mwl-logo

Made With Lau

Recipes

Our Family

Courses

Cookbook Newsletter

mwl-logo

Made With Lau

madewithlau.com

The Braised E-Fu Noodles My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

乾燒伊麵
Prep: 7 minCook: 11 minTotal: 18 minServes: 4

Ingredients

1 lbyee mein noodles
1 bunchyellow chives
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 king oyster mushroom
1 mediumcarrot
1 clovegarlic
Seasoning
2 tspvegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsplight soy sauce
1 tspdark soy sauce
1 tspsugar
0.50 tspsalt
1 tspsesame oil
Other
1 tbspoil
0.50 cupboiling water
1 tspoil

Instructions

1
Prepare ingredients

We rehydrated the dried shiitake mushrooms ahead of time, so make sure that they've soaked in warm water for half an hour to an hour before you're ready to start. Also, you can start heating the water that you'll need for the next step.

We'll cut all the vegetables into about the same size and shape, so that they're relatively uniform in the final dish.

Cut the yellow chives (1 bunch) into 1 inch lengths.

Cut the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms into thin strips.

Cut the king oyster mushroom into thin slices, and then thin strips.

Cut the carrot (1 medium) into thin slices, and then thin strips as well.

You can stabilize the carrot by making one slice along the side, and then setting it onto your cutting board with that cut side down, and it won't roll around as much. Then it'll be safer to cut.

Finally, peel, smash, and mince garlic (1 clove).

2
Cook noodles

The more boiling water you use in this step, the faster the noodles will cook without soaking up as much water, which is ideal for avoiding soggy noodles.

Pour boiling water, enough to submerge the noodles, into a deep, wide wok that's big enough so that it can fit all the noodles you're cooking, with the stove on high heat. Using boiling water to start helps cut down on the time you spend standing over the stove.

Make sure that the water is at a boil, and put the yee mein noodles (1 lb) in. It'll take about 2 minutes for the noodles to soften and completely loosen up, at which point you can take them out of the wok and let them drain in a colander or strainer.

If you're not going to proceed with stir-frying right away, shock the noodles in cold running water to stop them from cooking further with their own residual heat.

3
Stir-fry vegetables

Pour the water out from the wok, and dry it to prepare for stir-frying.

Heat the wok on high for 15-30 seconds, then add oil (1 tbsp). Let it heat the oil for 30-40 seconds, then add the minced garlic and fry for about 10 seconds, so that it's fragrant.

Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and the sliced king oyster mushrooms, cook for 10 seconds, and then the sliced carrots. Continue cooking for 40-50 seconds.

Add boiling water (0.50 cup) and let the ingredients boil for about a minute.

4
Add seasoning

Turn off the heat briefly so that we can add our seasonings.

Add vegetarian oyster sauce (2 tsp), light soy sauce (1 tsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and salt (0.50 tsp).

Mix them in, and have a taste. It'll be easiest to make any adjustments to flavor here while the sauce is still rather brothy, because the noodles are going in next and they'll be soaking up all the sauce. You can continue adjusting the taste later, but it may not be as evenly distributed as adjustments made now.

5
Add noodles

Add the noodles after the sauce is to your liking, and mix them in. Keep mixing so that the noodles can evenly absorb all of the sauce.

Continue cooking on high heat until the liquid has cooked out, which will take about 2.5 to 3 minutes. When it's ready, the noodles will be saucy, without a pool of liquid at the bottom.

6
Add sesame oil & yellow chives

Turn the heat down to medium, and add sesame oil (1 tsp) and oil (1 tsp) for that nutty, roasted taste and shine. Then turn the heat off and add the chopped yellow chives.

The residual heat of the noodles is enough to cook the yellow chives while keeping their delicate, aromatic flavor.

7
Taste test & plate

Taste to adjust the flavors and plate once it's to your taste! This is usually served in a large serving bowl or plate and everyone can take the amount they want.

Recipe by Daddy Lau · 2× James Beard Award Winner · madewithlau.com

The Braised E-Fu Noodles My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

乾燒伊麵
▶ 112.8K views on YouTube
👍 2.3K likes
Prep
7 min
Cook
11 min
Total
18 min
Serves
4
Daddy Lau
By Daddy Lau · 2x James Beard Awards · 60+ years
Published Feb 2022 · Updated Oct 2024

Why this recipe

The story
Braised E-Fu Noodles (乾燒伊麵) — Daddy Lau
Daddy Lau

Most braised e-fu noodles recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.

