Minor Frustrations

Aside from the recipe at the end of this post, what I am about to write has nothing to do with China, Taiwan, or Chinese cooking. Instead it deals with one of my greatest pet peeves associated with living in Utah.

It's all about garlic. Or namely, my inability to buy fresh garlic in this state.

You probably can't tell, but in the below picture I have some minced garlic on the cutting board. Then, off to the far right side of the picture, next to my peeler you will see a couple of cloves of seriously sprouted garlic. As a bonus, you also get to see how messy my kitchen often looks when I cook.

Right before I took this picture I had a moment of extreme frustration brought on by the fact that the garlic I had bought a few days earlier had sprouted to such an extreme extent. This is a constant source of frustration for me, hence its high rank on my current list of pet peeves. I realize most people have big issues to deal with. I actually have my own fair share of "big" issues that I am trying to stay on top of. But every single week, when I go to the store, all my other frustrations and pet peeves and annoyances fade to the background because I am once again engaged in a fierce battle to find fresh, unsprouted garlic.

Whenever I am at the grocery store I sift through the whole bin of garlic looking for a head or two that has not already sprouted. I can't think of one time when I have been successful. I have tried every version of a grocery store in the greater Salt Lake City area: the regular grocery stores (i.e. Albertsons and Smiths), the specialty stores (i.e. Liberty Heights Fresh and The Store), and the organic grocers (i.e. Wild Oats). All to no avail. I've paid ridiculously high prices for a head here and there, thinking if I spend more I should be getting fresher garlic, but sadly, all of my efforts (and hard earned coin) have been spent in vain.

Although I'd like to be more of an environmentalist, I can't help but feel that if I am able to get fresh fruit year-round because its grown in Chile, shouldn't I also be able to purchase a head or two of unsprouted, fresh garlic every now and then?

Anyway, I can't think of this dish now without remembering my garlic frustrations. There I was, an hour away from wanting to have 3 finished Chinese dishes on the table for my brother's family, a small supply of seemingly unusable garlic, and no time to run to the store. Having no other choice, I did what I always do. I peeled it, cut the cloves in half, pulled out the sprout, and used the little that was leftover.

My frustrations aside, it worked out just fine. No off flavors and no bitterness. Garlic is a champ that way. It delivers even when it is past its prime (if only I could say the same for myself). Kirk and Anne loved it, and I can't wait to make this again. But still, when I think of that night I can't help but long (lust really) for just one head of unspoiled, fresh garlic.

It would seem however, that if finding fresh garlic is going to be the overriding priority in my life I probably should be making plans to move back to California.


Sichuan Beef (四 川 牛 肉）

Adapted from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong

Couple of Notes:

- The technique I used to cook the meat is the one that Kylie Kwong uses. It definitely gives the beef a different sort of texture, but honestly, I'm not sure that's enough of a reason for the extra fat the meat likely absorbs while being, basically, deep-fried. The next time I make it I'm going to just stir-fry the beef in a little bit of oil. Also, its easier for me to tell when the meat is done if I stir-fry it.

- I actually think you could throw all the sauce ingredients together and brush it on steaks on the grill for a yummy summertime dinner. I'm going to try that sometime soon. Will let you know how it works out...

1 lb. sirloin steak - Actually, as usual, you can use any cut of beef. I just like sirloin.

1 1/2 c. + 1 T. vegetable oil

2-3 large red chiles, thinly sliced. You can take out the seeds and ribs if you want less heat. The quantity also depends on how much heat you like.

1 T. finely minced ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 T. hoisin sauce

2 t. Sichuan Pepper and Salt (recipe here) - If making this salt is too fussy, you can just use regular salt and pepper

1/2 c. finely sliced scallions

Extra pinch of Sichuan Pepper and Salt

Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes or until a little bit firm (this makes it easier to cut the meat into thin strips). Remove the plastic wrap and cut the beef into 1/4" x 1/4" strips.

Heat 1 1/2 c. oil in a saute pan. Add half the beef and stir-fry for one minute. Stir the meat constantly while it is cooking to prevent the strips from sticking together. Line a plate with a couple layers of paper towels. Remove the meat from the pan and let it drain on the plate. Repeat process with remaining meat.

