Beef Chow Fun

I think everyone loves beef chow fun.  We love a version at Sam Woo with beef and black bean sauce but we also like a more plain version (especially my daughter.)  I wish I had a wok to make this properly but my wok-like Calphalon does a decent job, too.  I think the hardest part is separating the rice noodles cuz they're so oily.

Thank you, Woks of Life!  My daughter loves it when I make "flat noodles!"

Beef Chow Fun

Ingredients

For the beef & marinade:

8 oz. flank steak

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional)

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon oil

For the rest of the dish:

12 oz. fresh flat rice noodles

3 tablespoons oil

4 scallions, split in half vertically and cut into 3-inch pieces

3 thin slices ginger

2 tablespoons shaoxing wine

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons regular soy sauce

Pinch of sugar

salt and white pepper, to taste

4 to 6 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts

Combine the beef and marinade ingredients and let it marinate for about an hour. The little bit of baking soda tenderizes the meat.

Some rice noodles come as large sheets, while others are already cut. If you have the sheets, slice the rice noodles so they're about 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick.

Heat your wok over high heat until smoking, and add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to coat the wok. Add the beef and sear until browned. As long as your wok is hot enough, the meat shouldn't stick. Set aside. Add a little more oil to the wok. Then add the ginger first to infuse the oil with its rich flavor for about 15 seconds. Add the scallions.

Spread the noodles evenly in the wok and stir-fry the whole mix on high until it is mixed evenly, about 15 seconds. Add the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok.

Next, add the sesame oil, soy sauces, pinch of sugar, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste (taste the noodles before adding salt) along with the beef. Stir fry, making sure your spatula scrapes the bottom of the wok and you lift the ho fun in an upward motion to mix well and coat them evenly with the soy sauce.

If the noodles were cold and refrigerated when you started, you may have to toss the noodles longer to heat them through properly. If the noodles are fresh, then less time will be required. Your heat should remain as high as possible at all times. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry until the bean sprouts are just tender. Serve!

Pork Shoulder Ramen

On Saturday I sent W to the store for Super Bowl groceries and he came back with a pork shoulder.  "What do you want me to make?" I asked.  "I know you'll think of something." I love that confidence!

Anyway, I was either going to do David Chang's Bo Ssam or this ramen recipe and I opted for this one since it would just be the three of us (technically four) eating it.  I didn't add all the extras because I'm a little pressed for time nowadays, but the result was still really delicious.  I took the time to caramelize the pork because I felt like that was worth it.  I omitted the curry paste and hot sauce because V can't handle spicy yet.  We ate it with pho noodles since I had some in the fridge.

Thank you, Half Baked Harvest, for a delicious recipe!  Someday I hope to make the full recipe but just the broth and pork themselves were worth it.

Crockpot Caramelized Pork Ramen

Japchae

Fun fact: our family used to eat japchae cold because it was in the refrigerated section of the Korean market and we didn't know any better.  Now I know that it's a lot more delicious as a hot dish.  What were we thinking?

The recipe I've been using comes straight from the bag of japchae noodles.   I probably modify the technique/ingredients a little bit to make it faster but otherwise everything else is the same.

Thanks to ASSI for printing the recipe.

Ingredients:
1.1 lbs of ASSI Dangmyeon
7 oz of beef
5 pieces of shitake mushroom
5 pieces of black mushroom
1 carrot
1 bunch of spinach
1 onion
1 egg

For sauce
6 Tbsp of soy sauce
1 Tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of sesame oil
Roasted sesame seeds

Instructions:
1. Slice the beef, shiitake mushrooms, black mushrooms, carrot and onion and fry them until fully cooked.
2. Parboil the spinach and after cooking rinse it under cold water.  After draining the water, mix the spinach with salt, sesame oil and minced garlic.
3. Separate the egg whites from the yolk and cook them separately using a fry pan.  After cooking, slice them into strips.
4. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce.  Cook the ASSI Dangmyeon noodles in boiling water for 4-5 minutes.  Afterwards drain the noodles and rinse thoroughly under cold water.  Mix all the ingredients with the sauce and noodles and cook everything under medium heat in a fry pan.