Fried Kwetiau

Hi, I am back again, after going idle for quite some times. Lately I have been having problems with time management. It seems that time passes so quickly, and the weather is starting to look good in every angle, so I take my time pedaling my bike from work, and when I am home, I use my free time watching tv, replying emails, chatting with friends, phoning those who suffers chronic broken heart problem, or simply just shopping, hehe (oh yeah, i don't have time to go to spanish course, nor to driving theory course: too tired and too busy man!).

This one is an easy to make Chinese noodles kwetiau. Kwetiau is chinese noodle dish, one of my favorite dish (normally I love them all, hehe). I don't really remember where I ate it for the first time, but my second or third time was in Bandung, in a small restaurant named Vitcoria, jalan Pagar Gunung. Victoria is one of the best (and the oldest) cake and pattiseries/cafés and restaurants in Bandung (yeah i think they cannot decide if they are café or restaurant or what ever). I remember that i used to buy chocolate dipped merinque there, which was quite expensive (now i know how to make merinque - so easy and cheap- i am quite dissapointed that they sold it over priced (certainly according to the student pocket). Beside that, they also sold other good stuffs, such as yoghurt, and their Kwetiau and Ifumie are the best items (yet expensive).

I also used to know a very special small restaurant called 89 (oh so chinese!) in Gardu Jati area, who sold Kwetiau (I don't know if they are still there or not). Back in the old faculty hey day, almost every Saturday night (the night of lovers, that is how we call it), I went to the restaurant with my boy friend à l'époque. We used to take my car (yes, that red memorable car), with my house mates and their boy friends...I miss those Saturday night fever.. (but no, I don't miss him, although we break up nicely, I am glad that we broke up, hehe).

Anyway that is about Bandung. So many good restaurants over there, in the old days. Bandung has grown to be a city full of cafés and restaurants, but i don't know if they are any good. I hardly visit Bandung after i graduated from my university situated over there, only when my faculty friends got married. For me it was not my ideal of city. Apart from the restaurants, the great house mates that i used to have, i despise the town.

Nowadays, Bandung's restaurants are just followers to the first exisiting ones, and most of them sell food that are unlikely originally from Bandung, such as spagetti and steak things. I mean even Kwetiau is not originally from Bandung, yet it is still a city where you can easily find good chinese noodles, and yamin noodles (noodles with sweet soy sauce).

Inspiration of the recipe is taken from this site (the woman which picture is there has passed away a couple of years ago, but her recipes are still there on the net, treasure!!)

Ingredients:

• white thick rice noodle, soak in hot water for 6 minutes, drain, put it in salad bowl, add Indonesian soy sauce (two people portion)
• 1 tbs seasoning soya sauce (salty)
• 1/2 tbs ginger powder
• 200 gr chicken breast, cut
• 1 tbs spring onion, slice thinly
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• pepper
• salt
• sugar (optional)
• 1 tbs cooking oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tbs sesame oil
  
• 50 gr bean sprouts (do the same thing as what you did to the noodles)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wok, saute the shallots, garlic, and spring onion until golden brown. Drop the chicken, oyster, soya, ginger, sesame oil pepper, salt and sugar, cook until tender.
2. Add the noodle and bean sprouts, stir it well.
3. Serve.

Note:
Shrimp is actually the best ingredients to be used in kwetiau beside chicken. Do not hesitate to improvisized in this case.