This is the dish you pull out on Friday night when you want it to look complicated. Chicken lap cheong mei fun takes five minutes of active cooking. The rest is waiting — and you can do the waiting the day before.
The rice noodles take on a golden brown hue, each pearly strand coated in a soy sauce mingled with rehydrated shiitake. The aroma rising from the wok is earthy and deep, with the background of toasted sesame oil arriving at the last moment and tickling the nose. The slices of duck sausage dot the dish with orange touches, like islands in a sea of fine noodles. It’s light on the palate yet dense in flavor — the kind of thing that disappears from the dish before you’ve finished sitting down.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Ingredient Notes
Dried rice vermicelli, shiitake, sausage, eggs, and vegetables: simple ingredients that yield a stunning result.
- Dried rice vermicelli : The transparent packages found in Asian grocery stores, often labeled ‘rice vermicelli’ or ‘bihon’. Deceptive dry weight — 170 g swells a lot. Soak them in cold water overnight, or in hot water for at least an hour. They should be pliable but still slightly firm to the touch, not mushy like glue. Cut them in half with scissors before adding to the wok.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms : The dried version is not a substitute for fresh — it’s a different ingredient, more concentrated, smokier. Choose small ones or cut large ones into thin strips. And most importantly: keep the soaking water, it’s half your sauce.
- Chicken or duck lap cheong : The Chinese dried sausage in poultry version, naturally sweet and slightly perfumed. Found in the deli section or frozen in Asian grocery stores. Slice it on the bias, thin, to maximize the caramelized surface in the wok.
- Light soy sauce + dark soy sauce : Two distinct sauces. The light one seasons and salinates. The dark one colors and adds a slightly caramelized sweetness that gives the noodles their golden brown hue. If you only have regular soy sauce, use it only in place of the light and reduce the quantities a bit.
- Toasted sesame oil : Not for cooking — for the eggs and finishing. It’s the dark one, not the light. Half a teaspoon in the beaten eggs, and a few drops at the end on the noodles. Its warm nutty aroma permeates the whole dish without weighing it down.
Soak the night before — that’s where it all happens
Mei fun and shiitake need time. Not energy, just time. The night before you go to sleep, put the noodles in a large bowl of cold water and the mushrooms in a bowl with about 40 cl of cold water. Nothing else to do. The next day, the shiitake will have swelled and softened — their brown spongy flesh slices easily into half-centimeter strips. The soaking water will have turned dark, almost black, with a woody smell reminiscent of the forest after rain. Do not throw it away. It’s liquid gold.
Prepare everything before turning on the heat
The wok waits for no one. Once it’s hot, things happen quickly and you won’t have time to cut a carrot or look for the soy sauce. So before turning on: julienne the carrot into fine matchsticks, slice the red onion into half-moons, cut the noodles in half with scissors. In a bowl, mix the shiitake water with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper. In another, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil. When everything is set before you in its respective bowls, you can turn on.
The wok must really smoke — don’t underestimate the heat
Heat the wok over medium heat until it starts to emit a fine smoke. Add a tablespoon of neutral oil and pour in the beaten eggs — they should puff up and set in seconds, not cook slowly. Remove them as soon as they are just set, still slightly glossy. Add another tablespoon of oil, add the duck sausage and mushrooms. Let them cook for three to four minutes: the mushrooms should go from dull gray to hazelnut brown, with slight caramelization on the edges. Then come the garlic, carrot, onion, and scallion whites, two minutes over high heat without stopping.
Don’t touch anything for three minutes
Turn the heat to high. Pour a little chicken broth in a stream along the hot edges of the wok — it should crackle loudly on contact. Add the noodles and toss roughly. Pour the prepared sauce all at once. There will be a lot of liquid — that’s intentional, the noodles will absorb it all. Cook for three minutes over high heat, stirring just occasionally to prevent sticking. The noodles will go from translucent white to golden, lacquered, shiny like light caramel. When no liquid is visible at the bottom of the wok, add the eggs and scallion greens. One final toss. It’s ready!
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t salt before tasting: the soy sauce and dried sausage already contain a lot of salt. Always taste at the end of cooking before correcting anything.
- If the noodles stick to the wok, it’s almost always a problem of insufficient heat. A really hot wok is the best non-stick — far more effective than any coating.