Once the meat is cooked, pour the oil out of the pan and wipe the pan clean. Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in the clean pan over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the chili, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the hoisin sauce to the pan and stir quickly to combine ingredients. Then add the beef and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the Sichuan salt and pepper, stir-frying for an additional 30 seconds. Add the green onions and stir to mix well. Transfer the beef to a serving platter and sprinkle with a little more Sichuan salt and pepper.

For Toni

Toni was my companion for three months in my second area, Caotun (aka Nantou aka Zhong Xing Xin Chun... for the sister missionaries it was really three areas in one). She was my first, and really only, trainee. She is also the only companion I have stayed friends with post-mission. I had other companions I thought I would stay in touch with, and for a little while I did. But over time we've lost track of each other.

My most memorable moments in Taiwan with Toni, unfortunately, involved numerous bike accidents I was involved in, most of which were my own fault. Toni managed our three months together with nary a scratch, but I somehow found myself in 5 scrape-ups involving my bike. While we were companions I managed to ride (full-speed ahead) into a parked car, into an Elder (who was on his bike at the time, so its not like I ran him down), and (this one at least, not my fault) got taken down by a woman riding a scooter whose billowy jacket got a little too close to my handlebars. As most of my friends can attest, any one of these bike accidents makes a great story, but when Toni does the retelling, the stories get even more entertaining ("Surely Sister Stowell is going to move around that parked car in her path any moment now...")

Since our missions I have introduced Toni to Boston and taken her to my favorite haunts in LA. In turn, she introduced me to the wonders of the Lone Star state, to include horseback riding, an entertaining sound and light show involving a Texas-sized painting of the Day of Pentecost, a rodeo (my first), and even real, live Texas long-horn cattle (very cool in the flesh).


For all of these reasons and more, I feel more than a little guilty that it has taken me, oh, almost 10 years to finally give Toni the below recipe. This is truly authentic Taiwanese home cooking, as attested by the below handwritten recipe, lovingly supplied, per Toni's request, by one of our favorite people in Taiwan, Fan Tai Tai. I ended up with the recipe, I think, because I was supposed to translate it for Toni. I began the translation, as evidenced by my handwritten notes, but I honestly don't think I ever actually gave a translated version to Toni (sorry Toni). So 10 years later, here we are... I have translated and tested the recipe, and am now ready to (finally) share it with Toni, and by extension, all of you. Enjoy.


青椒牛肉 (Beef with Green Peppers)

3 green peppers - cut into thin strips

1 lb. beef - I like using sirloin steak for my stir-fried, but really, you can use whatever sounds good to you

1/2 t. pepper

3 t. corn starch

2 T. wine - I used Chinese cooking rice wine. You can use white wine, or even white wine vinegar if you have that on hand.

Salt - to taste

1-2 T. canola oil

Put the meat in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes. Then take it out and cut it into 1/4" x 1/4" strips. Mix the beef with the pepper, corn starch, and wine.

Add oil to saute pan or wok and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meat and brown for about one minute. Then add the peppers and salt and reduce heat just a bit. Continue cooking until the meat is cooked through and the peppers are slightly soft, approximately 7-10 minutes.

Comfort Food

Comfort food has a lot of different variations in my mind. There is the comfort food we think of in a cultural context. Here in America the term tends to invoke images of homemade, down-home cooking. Then there is the comfort food that we each individually define as such based on our own experiences or family traditions. And then there is the kind of comfort food that just sounds "right" on given days or in given seasons. For example, when its snowing outside and all I want to do is hunker down on the couch wrapped in a warm blanket, nothing sounds better than a bowl of my grandfather's chili and a slice (or two) or my homemade corn bread. At the height of summer when it stays light until after 9:00 pm here in Utah, my ultimate comfort food tends to consist of hamburgers cooked on my mom's grill served with potato salad and corn on the cob (and a Coke, but darnit, I'm trying to kick that habit).

