Cherylsuzy Cooks: Chicken and Long Rice

Growing up, my family always called this recipe, "Chicken and Long Rice," but it's often called, "cellophane or mung bean noodles". We always had it carnivorous style (see below), which is probably the tastiest (but least healthy) version that I describe here. My Aunt Lois showed me once how she added celery and carrots to this recipe, which inspired me to make the version here that I've made most of my adult life, so I can make it as a one-dish dinner. I cook this dinner in a wok, except for the carnivorous version, which is cooked in a big pot.

1) Prep stir-fry ingredients:
     > carrots - julienne
     > celery - thin, diagonal slices
     > ginger root - julienne
     > garlic - minced
     > green onion - thinly slice white part; julienne green part & set aside
     > chicken meat - thighs or breasts, thin diagonal slices

2) Prep your carbs:
     > start cooking the rice
     > soak saifun ("(mung) bean threads"/"cellophane noodles") in a bowl of hot water
        *Before adding the saifun to the pot, you will need to snip the noodles shorter. I usually lay it across the cutting board and cut each bundle in half perpendicular to the length of the noodles. They can also be snipped with kitchen scissors.

3) Stir-fry the above ingredients, starting with chicken. Once the vegetables are mostly cooked through (still a little crunchy), add the saifun noodles, along with some extra broth and soy sauce (I like a lot of soy sauce in this recipe). Cook through until the water is absorbed and noodles are soft. Add the green part of the green onion at the very end of cooking and mix through. Serve over rice.

This vegetarian version was made with fried tofu.

VARIATIONS
1) Vegetarian - Substitute Quorn Chik'n Tenders or fried tofu for the chicken.
2) Seafood - Use shrimp for the meat.
3) Carnivorous - Omit the vegetables. Brown chicken thighs (with skin and bones) in oil with garlic and ginger root. Then add the white part of the green onions, soy sauce/broth, and just enough water to simmer until meat is completely cooked through. Make sure it's cooked all the way to the bone! After chicken is cooked, add the noodles and finish cooking until all liquid is absorbed and noodles are soft. Then mix in the green part of the green onion before serving.