal!
Ingredients
Instructions
Soak ingredients
Place the mung bean vermicelli (5 oz) in a bowl and soak in warm water for a few minutes.
Rinse the dried shrimp (2 oz) in a small bowl with warm water. Drain and soak in more water for 3 minutes.
Wash the dried shiitake mushrooms (2 oz) in cold water, then soak in warm water.
Peel the carrot (0.50 large).
Cut off 4 leaves from the napa cabbage (4 oz), cutting the leaf at the base to preserve the rest of the cabbage. Rinse and soak the leaves in water in a large bowl. Place the celery (3 stalk) in the same bowl to soak.
Cut ingredients
Peel pieces of the red onion (2 oz) off the root. My dad prefers to do this rather than cutting the pieces off so he can save the rest of the onion for other uses. Next, cut the onion along the grain into thin slices.
Slice the green onion (2 oz) into 2-inch pieces.
Cut a thin slice off one side of the carrot. This creates a level base for slicing. Slice the remaining carrot into thin planks. Stack them together and julienne into thin, match-like strips.
Use the flat side of your knife to smash the cloves of garlic (3 clove). Trim off the hard end, then mince the cloves.
Cut the stalks of celery into quarters, then slice into strips going along the grain.
Slice the napa cabbage into three sections, then cut into thin strips.
Drain the dried shiitake mushrooms, using your hands to squeeze out any excess water. Slice into thin strips.
Remove the shrimp from the bowl, squeezing out any excess water. Reserve the soaking liquid for later use.
Use kitchen shears to make a couple of cuts into the vermicelli so they're not too long. Drain the noodles.
Stir fry ingredients
Heat a wok on high heat. Add in the oil (1 tablespoon). Once it's hot, decrease the heat.
Stir fry the garlic for 20 seconds. Add the rehydrated shrimp and move them around with a pair of chopsticks to help release their flavor into the hot oil.
Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the green onion whites, followed by the napa cabbage. Adjust the heat to high and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the celery and stir fry for 1 minute.
Lastly, add the carrots and stir fry for 1 minute. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved shrimp soaking water. Stir fry for another minute.
Add seasoning
Turn the heat to low.
In the wok, add the salt (0.50 teaspoon), sugar (1 teaspoon), light soy sauce (1 tablespoon), oyster sauce (1 tablespoon) and stir fry to mix it into the ingredients. Add the dark soy sauce (1 teaspoon).
Add the vermicelli noodles to the center of your wok, turn the heat to high and toss them into the sauce. For noodles, my dad prefers to stir fry with a pair of chopsticks so he can easily tease the strands apart. If using a spatula, don't overmix!
Finish stir frying
Add the red onions and the remaining green onions.
Turn the heat to medium-low and stir fry for a final 2 minutes.
Taste the vermicelli for seasoning and finish with the sesame oil (1 teaspoon).