Preparing the Noodles

• To form the base of a crispy noodle cake, cook dried egg noodles or angel hair pasta in boiling water until tender, but not too soft. Drain the pasta, then run it under cool water before placing it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat two to three eggs in a separate bowl and add them in with the pasta, along with salt and pepper, bean sprouts, minced green onion or sliced mushrooms. Mix all the ingredients together until they are well combined.

Forming and Crisping

• To form and crisp the cakes, add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a skillet over medium heat. Empty the pasta mixture into the skillet, using a spatula or large spoon to spread it out in the pan and flatten it. Leave it to fry for two to three minutes, until the bottom of the cake is golden brown and crispy. Carefully lift up one edge of the cake to look if you aren't sure.

Flipping and Serving

• Flipping a crispy noodle cake often leads to the entire thing falling apart, so proceed with caution. To flip it, place a large plate onto the top of the cake with the bottom of the plate facing up. Grab the handle of the pan with one hand and place the other one on top of the plate. Lift the pan and quickly invert the two, so the noodle cake is on the plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and slide the cake back in to continue cooking. After another two to three minutes, move the crispy noodle cake to a cutting board and cut it into sections or wedges to serve.

Flavor Options

• Making crispy noodle cakes leaves a lot of room for flavor experimentation. You may have your favorite vegetables to add, but there are no set rules for which combinations you can use. Extra flavors like minced ginger or garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce or hot sriracha sauce add a new dimension to crispy noodle cakes that allows you to serve them a little differently each time. Experiment with various combinations and with adding the flavors before and after frying to vary the intensity.