This Lap Cheong Mei Fun is a deliciously simple way to enjoy mei fun, or thin rice vermicelli, with Chinese sausage and a bright variety of vegetables!
We enjoyed a dish similar to this at a Chinese restaurant in Queens recently, and it snuck up on me how much I loved it. In a large spread for 8 people that included Peking Duck, a whole kao yu (fish), vegetables, pork, etc. I kept turning back to these noodles! So I decided to recreate it at home!
A New Recipe to Enjoy Lap Cheong
For many Chinese families, lap cheong is a “pantry” staple (technically, it should be stored in the refrigerator). It’s tasty, filling, and easy to toss into a pot of steamed rice for a quick and tasty dinner.
That said, as with any old faithful ingredient, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut with how you use it. This Lap Cheong Mei Fun recipe is a new dish you can add to our stable of reliable lap cheong oldies like:
- Lap Cheong Fan (Rice with Lap Cheong in a Rice Cooker)
- Sticky Rice Stuffed Chicken Thighs
- Cantonese Steamed Chicken & Chinese Sausage
- Chinese Sausage Buns (Lap Cheong Bao)
- Hong Kong Style Clay Pot Rice Bowl
- Snow Peas with Chinese Sausage
Try this recipe with our homemade Lap Yuk
We confess this recipe initially began as a Lap Yuk Mei Fun, but my mom pointed out that not everyone wants to make our recipe for homemade pork cured belly (Lap Yuk) or has access to it at a Chinese grocery store. So we opted for lap cheong, which is much easier to run to your Asian grocery store and buy!
Lap yuk is flavored with more dark soy sauce and has a richer pork flavor, whereas lap cheong has a sweeter wine flavor. Both are delicious!
Handling a Wok Full of Rice Noodles
To ensure a successful result, be sure to watch your timing and pre-soak your noodles and dried shiitake mushrooms the night before or at least 2-3 hours before you’re ready to cook.
Another tip is how to handle the noodles in the wok. We recently shared a video of Bill making Singapore Mei Fun, where he goes over many of the techniques on how to soak the rice vermicelli noodles and how to toss and cook them in the wok so they distribute and cook up evenly.
You can check that out here:
Lap Cheong Mei Fun Recipe Instructions
Soak the noodles in room temperature water overnight or in warm water for at least 1 hour. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms overnight in about 1½ cups of water. If preparing the mushrooms the day of cooking, you can use boiling water to soak the mushrooms for 2-3 hours. Reserve the mushroom soaking water. Thinly slice the mushrooms (you should have about ½ cup), and rip/cut noodles in half to make them more manageable in the wok.
Beat the eggs with the salt, ½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil. Pre-mix the sauce by mixing ½ cup of the reserved mushroom soaking water, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Preheat your wok over medium heat until it’s lightly smoking, or preheat a skillet until a drop of water beads on the surface. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the wok and swirl to coat the pan. Scramble the eggs–they should puff up and cook quickly. Cook until they just set and transfer back to the bowl.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, along with the lap cheong and mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes, to lightly caramelize the mushrooms.
Add the garlic, carrot, red onion, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the hot perimeter of the wok. Then add the noodles. Toss with your wok spatula to distribute the vegetables and noodles evenly.
Add the prepared sauce mixture and toss the noodles some more. There will be a good amount of liquid in the wok at first, but it will help soften the noodles and soak in. Stir-fry for 3 minutes over high heat until there’s no standing sauce. Add the green parts of the scallions and cook until they’re just wilted.
Serve!
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Recipe
Lap Cheong Mei Fun
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles (soaked per package instructions or until softened)
- 2 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms (about 8-9 small or 3 large)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine (plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, divided)
- 4 ounces lap cheong (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (julienned)
- 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 scallions (cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces, white and green parts separated)
For the sauce:
- ½ cup reserved mushroom soaking water
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Soak the noodles in room temperature water overnight or in warm water for at least 1 hour. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms overnight in about 1½ cups of water. If preparing the mushrooms the day of cooking, you can use boiling water to soak the mushrooms for 2-3 hours. Reserve the mushroom soaking water. Thinly slice the mushrooms (you should have about ½ cup), and rip/cut noodles in half to make them more manageable in the wok.
- Beat the eggs with the salt, ½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil. Pre-mix the sauce by mixing ½ cup of the reserved mushroom soaking water, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
- Preheat your wok over medium heat until it’s lightly smoking, or preheat a skillet until a drop of water beads on the surface. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the wok and swirl to coat the pan. Scramble the eggs–they should puff up and cook quickly. Cook until they’re just set and transfer back to the bowl.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, along with the lap cheong and mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are lightly caramelized.
- Add the garlic, carrot, red onion, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the hot perimeter of the wok. Then add the noodles. Toss with your wok spatula to distribute the vegetables and noodles evenly.
- Add the prepared sauce mixture and toss the noodles some more. There will be a good amount of liquid in the wok at first, but it will help soften the noodles and soak in. Stir-fry for 3 minutes over high heat until there’s no standing sauce. Add the green parts of the scallions and cook until they’re just wilted. Serve!
