Select your noodles
This is not a science. Just choose your favourite egg or regular hakka noodles. This will work with any Lo Mein noodles or even Ramen. But I wouldn’t pick a thicker variety of noodles such as Udon noodles or even rice noodles.

Boil your noodles in salted water with a teaspoon of oil till they are just al dente. Al dente means that the noodles should be cooked such that they are still firm when bitten into. The rule that I follow is to subtract 30 seconds from the cooking time mentioned on the packet. In this case, my packet suggested I cook these for 3 minutes in boiling water so I cooked them for 2.5 minutes. That ways you always avoid over cooking these.

Once the noodles are cooked, immediately drain them in a colander and wash them with cold water. This is a really important step because the longer you leave them in the cooking water, the longer they will continue to cook. Washing them in cold water removes any extra salts and starch and prevents them from sticking together.

Once the noodles are drained completely, spread them out on a baking sheet or parchment paper and leave them out to dry for 30 minutes. This gets rid of any extra moisture and helps them fry evenly. Plus they won’t splatter as much when you deep fry the noodles.

Once the noodles are dry, dust them and toss them with cornflour. The cornflour takes care of any extra moisture and prevents them from sticking together by acting as an extra layer. The starch also makes them extra crispy when they are deep-fried.

Heat oil in a wide skillet like a cast iron or frying pan till the oil starts shimmering (about 350F/ 180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, insert a chopstick or the stem of a wooden ladle into the oil. The oil should start shimmering around the edges of the ladle or chopstick and that’s when you know its ready. Don’t overcrowd, just spread them out evenly. Fry these for 2-3 minutes till they are a deep golden brown from the outside.