The Tale of the Disastrous Noodles

I was extremely tired by the time I got home this evening. I was in a Kaizen Coach training in Morrisville since 7:30 AM and it didn’t help that I was coughing the whole day. The mere effort to control the cough was just exhausting. I also had to tell my seatmate to Purell her way out of the building, it was embarrassing.

My husband had already taken the kids to their piano lessons, so there I was, alone in the kitchen, contemplating on whether I should cook dinner or buy takeout. I decided I would cook dinner. Cooking is therapeutic, and I thought bonding with my kitchen while I’m alone is a great idea. My husband requested Pancit Canton, a noodle dish that’s similar to Chicken or Shrimp Lo Mein. I’m a pretty good cook and I’ve made that several times. The recipe’s also pretty straightforward, so I figured it wouldn’t take long before dinner’s ready.

I prepared all the ingredients, and proceeded as I normally would. But because I was tired, I skipped one important step—the read or research the instruction step. Usually,  when there are no instructions on the box or packaging of the noodles, I go online to check how it’s prepared. Some noodles require you to soak it in water and drain before cooking, some don’t. I soaked my noodles, when it didn’t need soaking. So to my surprise, and dismay, I saw the noodles expand and soak up all the water right before my eyes. By the time I transferred it to the wok, they were like overgrown, overcooked versions of themselves. My supposedly simple and straightforward Pancit Canton ended up looking like Udon Noodle Soup without the soup. See how appetizing it is? Not.

Well folks, haste makes waste, as evidenced by my hybrid slightly soupy stir-fry noodles. But no matter how disastrous it turned out to be, I’d like to think it still served a purpose. It helped me unwind and take my mind off work —I think the feeling of panic at seeing it almost come alive really woke me up! Plus, seeing my husband and kids eat it with gusto, with nods of approval and “It’s really good Mommy!” (even if I knew it wasn’t) made me feel very appreciated.  🙂

And so you don’t end up with the same disastrous noodles, I’m sharing the recipe that I use with you.  Just make sure you check the instructions on how to cook the noodles as it varies depending on the brand. Enjoy!