I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 112.8K views, 2.3K likes on YouTube.

E-fu noodles, or yee mein, is a recurring delicacy at Chinese banquets and special events. The delicious sauce and delightful spongy, chewy texture hide just how simple the dish actually is! You can't tell that it takes minutes to put this together.

What is "E-fu"?

This noodle has a few origin legends, but the most popular one is that these noodles were named after Yi Bingshou, a Chinese government official who was famous for his calligraphy.

One day, Yi Bingshou was entertaining large number of guests, and his cook was rushing to get food to the guests. The cook accidentally took cooked egg noodles and fried them.

Instead of starting over and making new noodles, he dunked the fried noodles in stock and served them. It was an instant hit, and it is said that those noodles back then tasted similarly to present-day instant noodles.

"E" is another way of writing "Yi", from Yi Bingshou, and "fu" is a word meaning household. So "E-fu noodles" means "noodles from the house of Yi". So fancy!

Ingredients

Serves4
Understanding Flavor
FUNDAMENTALS
Understanding Flavor
Dive Deeper →
Main Ingredients
1 lbyee mein noodles
1 bunchyellow chives
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 king oyster mushroom
1 mediumcarrot
1 clovegarlic
Seasoning
2 tspvegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsplight soy sauce
1 tspdark soy sauce
1 tspsugar
0.50 tspsalt
1 tspsesame oil
Other
1 tbspoil
0.50 cupboiling water
1 tspoil

Instructions

7 steps · click any step to scrub ↑
1

Prepare ingredients

scroll to play this step

We rehydrated the dried shiitake mushrooms ahead of time, so make sure that they've soaked in warm water for half an hour to an hour before you're ready to start. Also, you can start heating the water that you'll need for the next step.

We'll cut all the vegetables into about the same size and shape, so that they're relatively uniform in the final dish.

Cut the yellow chives (1 bunch) into 1 inch lengths.

Cut the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms into thin strips.

Cut the king oyster mushroom into thin slices, and then thin strips.

Cut the carrot (1 medium) into thin slices, and then thin strips as well.

You can stabilize the carrot by making one slice along the side, and then setting it onto your cutting board with that cut side down, and it won't roll around as much. Then it'll be safer to cut.

Finally, peel, smash, and mince garlic (1 clove).

The 10 Essential Cutting Techniques
LESSON 3.3
The 10 Essential Cutting Techniques
Dive Deeper →
2

Cook noodles

scroll to play this step

The more boiling water you use in this step, the faster the noodles will cook without soaking up as much water, which is ideal for avoiding soggy noodles.

Pour boiling water, enough to submerge the noodles, into a deep, wide wok that's big enough so that it can fit all the noodles you're cooking, with the stove on high heat. Using boiling water to start helps cut down on the time you spend standing over the stove.

Make sure that the water is at a boil, and put the yee mein noodles (1 lb) in. It'll take about 2 minutes for the noodles to soften and completely loosen up, at which point you can take them out of the wok and let them drain in a colander or strainer.

If you're not going to proceed with stir-frying right away, shock the noodles in cold running water to stop them from cooking further with their own residual heat.

3

Stir-fry vegetables

scroll to play this step

Pour the water out from the wok, and dry it to prepare for stir-frying.

Heat the wok on high for 15-30 seconds, then add oil (1 tbsp). Let it heat the oil for 30-40 seconds, then add the minced garlic and fry for about 10 seconds, so that it's fragrant.

Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and the sliced king oyster mushrooms, cook for 10 seconds, and then the sliced carrots. Continue cooking for 40-50 seconds.

Add boiling water (0.50 cup) and let the ingredients boil for about a minute.

4

Add seasoning

scroll to play this step

Turn off the heat briefly so that we can add our seasonings.

Add vegetarian oyster sauce (2 tsp), light soy sauce (1 tsp), dark soy sauce (1 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and salt (0.50 tsp).

Mix them in, and have a taste. It'll be easiest to make any adjustments to flavor here while the sauce is still rather brothy, because the noodles are going in next and they'll be soaking up all the sauce. You can continue adjusting the taste later, but it may not be as evenly distributed as adjustments made now.

