Drunken Noodles Recipe

It's taken me countless kitchen messes, numerous mise en place setups, trips to the asian supermarket, experimentation with fresh vs dried rice noodles, etc. to capture that elusive restaurant-style drunken noodle that I crave pretty much around the clock.  I haven't quite reached it, and I don't believe I ever will until a high-btu stovetop conveniently falls into my possession, but this recipe reflects the toil to create the common man's best approximation.  My girlfriend loves it, so really what more should I strive for?

This here recipe is for a crowd—let's say around 6-8 hungry hungry people. Feel free to halve the amounts listed.  Find the original recipe that I have tinkered with here.  It's a lot of ingredients, but if you're familiar with Asian cooking, you know that is not uncommon.

Organization is key...especially in my apartment's miniature [sorry excuse for a] kitchen.

Tips for success:

1. Look at the recipe and group ingredients based on when they are added to the wok.  For instance, combine the sauces ahead of time that will be added toward the end.  Cut up the veggies before you start cooking.  Basically, get everything in line that you need to.  (PICTURE OF INGREDIENTS)
2. Don't soak dry rice noodles for too long or else they will turn to mush.  One of my favorite parts of noodle dishes is the texture of the noodle.  Retain its structural integrity and you will be happy you did. 
3. If you don't have any of the ingredients listed, just leave them out or make the best substitutions you can.  Use any veggies or meat combos you want.  No big deal.
4. Once you add ginger and spices, work quickly because you are working with high heat.  You want to have all the ingredients prepped so you can just throw them into the wok.

Drunken Noodles

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Peanut oil (or veg. oil)
2 lbs wide rice noodles*
1 Chinese sausage, cubed into small bits
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast cut up into bite sized pieces

Veggies
3-4 roma tomatoes cut into wedges
1 onion sliced into thin strips
5-6 Tbsp garlic minced
1 inch fresh ginger grated
1-1.5 Tbsp fresh green peppercorns minced up.
5-7 small thai chilies minced(only 1 or 2 if you don't like spice)
1-2 jalapeños finely chopped
1 cup packed holy basil (thai basil—makes a difference IMO)
6-8 oz. Green beans (blanched) cut into bite-sized pieces.
6-8 oz. Mushrooms cut to your liking
2 Red bell peppers sliced into thin strips
2 carrots sliced

Sauce
1-1.5 Tsp hot bean sauce
1-1.5 Tsp Chili Garlic Sauce
2.5-3 Tsp black soy sauce
3.25 Tbsp oyster sauce
4-4.5 Tsp golden mountain soy sauce (regular, low-sodium is fine)
2.5 Tbsp fish sauce
3 tsp white sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar or dry sherry

Spices
1.5 tsp ground coriander
ground turmeric to just coat chicken pieces (around 0.5 tsp)
1 tsp. thai green curry powder
0.5 tsp chili powder
0.5 tsp white pepper

*Notes on rice noodles:  I HIGHLY recommend you make that adventurous trip to the Asian supermarket to find some fresh rice noodles.  I also suggest you cook them the day you buy them, as they will begin to dry out and require soaking if left in the fridge (this is fine, but it will require soaking them, which takes some practice to nail down the texture).  They often come in half-inch strips, though I actually prefer buying the square slabs of fresh rice noodle sheets and cutting them myself to my desired thickness (1 inch).  If you can't find fresh, get dried and soak them in warm water until they are just al dente.  Trust me, they will continue to cook quickly and soften in the hot wok.  Only soak them when you're ready to add them to the wok. Timing can vary depending on your water temp, but generally just soak them in warm water until al dente—probably more on the firmer side of al dente.

Fresh rice noodles!

STEPS

1. Measure out all ingredients for Sauce and combine in one small mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Chop/mince your veggies. Set aside.
3. Coat chicken in turmeric.
4. Heat 1-2 Tbsp. oil and brown your chicken (meat) pieces until just cooked through.  Remove and set aside.
5. Add more oil to pan (1 Tbsp) is fine.  Get wok REALLY hot until oil is shimmering and almost smoking.  Add minced ginger, pepper corns, and spices to oil and stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
6. Add onions, carrots, jalapeños, bell peppers, mushrooms and green beans.  Stir fry for only a couple minutes until the bite is just cooked out of the onion.  You don't want your veggies losing their crispness, so don't be tempted to cook the life out of them. 
7. Make space on the bottom of the wok, and add garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds to a minute) to remove the raw bite from the garlic. 
8. Add chicken back to wok and stir to combine.
9. Add noodles and 1/4 cup water if necessary to keep things from sticking.  Mix them in with other ingredients.
10. Add tomatoes and cook 20 seconds.
11. Add sauces and continue mixing.  At this point you will probably need two spoons/utensils to toss the wok's contents like you would a salad.
12. Finally, add basil and just mix it all together.

I know that's a lot of steps, but like I said, this kind of cooking is ALL about the preparation and knowing the sequence of adding ingredients.  It will probably take some getting used to, but that's what I love about this dish.  I have tried it over and over and finally found my rhythm.  Enjoy, you guys!