A recent noodle dish reminded me soo much of the Manapua Man's fried noodles back in Pearl City, that I HAD to revise the recipe and try it over again.
Before I get too deep into this, let me explain. The Manapua Man, is a mythical creature . . . okay, he's this Asian middle-aged guy, who goes around in a steel truck through the neighborhoods of Pearl City, hawking delicious food items to school children and drawing them from their homes with his nostalgic music. Like the ice cream man, only better. Like the hot dog carts, only better. Like (insert delicious food stand here), only better. Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration.
Anyway, he sells pork hash (a very popular item), rice cake, manapua (pork buns) (of course), assorted candies, cup noodle, lumpia, gau
gee friend chicken, a variety of drinks, and of course fried noodles. Now, being the cautious child that I was--I only got a few things from this truck of awesomeness, and now, thinking back on it, I am compelled to get food there again when I am in town <3.
So, one of the items I loved, as you might guess, is the fried noodles. And on a calm Saturday afternoon, when Mr. B and I were having a nice meal at home, it hit me--these, are the noodles the Manapua Man uses! Only . . . the Manapua Man's noodles had more garlic. . . .
Today, I had to try a rendition of those noodles. Just plain and simple-no need for nutritious veggies; this was meant to be an after school snack.
Then the thought crossed my mind. The internet must have a recipe of the Manapua Man's noodles! Simple! But I am afraid, all I came a cross were rave "Yelp!" reviews of the familiar man in Pearl City. I also found another post in search of his awesome recipe, so, why not-I will post a rudimentary recipe, and if you can make suggestions, this recipe can evolve even closer to the true recipe!!!
Without further ado, the recipe in progress.
Ingredients:
1 large onion (sliced/julienned)
At least 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 bundles of Chinese wheat noodles
5Tbs canola (or other veggie) oil
8Tbs of shoyu/soy sauce
Several shakes of black pepper
Instructions:
Add oil to a hot pan and sautee the onions. For extra effect, I covered with a lid, added a dash of water, and let them sit until they caramelized some. Then, add garlic to the pan, and set for another minute or less.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil, and boil the noodles per the instructions on the packet (several minutes, until soft). Strain the noodles.
Combine the 'ono garlic-onion-y with the noodles. 'Ono' = delicious. Add in some pepper, and you're DONE!
Cheers! Let me know what yours turns out like-I really want to know. It seems best with a little too much oil, and too much garlic, and probably too much soy sauce.
And for the goodie two-shoes. Broccoli, mushrooms, and half a jalepeno chopped and sauteed in after the onions an garlic make a great fiber-y nutrient-filled addition to this otherwise detrimental snack. Feel free to reduce the amount of oil and soy sauce.
Cheers! Let me know what yours turns out like-I really want to know. It seems best with a little too much oil, and too much garlic, and probably too much soy sauce.