There are a lot of reasons I love food, but certainly somewhere near the top of the list, are the cultural associations and traditions that define food in both a wider social context and more narrowly, on an individual level. We each have our individual likes and dislikes and they don't always make sense, even to our own families. A couple of mine... whenever I eat macaroni and cheese (not the orange death stuff, but the real, creamy, homemade kind) I have to douse it in ketchup. This is a lingering taste leftover from my childhood. I assume it started because I must not have liked the mac-n-cheese my mom made, but would eat it if I could add ketchup. My mom claims that adding ketchup to the mac-n-cheese was not her idea, but in my opinion, it seems like a sneaky mom trick to get a kid to eat something they are refusing to touch. Another food I developed a taste for early in life, although it was relatively unheard of in southern California is grits. My favorite meal growing up, aka the ultimate comfort food in my young, and as yet unsophisticated opinion, was grits casserole. Every birthday for years that is what my mom would make for my birthday dinner. Certainly the credit or blame, depending on your point of view, for my early love of all things grits goes to my father. But that still leaves a lot of unanswered questions because he grew up in Nevada, and I don't think grits was a particularly common element of cooking there either.

Planting rice in Puli.

Having lived in Taiwan and China for a total of 2 years, I now have a short list of Chinese comfort foods - foods that for me invoke the same feelings of coziness and down-home cooking that I associate with American comfort foods. As I've thought about this post, I realized that I've already posted 2 of my favorite Chinese comfort foods, the stir-fried cabbage with garlic and the dumplings. Today I wanted to share another favorite Chinese comfort food, egg fried rice. One of the reasons I love egg fried rice is because at its most basic, which is my favorite version, its nothing more than a way of cleaning leftovers out of the fridge. Yet the end result is homey and delicious.

In my first area in Taiwan, a little town in the center of the island named Puli, we had one particular place we always went for fried rice. This place made the best fried rice I ate the whole time I was in Taiwan. As an added bonus, they always gave you a choice of adding either hot sauce or ketchup once the rice was cooked. Its probably not hard to guess which one I went for. The ketchup of course. Because Puli was my first area I assumed adding ketchup to fried rice was common practice across Taiwan. Not so. But much like my love of ketchup with mac-n-cheese, once my taste for it was established, I couldn't shake it. The remainder of my time in Taiwan I got many a strange look when I asked for some ketchup to add to my fried rice.

蛋炒飯 (Egg Fried Rice)

This recipe is dedicated to Hillary, who has a very intense love for fried rice. Hill, I hope this lives up to your very exacting standards.

You can make this dish with or without meat. If you want to add meat, almost any kind will work. I made this right after Easter (sorry for the very long delay in posting) so I used ham leftover from our Easter dinner. Shrimp is another good choice, unless you are Hillary, in which case it's bad. Very bad.

Last note... you want rice that has cooled already, so this truly is an ideal way to use up any leftover rice you have taking up space in your fridge. However, when I made this I didn't have any leftover rice on hand, so I quickly made up a batch in my rice cooker and spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool quickly.

2 T. sesame oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. white pepper (you can use black pepper)

3 c. cold, cooked rice, fluffed

4 T. soy sauce

3 T. chicken broth

1 c. diced ham

8 oz. frozen peas and carrots

Heat a pan or a wok over medium high heat until hot. Add the sesame oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper. Cook the eggs until lightly scrambled. Don't overcook the eggs because they will be staying in the pan and will therefore cook a little more. Once cooked, break the eggs up into small pieces. I used my spatula to cut the eggs into thin strips.

Add the rice, soy sauce, and chicken broth to the pan. Stir to combine. Let cook for a minute or two.

Add the ham and the peas and carrots. Stir to mix well and let cook for 5-7 minutes, until the peas and carrots are cooked and the ham is warmed through. Serve. Enjoy.

My New Favorite Thing: Google Reader

I'll say right off that this post makes me feel more than a little bit silly. However, having just been introduced to the wonders of Google Reader a few weeks ago (thank you Jess), I feel like there must be others out there, like me, who haven't yet been introduced.

If you, like me, use gmail, then you can access Google Reader from the top bar in your gmail account. Why I love it? It's a one stop shop for all the blogs you want to read (or just feel obligated to read). Just add the blog address to Reader and anytime the blog has a new post, it will show up in your reader. No more checking my favorite food blogs multiple times a day waiting for that new post! It comes to me! I love it. I always resisted signing up to receive new posts via email because I feel like my inbox is cluttered enough as it is (hence the lengthy wait for me to respond to any and all emails). Now, I just click on Reader a couple times a day to see if any of my blogs have new posts, and then I can read them right there. Genius!

