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Chow down on hand-pulled noodles, Beijing chicken

Acclaimed chef Philippe Chow shares his secrets to popular Asian dishes

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updated 3:57 p.m. ET June 4, 2008

Philippe Chow, the executive chef of New York City's Philippe restaurant, is known for his modern, unique spin on traditional Chinese cuisine. Impress your friends and loved ones by making your very own noodles — perfect to spruce up vegetables, add to soups or cover in a delicious sauce — and a tasty chicken dish:

Chinese hand-pulled noodles
Phillipe Chow

These hand-pulled noodles originate in Beijing. They are taught from one generation of noodle chefs to the next, an art form that is all but lost.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Chinese all-purpose flour
1 cup water
Small amount of vegetable oil

Recipe continues below ↓
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DIRECTIONS

Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Chinese flour has more gluten than American flour, which makes it more elastic and helps it stretch more easily.

Pound and knead the flour firmly until it becomes a dough. This takes about 5 minutes.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Oil a wood table or plank lightly with vegetable oil.

Stretch the dough into a tube shape. Fold over and stretch, then take that and pound and shape it onto the wooden surface.

Stretch and twist in your hands, in a loop, several times to release the gluten.

Once it is springy, lay the loop on the wooden table and fold it in two.

Hold it up in your hands, and fold it into two, doubling it. Then lay this on the table, and repeat, doubling the number of strands again. While holding up the dough, repeat the motion until you have many strands of what are now noodles in your hands.

Stretch them out, and cut the ends off.

Boil in hot water, and then serve with your choice of traditional sauce or Chinese vegetables.

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Beijing chicken
Phillipe Chow

INGREDIENTS

Peanut oil for deep frying
1 chicken breast cut in 1 inch cubes
All-purpose flour for chicken
1 tablespoon of sweet bean sauce (found in Chinatown)
A few candied walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Start off with the chicken dredged in the flour and shake off excess. Then heat peanut oil to 375 degrees and put chicken in.

When chicken is cooked to a light golden brown, remove the chicken and allow oil to drain. Have a wok on high heat and then cook chicken along with the sweet bean sauce for about 2 minutes, consistently mixing together.

Before taking the chicken out, add walnuts and give it another mix in the wok.

Serve hot.

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© 2008 MSNBC Interactive