holly's yakisoba

my sister-in-law holly makes to die for yakisoba. this is her recipe, although the measurements are not perfect (she just throws a little of this and a little of that) and i have yet to make it even close to as good as hers is. and she claims her dad's is even better. oy. so let's get started.


you'll need a package of chicken, linguine noodles, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, sliced mushrooms, a bunch of green onions, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame seed oil, peanut sauce, vegetable oil, and sugar. this recipe moves very quickly, so make sure you have everything done (vegetables chopped, meat marinated) before you start cooking.

start by marinating your chicken. slice it into cubes and put into a bowl. add 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil, salt and pepper, a teaspoon of minced garlic, and a tablespoon of soy sauce. stir to coat chicken, and leave it as you dice your vegetables.

julienne your carrots (i like a lot of carrots and this takes a long time, so sometimes i buy them already cut in a bag at the grocery) and put into a bowl; cut up your broccoli, put in a bowl; same with the mushrooms and green onions. make sure you have your sauces out and ready to go.

once you're ready, start a large pot of water to boil. once it's boiling, add 3/4 of a package of linguine noodles and cook according to package directions.

as your noodles are cooking, put some oil into your wok (or skillet) and stir fry the carrots and broccoli for a minute or two.


then pour a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup or less) into the mixture


and cover. allow the vegetables to steam for several minutes.


then flip your lid upsidedown and pour your carrots and broccoli into the lid.


add a little bit more oil and pour your meat (marinade and all) into the hot wok (skillet)

and stir fry until no longer pink.


add your mushrooms (dave hates mushrooms, so i skipped them this time, but you should NOT skip them. they really add a flavor to this dish that is delish), snow peas,

and green onions,


one bowl at a time, stir frying inbetween each. my brother says that the more oil this dish has, the better it tastes, so you could add more oil if you think it needs it.

now add your carrots and broccoli back in.


fill a ladel (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) full of soy sauce and then pour sugar into it until you can see the sugar making a peak at the top. pour that on top of your chicken and vegetables.


your noodles should just be finished, so drain them completely and pour them into the wok (skillet).


use two spoons or a big wooden fork and spoon to mix the veggies, chicken, and noodles together. add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oyster sauce ( do NOT lick your finger if you get some on it. this stuff is not good by itself. too fishy),


a small amount of sesame seed oil, a little bit of soy sauce, and then sprinkle the whole dish with sugar. add some salt and pepper, then peanut sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste.


stir fry and mix well, and serve immediately.


this is so yummy, and i almost think it's better the next day. it takes some practice to get the veggies and chicken all ready in time so that your noodles are still hot (it makes a difference if they've cooled off) when you mix, but the more you make it, the better it tastes each time. i also highly recommend a wok, unless you have an enormous skillet. good luck!

holly's yakisoba

1 package of chicken breast tenders, cubed and marinated in:

1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp. sesame seed oil
salt & pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. soy sauce

3 carrots, julienned
2 stalks of broccoli, chopped
1/2 package of mushrooms, sliced
a handful of snow peas
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 package linguine noodles
sesame seed oil
soy sauce
sugar
oyster sauce
peanut sauce (spicy)
worcestershire sauce

start a large pot of water to boil. once it's boiling, add 3/4 of a package of linguine noodles and cook according to package directions. as your noodles are cooking, put some oil into your wok (or skillet) and stir fry the carrots and broccoli for a minute or two. then pour a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup or less) into the mixture
and cover. allow the vegetables to steam for several minutes. remove and set aside. add a little bit more oil and pour your meat (marinade and all) into the hot wok and stir fry until no longer pink. add your mushrooms, stir fry. add snowpeas, stir fry. add green oinions, stir fry. add carrots and broccoli, stir to combine. fill a ladel (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) full of soy sauce and then pour sugar into it until you can see the sugar making a peak at the top. pour that on top of your chicken and vegetables.

your noodles should just be finished, so drain them completely and pour them into the wok. use two spoons or a big wooden fork and spoon to mix the veggies, chicken, and noodles together. add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oyster sauce, a small amount of sesame seed oil, a little bit of soy sauce, and then sprinkle the whole dish with sugar. add some salt and pepper, then peanut sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste. toss to mix noodles, veggies, and sauces.

mai thornhill's eggrolls

mai thornhill was one of my mom's friends when i was growing up in albuquerque. my mom cut her hair, and mai reciprocated with passing on this most holy of all dishes, egg rolls. they are TO DIE FOR. one of my favorites, but so much work, so they rarely get made--generally only for special occassions. the special occassion here was my college roommate coming to visit. this was her favorite thing i made when we lived together, so i thought i'd help relive old times by making them again. i usually make this with mom's fried rice, so i'm going to double a few things in this recipe that i use for both, so i don't have to do everything twice. i'll make a note when i do that, so you can either put it back to half and just make the egg rolls, or have the handy instructions there for making egg rolls and fried rice together.

let's get started. you'll need 4-6 chicken breasts, bones and skin on. 2 bunches of green onions (1 for rolls, one for rice), 1/2 an onion (1/4 for rolls, 1/4 for rice), a small cabbage, 2 carrots, a handful of bean sprouts (not pictured), 4 eggs (2 for rolls, 2 for rice), and 2 packages of egg roll wrappers.

lay your chicken bone-side-down on a foil-lined cookie sheet. cook them at 375* for 45 minutes.
while that's cooking, get chopping. chop up 2 bunches of green onions (1/2 to rice, 1/2 to egg rolls).

