Name: Noodles with Young Ginger
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 2 teaspoons light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon Shao-Hsing wine, or sherry; 4 tablespoons vegetable stock; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; Pinch white pepper; 8 cups cold water; 2 teaspoons salt; 8 ounces fresh, flat eggless noodles, like linguine; 3 tablespoons peanut oil; 4 tablespoons young ginger, shredded (if unavailable, regular ginger may be used); 1 cup scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, white portions quartered lengthwise

Ji Geung Lo Mein

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted from My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen: 100 Family Recipes and Life Lessons, by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

At the New Year, noodles represent longevity. Because of this they were never cut when preparing them, and to serve them was to wish those who ate them a long life. In Sah Gau there were many varieties and shapes of noodles, and for vegetarians there were noodles made without eggs. These are what were served to the nuns, along with that special food that came usually with the onset of the New Year, young ginger, more subtle, less hot than the customary kind. These days this young, often pinkish gingerroot is available year-round. This dish illustrates what a "lo mein" is — that is, a dish tossed together, not precisely stir-fried.

Recipe notes

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