To be fair, there are other readers out there. If you don't like or use Google, feel free to check out other options. But like I said, I just wanted to make sure that my readers, at the very least, knew this was out there.

California Dreaming

This past month I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for a weekend to visit two good friends I haven't seen in a long time. While seeing them was wonderful, I have a confession to make.

I don't like the Bay Area.

I know, shocking! When people find out that I don't like the Bay Area, they're usually prone to gasps of horror or incredulity. It's apparently not in vogue to dislike the Bay Area. In my case, however, this dislike might possibly be explained by the fact that I grew up in Southern California. The things I love about California - warm sunny days, palm trees, long sandy beaches - don't exist in San Francisco. When I'm in the Bay Area, more often than not its cold and foggy and thanks to all the insane hills in the city I HATE driving there (for the record, I drive a stick). I end up annoyed, and more than a little bit confused as to why so many people love this particular place when LA is only 5 warmer and sunnier hours south.

However, from the start this trip was different because I was actually excited about visiting the Bay Area. My excitement stemmed from two main reasons, foremost among them being the opportunity to see two of my favorite people after a very long separation. The second reason though, had everything to do with my relatively newfound obsession with food.

I've always liked food. Thanks largely to the influences of my mother and my good friend Jessica, I've liked cooking since high school. This like has occasionally verged on love, but I don't know that I've ever been obsessed with food. Not like now.

As though this blog were not proof enough of my newfound passion for all things food, let me take a moment and share with you a few random facts from my recent life.

-- In the past year I have read 5 food-focused memoirs and The United States of Arugula; The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution.

-- In the pile of books yet to be read next to my bed, I currently have 3 more books that revolve around food.

-- I have subscriptions to Cook's Country, Cook's Illustrated, Bon Appetite, and Fine Cooking.

-- My cookbook collection never fails to raise my mother's ire. Also guaranteed to raise her ire: seeing the various kitchen toys she has bought for me at Christmases and birthdays collecting dust in my pantry. They get used... just not enough, in her opinion, to justify their presence in my cooking life.

Partly due to my newfound obsession with food, I was seriously excited about my trip to San Francisco. And I can now honestly say that where food is concerned, the Bay Area does not disappoint. (Although sadly, dinner at the Chez Panisse Cafe was in fact a bit of a disappointment, but maybe that's a story best kept for another time.)

My real food fun began on Saturday morning when I hit the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. It was like food nirvana. I couldn't believe the selection of fresh, locally grown produce to be had for pennies! Not to mention cheeses, olive oils, beans, pastries, and imported Italian tuna packed in olive oil (not to be found in Salt Lake, which in my opinion, is a true crime). Two hours after arriving at the market I walked out with a much lighter wallet and a very very heavy, newly purchased shopping bag to hold all of my treasures.

Where does a girl go to refuel after a busy morning shopping for produce? In my case, Taylor's Refresher for a hamburger, mint-n-chip shake, and downright delicious sweet potato fries. I'm a sucker for sweet potato fries.

Sunday morning, Jessica (of "high school best friend" fame) and I be-bopped around Chinatown and its environs. While wandering we got to watch a local youth group perform a lion dance for some important looking Chinese gentlemen. Even I, with my relatively broad understanding of Chinese culture, have no idea what it was about. But it definitely made for a more interesting morning. I couldn't wait to eat lunch and will admit to initially being a little bit skeptical of the spot we picked, a place in Chinatown called House of Nanking. It always worries me when I go to a Chinese restaurant and no one eating there is Chinese. It doesn't tend to inspire a lot of confidence in the authenticity of their food. As it turns out, their food was definitely a bit on the new-agey/fusion side of Chinese cooking, but it was delicious. I loved everything we ordered and I can't even take credit for that because we just told the waiter what kinds of things we like and he did the ordering for us.

While in town, we paid a visit to City Lights Bookstore where I promptly forgot my New Year's resolution to not purchase any new books until I finish the rather large pile of unread books sitting next to my bed (and on my desk, and on my bookcases). I choose a couple of books on China, because as I told myself, I really should get a little more educated on Chinese history before traveling there in August (any excuse that works, right?). I did however steer clear of the Anarchy and Muckracking sections.