- You can prepare the sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours in a sealed jar. On the day, one less ingredient to manage in the last-minute rush.
Can this dish be prepared without a wok?
Yes, a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet will do. The important thing is the size — you need room to toss the noodles without them falling everywhere. A skillet at least 30 cm. Heat distributes a bit less evenly than a wok, so turn up the heat to maximum to compensate.
Can I use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried?
You can, but the result will be less flavorful: soaking dried mushrooms produces umami-concentrated water that serves as the base for the sauce, and fresh mushrooms don’t have the same aromatic depth. If you only have fresh, compensate with a little extra soy sauce and use vegetable broth instead of the soaking water.
How do I prevent the noodles from sticking together in the wok?
Two things: the heat must be really high, and the noodles must be well drained before going into the wok. A lukewarm wok with too-wet noodles is a recipe for a glue block. Also cut them in half with scissors before cooking — that helps a lot with distribution.
What can I substitute for chicken lap cheong if I can’t find it?
A store-bought smoked chicken sausage, sliced thin, does the job. The taste will be less sweet and less aromatic than authentic lap cheong, but the texture in the dish remains good. Some Asian grocery stores also have duck lap cheong — that’s probably the best substitute.
Can leftovers be stored and reheated?
Yes, two days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. To reheat, use a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water — never the microwave, which softens the noodles and makes them pasty. A few drops of sesame oil when serving revive the dish.
Can other vegetables be added?
Absolutely. Snow peas, julienned red bell pepper, bean sprouts, or sliced bok choy integrate well. Add tender vegetables (bean sprouts, bok choy) at the same time as the scallion greens, and firmer ones (bell pepper, snow peas) with the carrot and onion.
Mei Fun with Lap Cheong and Shiitake Mushrooms
Chinese
Main course
Rice noodles stir-fried in a wok with dried chicken sausage, rehydrated shiitake, and an umami sauce built from the mushroom soaking water. Simple to execute, impressive to serve.
Ingredients
- 170g dried rice vermicelli (mei fun)
- 55g dried shiitake mushrooms (8-9 small)
- 115g chicken or duck lap cheong, thinly sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1½ tsp chicken broth (for the eggs)
- ¾ tsp toasted sesame oil (divided: ¼ for eggs, ½ for sauce)
- 3 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, sunflower, or avocado), divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium carrot (~100g), julienned
- 1 small red onion (~80g), sliced into half-moons
- 3 scallions, white and green parts separated
- 120ml shiitake soaking water (reserved)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp chicken broth (for the wok)
Instructions
- 1Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water and the shiitake in 40cl of water — overnight, or at least 2 hours for the mushrooms and 1 hour for the noodles.
- 2Drain the noodles and cut them in half with scissors. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water, and slice them thinly.
- 3Prepare the sauce: mix 120ml of the soaking water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside.
- 4Beat the eggs with salt, 1½ tsp of chicken broth, and ¼ tsp of sesame oil.
- 5Heat the wok over medium heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 1 tbsp of oil and cook the scrambled eggs quickly — they should puff up and set in seconds. Transfer to a bowl.
- 6Add 1 tbsp of oil to the wok. Stir-fry the sausage and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until lightly caramelized (hazelnut brown color).
- 7Add the garlic, carrot, red onion, and scallion whites. Stir-fry for 2 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly.
- 8Turn the heat to high. Pour 1 tbsp of chicken broth in a stream along the edges of the wok. Add the noodles and toss roughly.
- 9Pour the sauce all at once over the noodles. Stir-fry for 3 minutes over high heat, stirring regularly, until the liquid is fully absorbed.
- 10Fold in the reserved scrambled eggs and scallion greens. Toss one last time and serve immediately.
Notes
• Storage: keeps 2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water over medium heat — avoid the microwave, which softens the noodles.
• Make ahead: the sauce can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the fridge in a jar. The soaking of mushrooms and noodles can also be done the day before.
• Vegetable variations: add snow peas, julienned red bell pepper, or bean sprouts. Firm vegetables go with the carrot; tender vegetables at the end with the scallion greens.
Nutrition Facts (per serving, estimated)
| 415 kcalCalories | 14gProtein | 44gCarbs | 20gFat |
