Day 35: Keith’s Cantonese Chow Mein...

Some say, “I have a monkey on my back,” when they admit to an addiction.  While many don’t possess full scale addictions, most at least have a vice of some sort.  In my case it’s Cantonese Chow Mein.  I first encountered this dish at a restaurant on Somerset Street in Chinatown.  I wanted to try something new, and the waiter pointed it out on the menu.  “You want something good?  I got something that’ll blow your mind!  You’ve never tasted anything like it, man!  You gotta have some!”

Curious, I ordered it.  What came was something I didn’t expect.  It’s a simple stir-fried dish with mixed greens, shellfish, pork and chicken.  The kind of dish you’d expect one to throw together with what’s lying around.  What made this different was that it was poured over a bed of crispy deep-fried egg noodles!  I’d never seen this before.  Sure I’d had many stir-fried noodles before, but by drying the noodles out through the frying process, they could do nothing but absorb and soften under the vast amounts of sauce the dish contains!  Don’t understand?  Imagine what would taste better - spaghetti cooked in water, or spaghetti cooked in sauce?  Need I say more?

I had one bite of the crispy, delicious stir-fried noodle and I was hooked.  I couldn’t get enough.  I’d order it again, and again.  I’d order it at other restaurants, to see how they made it differently.  Pretty soon, I was scouring the internet for recipes, because eating Cantonese Chow Mein at restaurants wasn’t enough.  I had to make some of my own, and in that case, I became a dealer.

Given the fried nature of this dish, it’s not the healthiest food in the world, which is why I reserve it as recovery food, after a 15 or more kilometer run.

Enjoy.