Chili Garlic Chicken & Noodles

Protein
1 lb chicken thighs, cubed and marinated in 1-2 tbsp of fish sauce for about 30 minutes. I choose to marinate mine in large plastic ziplock bag with the air pressed out of it.

Sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp thin soy sauce
2 tbsp golden mountain sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar

Stir together set aside

Chili garlic paste:

3-5 Thai chilis, stems and seeds removed to your taste of heat preference. This recipe can be quite spicy depending on how many Thai chilies you choose to use, and whether you remove the seeds. All of the heat in a chili pepper is in the seeds, so when you remove the seeds you significantly decrease the heat. By removing the seeds you can tone this recipe down a lot. But if you want a very spicy recipe, simply use more chilies and keep the seeds in when you grind the chilies.

5 dried red Szechuan chilies, stems and seeds removed

2 tbsp minced garlic

Grind the dried Szechuan chilies in a grinder into pepper flakes. Set aside
Grind the Thai chilies in a grinder. Set aside
Put all of the ground chilies in a mortar and pestle with 2 tbsp of minced garlic and blend into a paste.

Set the chili garlic paste aside

Prepare your vegetables:
1/2 onion, diced
3-5 stalks Chinese broccoli, sliced into chunks
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
1/2 cup of sliced dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

Garnish:
2 green onions, diced
sesame seeds, 1 tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large sauté pan start with a tbsp of oil, spread it around the pan. When it’s hot add the chili garlic paste. Let it cook in the oil, spreading it around the pan, until it darkens and becomes fragrant. Add the onions and stir, cook the onions until they are clear and cooked through (soft, fragrant). Add the red bell peppers, Chinese broccoli, shitake mushrooms, and carrots, and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Add the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through, stirring the chili flavor into the chicken. If the pasta hasn't finished by the time the chicken is done, turn the heat off, add the vegetables back into the pan and wait. Just before you add the pasta, turn the heat on and reheat, mixing the vegetables and chicken together.

When the pasta is done, take the pasta directly from the pot into the pan with the vegetables and chicken. Do not drain the pasta. Adding it directly from the pot adds starch which is important. Add the sauce, the green onions, and the sesame seeds, and heat thoroughly, mix everything together well.

Serve and enjoy. Should make 6 servings.