...and toss into a large mixing bowl. really large. like the huge tupperware bowl that your grandma had. huge. bowl. can't say it enough.
and dice 1/2 an onion (1/4 to rice, 1/4 to egg rolls).

cut your small-ish cabbage in half.

then cut it into strips, and add to your veggie bowl.
mix up 4 eggs (or 2 if you're just doing the egg rolls and not the rice) with a tablespoon of milk and a dash of salt and pepper.
pour into a hot, buttered frying pan, and let sit.
save your egg-y bowl. you'll need those egg remnants later.when the edges of your egg have cooked, lift the sides with a spatula, and tilt the pan so the runniness on top runs to the sides and gets cooked.


once all the runniness is no longer runny, flip it over and cook the other side. (this side was a little too done, probably had the heat up too high.)

now cut it in half. if you're making fried rice and used four eggs, dice one half first and save for later, then dice the other half and put it in your veggie bowl.

like this.

after your chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, remove the skin, then peel the chicken off the bones.

shred it into your vegetable bowl, like this:

add in a handful of bean sprouts

then lots of salt and pepper.

peel your carrots,

then grate with the large side of your cheese grater.

and add those to your veggie bowl too.

there. perfect.

now this is the fun part. wash your hands really well, then start mixing. with your hands. that's right, i said it. with your hands. the saltiness feels so good, it's like a natural exfoliant, i swear. mix it all together really well. don't forget the onions way down at the bottom.

there. eggroll perfection.

now grab your egg rolls wrappers and take them out of the package. turn them diagonally.

grab a small handful and set in the middle of the wrapper.

start by folding the corner closest to you towards the middle.

then grab the right corner and fold it into the center, and do the same with the left corner.
make sure all your fixin's are still inside and roll the whole thing towards the last corner, farthest from you. get a little bit of your leftover egg (remember from way back when, when you were cooking eggs and saved the remnants in the bowl?) on your finger, and put it on the corner.


then seal the corner to the rest of the roll.

and repeat. and repeat again. and again. and again. and again about 40,243 more times.

woks are really good for this part, but i don't have one. i used to have a deep fryer that worked okay as well but it got so...fryer-y that i had to throw it away when we moved here. so i just used a deep roasting pan. fill it up with lots (and i mean LOTS) of oil. as in, at least half of one of those gigantic crisco containers. the huge food storage ones. heat the oil to 375* if you have a wok. if not, just occassionally throw leftover egg roll wrapper corners in. if it sinks to the bottom, the oil's not hot enough. if it starts to sizzle and turn brown, you're golden.

toss a few of those babies in and cook until golden brown. you may have to use tongs to make sure all the sides get cooked and brown. squeeze with tongs to get the excess oil out, then set on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain.

like so.

oh my gosh, i think i just died and went to heaven. these are so good people. so good. (that's dave's man hand in the picture, not mine, fyi.)
serve with mom's fried rice and la choy's sweet & sour sauce. delish.

p.s. it makes a lot. like a LOT. so freeze them in ziplocs and eat for weeks. warm up in the microwave, then broil for a minute to keep them crispy.

mai thornhill's eggrolls

4-6 chicken breasts, bones and skin on
2 bunches of green onions (1 for rolls, one for rice)
1/2 an onion (1/4 for rolls, 1/4 for rice)
a small green head of cabbage
2 carrots
a handful of bean sprouts
4 eggs (2 for rolls, 2 for rice)
2 packages of egg roll wrappers.
lots of oil

place chicken, bones down, on a foil-lined cookie sheet. cook at 375* for 45 minutes. meanwhile, chop your green onions, and onion and place in a large mixing bowl. cut the cabbage in half and slice into thin strips; add to bowl with onions. peel and grate 2 carrots, and add to mixture. add a handful of bean sprouts, 2 cooked eggs, and salt & pepper. peel skin off of cooked chicken, remove from bones, and shred into vegetable mixture. mix well. place a handful of mixture on an egg roll wrapper. fold bottom side up, sides in to the middle, and roll to the far corner. seal with a small amount of raw egg on the final corner. deep fry in hot oil until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. drain on paper towels and serve with mom's fried rice.