The multi-colored and multi-flavored vegetable noodles are a product of China. The good news is that they’re really pretty–pretty enough to turn an old boring dish into something new and exciting. The better news is that they’re good for making oriental noodle dishes as well as Italian pasta dishes. The best news is that they are inexpensive–PhP 45.00 for a 500-gram pack. When my daughters discovered them at the supermarket yesterday, they insisted we try them. They both helped with the cooking too. Not one of us could read the Chinese characters but, based on the illustrations on the package, the flavors are onion, carrot, sugar beets, and spinach. A segment is good for a small serving of one person.
I wish we could have added some fresh vegetables to this dish but we didn’t have time to buy our week’s supply from the wet market. It’s been a very busy and tiring weekend. We moved the contents of the old kitchen to the new one. Since they had been lying on the floor all over the house for the past several days after the demolition of the old kitchen, everything had to first be washed and then dried before we could arrange them all in their proper places. My husband did the initial work. My 12-year-old daughter and I did the rest.
Anyway, the new kitchen is now semi-functional and everything should be completed in two days. This vegetable noodles, chicken, and quail eggs dish is the first we cooked on the just-installed built-in cooking hob in our new kitchen. The oven has not been installed yet. Wednesday, at the latest. Tonight is also the first time we’re using the new dinnerware that my husband bought as a sort of housewarming gift for the new kitchen wing.
At this point, cook the noodles according to package directions. The ones we used cooked in less than three minutes. Make sure that you use plenty of boiling water so that the noodles do not touch, and stick to, the bottom of the pan. If you want to serve your noodles like I did, do not stir while cooking. When they are done, use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the pan one by one. Transfer them directly to the serving platter and keep warm.
Heat a wok or skillet. Pour in the cooking oil and heat until smoking. Cook the chicken breast meat over high heat for about two minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for another minute. Add the chicken livers and continue cooking until the livers are almost done. Add the baby corn, straw mushrooms, and shelled quail eggs. Pour in the broth-starch mixture and cook until the sauce is thick and clear. Add more salt, pepper, and/or sugar, if necessary.