5

Add noodles

scroll to play this step

Add the noodles after the sauce is to your liking, and mix them in. Keep mixing so that the noodles can evenly absorb all of the sauce.

Continue cooking on high heat until the liquid has cooked out, which will take about 2.5 to 3 minutes. When it's ready, the noodles will be saucy, without a pool of liquid at the bottom.

6

Add sesame oil & yellow chives

scroll to play this step

Turn the heat down to medium, and add sesame oil (1 tsp) and oil (1 tsp) for that nutty, roasted taste and shine. Then turn the heat off and add the chopped yellow chives.

The residual heat of the noodles is enough to cook the yellow chives while keeping their delicate, aromatic flavor.

7

Taste test & plate

scroll to play this step

Taste to adjust the flavors and plate once it's to your taste! This is usually served in a large serving bowl or plate and everyone can take the amount they want.

劉
Mini Masterclasses
“
His recipes aren't difficult: that's the beautiful part. But when I cook them, I can feel mine aren't quite there. What's missing isn't a recipe. It's the fundamentals.
”
Desmond F. · Mini Masterclass student
Mini Masterclasses are the fundamentals: the part that makes the recipes work.
100+ short video lessons from decades in a professional kitchen: wok heat, knife angles, the tastes you're listening for, how to fix a dish that isn't quite right.
What you're buying
What's inside — a peek at the lessons
6 of 100+ lessons. Free preview marked below.
Reading the wok: when it's hot enough8:42★ Free preview
Wok & heat
Reading the wok: when it's hot enough
Holding the cleaver, three ways6:18🔒 Locked
Knife skills
Holding the cleaver, three ways
Roast Duck11:05🔒 Locked
Exclusive Recipe
Roast Duck
Inside my dad's pantry7:30🔒 Locked
Ingredient Basics
Inside my dad's pantry
Wok Tossing 1015:24🔒 Locked
Fundamentals
Wok Tossing 101
Rice Noodle Rolls9:12🔒 Locked
Exclusive Recipe
Rice Noodle Rolls
Watch the first lesson free.
Drop your email and we'll send the full first lesson + three more sample clips. No card required.
Made With Lau
Mini Masterclasses, lifetime access
100+ video lessons·Never expires·Learn at your own pace
$99
one-time payment
”
“My Chinese cooking has improved by leaps and bounds. I'm now able to recreate my grandmother's recipes through fundamentals and taste memories alone. With Daddy Lau sharing tips from his years in the kitchen, if you listen carefully these tips speak volumes. The fundamentals that you will learn will be priceless.”
D
Desmond F.
Professional chef, 16 years · Singapore
”
“Not only is this THE place for me, a Hong Kong born Cantonese who grew up in Ireland, to relearn all the cooking skills my own Cantonese Mom and Dad taught me. The English translation has also allowed my non-Cantonese speaking, American-born kids to learn about this under-represented side of their heritage. Plus the results are always delicious!”
A
Ann Y.
Hong Kong-born, raised in Ireland
”
“Hearing Daddy Lau's voice brought back memories of my late grandparents who used to cook these meals for me. The Mini Masterclasses improved my cooking skills in various ways, from cutting techniques to preserving your groceries and controlling the heat of the wok. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their experience level.”
S
Shirley P.
Parents from Guangzhou and Toisan · Chicago

The fundamentals you'll learn are priceless.

✓30-day money-back guarantee

Pairs well with

View all →
50 min

Longevity Noodles (三鮮伊面)

View recipe →
25 min

Ginger Scallion Spaghetti (薑蔥撈麵)

View recipe →
60 min

Plant-Based Meal (植物性餐點)

View recipe →

Frequently Asked Questions

Made with love ❤️

The Lau Family

We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.

Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.

mwl-logoMade With Lau

A family-run Cantonese cooking project from Daddy Lau, Randy Lau, and a small team in the Bay Area.

Recipes
All recipesEasy weeknightsTakeout favoritesSoups & brothsDim sumNoodles
Learn
Mini masterclassesAll courses
About
Our familyCookbook (2027)ContactPrivacy
Made with ♥ in the Bay · © 2026 · Year of the Horse
YouTube · 1.78MInstagram · 412KTikTok · 891K