In the end, it was a wonderful weekend and I haven't even taken time to go into the best part of the trip. Although the food was fantastic (to include yummy corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day), the defining moments of the trip were the ones I spent reconnecting with two old friends. It's been five years since I last traveled to the Bay Area and it was so nice to spend hours with them talking about food and life and family and friends and kids and politics.

I've now been back in Salt Lake for almost 2 weeks and I can't wait to go back again. To the Bay Area, no less! It's true. I've been doing a lot of California dreaming these past 2 weeks, but for the first time in my life, I'm dreaming of cold, foggy San Francisco, not warm sunny LA.

Guo Nian Kuai Le - Part 3 (The Final 2008 Installment)

Chinese cooks in the know may feel somewhat inclined to mock me for posting a recipe for steamed fish. This method of preparing fish is so common in China that any Chinese cook with even a modicum of culinary ability can pull it off. However, given the fact that I have only recently begun to develop/increase my Chinese cooking skills, it seemed prudent to go to someone who has already mastered this technique. Enter Edi. Edi is my good friend and former roommate in Boston. She grew up in Hong Kong. She makes lots of yummy Chinese food... one reason among many to love living with her. I loved it when she would go to Chinatown and buy fresh fish and vegetables because it usually meant that I could enjoy a little of whatever simple, tasty, meal she whipped up. She made this kind of fish often, and although its been a favorite of mine since I lived in Taiwan, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I have never even attempted to prepare fish this way myself.

However, I recognize that it is silly to pay someone else to make something for you when it's ridiculously easy to make yourself. As an added bonus where this fish is concerned, it's the kind of dish that elicits "ohhs" and "ahhs" when presented to your fellow diners. I should be honest and note that it's also the kind of dish that might elicit a few "ughs" from the slightly squeamish or from those less enamored of seafood. Those types don't particularly relish seeing a whole fish plopped down on the table in front of them, but in my opinion, that just makes for more entertaining dining.

Because fish is a quintessential New Year's dish I wanted to be able to share this method with all of you, which left me little choice but to finally tackle it myself (many thanks to Edi for furthering my education by sharing her tricks of the trade). I've always understood that fish is served at Chinese New Year because the character for fish in Chinese sounds the same as the character for "surplus". I'll spare you a lengthy explanation on how characters work and why tones are important, etc etc... just know that my above explanation simplifies things somewhat. Anyway, because the two characters sound the same, eating fish during the New Year's celebrations is believed to mean that the coming year will bring surplus into one's life. I like fish, so I don't really need a reason to eat it. But if eating it means I might have a more prosperous year, I'm certainly willing to oblige.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't like any seafood until I lived in Taiwan. Since living in Taiwan, I am a full-blown, died in the wool convert/believer/advocate. There is something about the way Chinese cooks prepare fish that helped me to see the light. Mostly I think they flavor the fish so adeptly that you can't help but love it. I'm hoping that over the coming year I'll be able to convince other seafood skeptics to give it one more try. In the meantime, for those of you who have already been converted, I hope you enjoy this super simple, yet amazingly delicious preparation as much as I do.

Whole Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions

As noted above, some people don't exactly relish the idea of digging into a whole fish. If you are preparing this dish for people who might fall into that group, you can certainly use something less alarming, like fish fillets.

Whole Fresh Fish:

This one, admittedly major, ingredient is the key to this dish. I can't stress this enough. As Edi said, "The most important thing is to get/catch a died-not-long-ago fish." If you have a Chinese supermarket near you, I suggest going there. The fishmonger can tell you which of their fish is the freshest. The fish I prepared was a black tilapia, but you can use any fish. Just make sure it is A) fresh, and B) one you like. Also, have the market clean/degut the fish and remove the scales.

Fresh ginger - good size chunk, maybe about 2" long

3 green onions

Cooking oil

Soy sauce

Salt and Pepper (preferably Chinese white pepper, if you can find it)

Peel the ginger and julienne into small, short strips. Cut green onions into 1" chunks and then slice (I quartered the green onion chunks so that I had long, thin strips.)

