During Chinese New Year, long, uncut noodles symbolize longevity and are traditionally served as a wish for a long life. This dish could accompany the fish in the preceding recipe.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine or other long noodles
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup rice wine or dry sherry
• 4 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 center cut pork chops, about 8-10 ounces
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 peeled carrots
• 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts
• ¼ pound cooked peeled shrimp
• 6-8 cups, loosely packed, baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil or vegetable oil

Instructions

Bring a large pan with 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the salt to the boiling water and drop in the linguine or other noodles, and cook according to package directions until they are tender but not soggy. Drain them. Cover them with cold water, swishing them around so they don’t stick together. Drain again and set aside.

In a bowl, stir the cornstarch and soy sauce together. When smooth, add the rice wine or sherry, half the scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir in a cup of water. Cut the meat from the pork chops into 1/8-inch slices then cut the other way so you have 1/8-inch strips. Stir these into the soy-sauce mixture in the bowl. Cut the celery into 1/8-inch strips and make a pile of them on a plate. Pile the chopped onion nearby. Using a peeler, cut the carrot into long thin strips; halve them and make a pile of them on the plate.

Slice the water chestnuts if necessary and pile them on the plate. Add the shrimp to the plate. Wash the spinach and place it nearby. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, and stir in the pile of chopped onion. A minute late dump in the pork mixture and stir it round.