• 2 tablespoons store-bought chili-garlic sauce or soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 8 ounces silver needle noodles or spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups chopped daikon or 1 package shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
PAN-FRIED EGGS
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons black or white sesame seeds
• 4 large eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Combine the worms or meat with the chili-garlic sauce and cornstarch. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer. While the worms marinate, cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the worms. Stir-fry until the worms are no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Add the daikon and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles and soy sauce. Cook and stir until the noodles are heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper.
FOR THE EGGS
Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl to coat. Sprinkle in the sesame seeds and toast until fragrant, about a minute. Crack 2 of the eggs into one side of the pan; crack the remaining 2 eggs into the other side. Swirl the pan gently, letting the egg whites flow together, forming one large piece.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the eggs. Cook until the egg whites are crispy and brown on the bottom and the yolks are firmly set, about 3 minutes. Keeping them in one piece, flip the eggs using a wide spatula and cook until the whites turn crispy and brown on the other side, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour the soy sauce over the eggs. Simmer for 30 seconds, turning the eggs once to coat the other side. Serve over the noodles and drizzle with the pan sauce.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, we’d like to thank our editor, Howard Reeves, for seeing the potential in our story while it was still a sprout and for his tireless efforts to nurture it into a mature tree.
We would also like to thank Jim Armstrong, the managing editor, for taking extraordinary care to help this project blossom.
We’d like to thank Mark Viquesney for reading early drafts of the manuscript and for his constructive criticism and suggestions. His friendship is invaluable.
We’d like to thank Ying’s intern, Nicole Price, for her unparalleled diligence and organizational skills, making it possible for Ying to juggle multiple projects while finishing the last stages of this book.
Finally, we’d like to thank Greg, Ying’s husband and Vinson’s father, for his support and for calming the stormy seas that occasionally arose between us during the voyage of this project.
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
This page: Courtesy Nanyang Technological University.
This page: Michael Coyne/National Geographic Creative.
This page: Courtesy Melissa Faulner.
This page: © Camphora/Wikimedia Commons, detail.
This page: Courtesy of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding.
This page: Author’s collection.
This page: Bruno Barbey/Magnum Photos.
This page: Scott S. Warren/National Geographic Creative.
This page: Jason Lee/Reuters Pictures.
This page: © Camphora/Wikimedia Commons.
This page: STR New/Reuters Pictures.
This page: ©iStockphoto.com/beemore.
This page: © Nniud/Dreamstime.com
This page: Courtesy Melissa Faulner.
This page: O. Louis Mazzatenta/National Geographic Creative.
This page: © Joe Kucharski/Dreamstime.com.
This page: © Vasily Pindyurin/123rf.com.
This page: O. Louis Mazzatenta/National Geographic Creative.
This page: Courtesy Cultural-China.com.
This page: © Su Jin Yan
This page, this page, and this page: Author’s collection.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
YING CHANG COMPESTINE grew up during Mao’s rule over China. Her young adult novel Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party was a critical success, won multiple awards, and was named by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. In addition to her work as a writer, Ying visits schools throughout the United States and abroad, speaking about her journey as an author, how her life in China inspired her writing, and the challenges of writing in her second language. She lives in the East Bay, California. You can visit her at www.yingc.com.
Her son, VINSON COMPESTINE, was a National Merit Scholar and is currently studying at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.
This book was designed by Maria T. Middleton.
Its production was overseen by Kathy Lovisolo.
Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier Page 12