Put the fish on a glass plate. Sprinkle salt and pepper in the cavity and on the outside of the fish. Place about 1/3 of the green onions and ginger on the inside of the fish and another 1/3 on top.

Boil water in a large pan. Place a rack of some kind in the pan (see photo above... I used a wok stand). You don't want the water to touch your plate, so make sure your plate is elevated high enough. Once the water is boiling, place the plate on the rack and cover.

Steam fish for 15-20 minutes. The fish is ready when the meat at the thickest section of the fish flakes easily and a fork or chopstick goes straight through.

Take the plate out and drain off any water that has accumulated on the plate. Heat 2 T. oil in a pan. Once hot add the remaining ginger and green onions and fry briefly until fragrant.

Pour oil mixture on top of the cooked fish. Pour some soy sauce on top of the fish as well. I didn't measure the soy sauce... just gave it a couple good shakes. Serve, with great applause, to your amazed guests.

Guo Nian Kuai Le - Part 2

It's more than a little bit embarrassing to call this post "Guo Nian Kuai Le" when it is so long overdue. But nonetheless, Chinese New Year was the inspiration for today's recipe, so I'm sticking with the theme. I promised in my last post to provide my readers, however few they may be, with a noodle and fish recipe to help celebrate the Chinese New Year. As both of those dishes are easy enough to make, I thought it would be a simple matter to get them both onto the blog before the end of February. I was wrong. I made the noodles about 3 weeks ago, but didn't feel like my recipe had enough flavor to recommend it to others (see how seriously I take my recipe-crafting responsibilities). That meant I had to go back and tweak it a little. Sadly though, having just eaten my fill of stir-fried noodles, I wasn't in the mood to make them again right away. Thanks to my gourmand friend Carri who agreed to be my guinea pig, I perfected both the fish and noodle recipe on the same night last week. However, I don't want to overwhelm you with too many choices, so today you'll have to settle for only the noodle recipe. Next time around I'll bless your lives with one of the simplest, yet yummiest ways, to prepare fish (so stay tuned).

About noodles, they are eaten during Chinese New Year because their length symbolizes long life. For this reason, you never want to do anything to make them shorter. Which means usually you end up slurping them up in one long string... remember, we are eating these with chopsticks so you can't wind them around your fork. Anyway, it makes for fun and entertaining dining.

Noodles are one of my favorite things to eat when I am in Taiwan or China. I love all the different ways they can be prepared: beef noodle soup, zha jiang mian, dan dan mian, etc. I also love Japanese noodle soups, which thankfully, are easy to find in China. However, all of those noodle dishes are hard to find in the States, which is one of the reasons I started this blog... so I could learn how to prepare the food I miss the most. It's therefore somewhat anti-climatic (for me at least) to be presenting you with a noodle recipe that is something of a no-brainer, and not at all exotic. Good ole Chow Mien. However, chow mien is one of those dishes that manages to be both authentic and appetizing to the average American. Plus, as an added bonus, its a cinch to make. Therefore, before moving into more esoteric directions, I thought I would start with something appealingly familiar to most of my readers. Enjoy.


Chao Mian, aka Chow Mien

(Adapted from Martin Yan's Chinese Cooking for Dummies)

Noodles - really any kind will work, but I used a Chinese kind

1 lg. boneless skinless chicken breast

2 T. oyster sauce

1 lg. carrot, julienned (I like julienned pieces about 2" long)

1 1/2 c. bean sprouts, rinsed

Sauce:

1/2 c. chicken broth

6 T. soy sauce

1 t. plus 1 T. sesame oil

1 T. Chinese rice cooking wine

1/2 t. sugar

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until almost done. They'll cook a little more when you add them to the stir-fry so you don't want them to be totally cooked. Drain and set aside.

Cut chicken breast into small dice. Mix with oyster sauce in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Sauce: Whisk together in a small bowl the chicken broth, soy sauce, 1 t. sesame oil, rice wine, and sugar.

Heat 1 T. sesame oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook until the chicken is done, approximately 8 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add carrots, bean sprouts, and sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost cooked through, maybe 8 minutes. Then add the chicken and noodles to the pan. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve.