My dining companions pushed the food around their plates. I couldn't take it anymore and blurted out how tasteless the food was. A collective sigh erupted around the table and then one of my friends said, "Thank God you said it! We didn't want to say anything because we knew how much you really wanted to eat chowmein – we didn't want to spoil it for you by saying anything."
There is this thing about me. I don't know if it is bad. If I crave something and go out to eat it and it ends up disappointing, I get really obsessive about making it, even if it is a distant version of the original thing, just as long as it tastes good. And that is how I ended up cooking this chicken chowmein two days after that awful tasting "thing" from the restaurant.
Guyanese chicken chowmein
Feeds 4
Ingredients
For Chicken:
Boneless thighs or breasts cut into 2-inch strips (I used bone-in chicken wings)
2 tablespoons Green seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon light soy sauce (lighter in color and used for seasoning; contains more salt)
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (thick, darker in color; sweet)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons grated garlic
If you have some on hand, add some oyster sauce
For Chowmein:
1-lb of your favorite brand of dried chowmein noodles
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
5 tablespoons oil, divided (2 and 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoon chopped root ginger
Minced hot pepper to taste
2 cups of bora (snake beans)
2 cups julienned carrots
1 heaped teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
3 to 4 whole green onions, cut into 2-inch length pieces
Directions
For Chicken:
Mix all the ingredients together and let marinate for 1/2 an hour.
For Chowmein:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large karahi or any deep wide-mouthed frying pan.
