Showing posts with label egg noodles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egg noodles. Show all posts

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles

A one-pot Chinese style dish, Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles would be a delicious (and thrifty) addition to your Chinese New Year celebration menu.

Food Lust People Love: A one-pot Chinese style dish, Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles would be a delicious (and thrifty) addition to your Chinese New Year celebration menu.

Black pepper beef with broccoli and noodles is a combination of two delicious dishes: a black pepper beef recipe I learned about in Malaysia and the ubiquitous beef and broccoli found on every Chinese restaurant menu in the United States. Plus, to make this a full meal dish, I’ve added fresh egg noodles. With this recipe, just a pound or so of lean beef can feed a family of four a healthy, tasty meal.

If you’ve ever read my About Me page, you know that I’ve lived in quite a few cities and in almost as many countries. As we move on to the next place, there are always local dishes that we’ve grown to love, no longer available to us in our new home city. In the homesickness of the first months, I cook the food we miss from the place we miss. And those recipes become part of our family repertoire forever.

When we lived in Kuala Lumpur, we frequented a Chinese restaurant call Mei Keng Fatt. We had a standard order that always included black pepper beef. It’s a simple dish with almost equal amounts of beef, onions and bell pepper.

Mei Keng Fatt also added some crispy deep fried things that we never quite figured out. Were they tofu? Sliced lotus root? Who knew? They were divine eaten while they were still crunchy so their arrival at the table started a flurry of chopsticks nabbing them quickly. Soon the black pepper beef plate was but a plate of bell pepper, nobody’s favorite part of the dish.

When I started making black pepper beef at home, it was never as a part of a greater Chinese dinner. As much as I love eating out and having so many dishes to choose from and share, it was just not practical for our busy family home.

I began adding broccoli (and leaving out the bell pepper) to stretch that lean beef dish into a full meal. Often I’d serve it with steamed rice but fresh egg noodles, if you are fortunate enough to have a store nearby that stocks them, are a fabulous addition, making this a one-pot meal. If you don't have access to fresh egg noodles, use the Chinese-style dried ones or even normal linguine. I've substituted both of those successfully in this dish. 

Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles

You can crush all of the peppercorns together, for the marinade and for finishing the dish with a mortar and pestle. Use 3/4 of it in the marinade and reserve the balance for sprinkling on the cooked dish. Don’t grind the peppercorns just crush them so they are coarse grain. 

Ingredients
For the marinade:
1 1/2 teaspoons or 6 grams whole black peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or substitute dry sherry)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or again, substitute dry sherry)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

For the black pepper beef with broccoli and noodles:
1.1 lbs or 500g tenderloin or sirloin, cut into strips (like for stroganoff)
14 oz or 400g fresh yellow egg noodles
1 1/2 tablespoons canola or other light oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" wedges
1 small knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 lb or 450g broccoli florets 
1 carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks 

To garnish:
Green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon or 2g whole black peppercorns, crushed

Food Lust People Love: A one-pot Chinese style dish, Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles would be a delicious (and thrifty) addition to your Chinese New Year celebration menu.
Add all of your marinade ingredients into a bowl with the beef. Stir well to mix and coat the beef. Set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes. I usually do this step first, then prep the other ingredients, so the beef marinates for at least 30 minutes.
 

Mix your sauce ingredients together in another small bowl and set aside. 

Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions being careful not the cut or break them. According to Chinese superstition, the longer the noodles you eat are, the longer the lifespan you will enjoy. Drain and rinse with cold water until they are cool and all the excess starch is removed. Set aside in the colander to drain. 

Heat a wok or cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Add the oil, and then immediately add the beef. Quickly spread the beef out so it is in a single layer. Leave to cook on high until the pieces start to brown and caramelize on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Do not stir or move the beef until it’s well browned. 

Add the garlic, ginger, onions, and stir-fry for a minute or two. 


Add the broccoli and continue stir-frying. Keeping stirring and cooking until the broccoli has almost reached your desired tenderness. We like it pretty crunchy. If you need to drizzle in a little water, do so. 

Add in the cooled noodles and tip the sauce on top. 


Use two stirring implements and a gentle tossing motion (like tossing salad) to mix the noodles and sauce thoroughly into the broccoli and beef. 

Cook for just a minute or two, until the noodles are warmed through then mix in the matchstick carrots. 


Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the remaining crushed black pepper. Garnish with chopped green onions. 

Food Lust People Love: A one-pot Chinese style dish, Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles would be a delicious (and thrifty) addition to your Chinese New Year celebration menu.

This dish is best served immediately but I have also been known to eat leftovers, warmed gently in the microwave the next day. Still delicious. 

Food Lust People Love: A one-pot Chinese style dish, Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli and Noodles would be a delicious (and thrifty) addition to your Chinese New Year celebration menu.

Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay again and my fellow bloggers are sharing recipes to celebrate Chinese aka Lunar New Year. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.


Pin this Black Pepper Beef and Broccoli with Noodles!


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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Sesame Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce #FoodieExtravaganza

Chinese egg noodles with shrimp and crispy vegetables make a tasty, nutritious meal when tossed with savory peanut sauce. Great room temperature or cold.

Food Lust People Love: Chinese egg noodles with shrimp and crispy vegetables make a tasty, nutritious meal when tossed with savory peanut sauce. Great room temperature or cold.

I grew up eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And peanut butter cookies. You know, the homemade ones that have a crisscross made with a floured fork. I remember vividly the first commercials on television where choosy mothers chose Jif and friendly collisions got peanut butter in someone’s chocolate. And chocolate in someone’s peanut butter.

It took a trip to Indonesia when I was 18 years old to introduce me to a new use, a new savory love of peanut butter: Satay dipping sauce. Succulent bits of chicken or beef, marinated in special spices and grilled over an open charcoal flame by the dusty roadside, were meant to be dipped in a savory, spicy peanut sauce but I would just spoon that stuff over, full coverage being the fundamental goal. However delicious the satay, it was still primarily a conduit for the peanut sauce.

Ever since, I have been on the lookout for other peanut sauce conveyances, in addition to the handy spoon. I first found this wonderful noodle dish a couple of years ago on one of my favorite blogs, Magnolia Days – you might remember me mentioning it recently when I was making sticky cinnamon figs for a guest post in that genteel space. Renee had adapted a recipe from the Mom 100 Cookbook and created a main course from a side dish. Or maybe salad. Doesn’t matter. What’s important is that the whole fabulous mess was coated in a savory, spicy peanut sauce. I don’t think I ever told Renee that I had made it then, or any time since, which is very remiss and ungrateful of me. Because it is good. And I am grateful.

This month’s Foodie Extravaganza theme is peanut butter so I figured it was time to share these delicious noodles. Over the last couple of years, I’ve made adaptations of my own, adding other vegetables that I have on hand, like bean sprouts, or substituting chicken for the shrimp. I like to put fresh red chilies and crunchy peanut butter in the sauce. This is a great dish for mixing things up and using what you have, as long as you keep the peanut butter in the mix. Because that’s my favorite part. I hope it will be yours too.

Many thanks to Kaylin from Keep It Simple, Sweetie, our Foodie Extravaganza host this month. To see more delicious Foodie Extravaganza treats or learn how to join the party each month visit us here. And make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see all 19 of the sweet and savory peanut butter dishes we have for you this month!

Ingredients
For the sauce:
1 piece (2 1/2 inches or 6.3cm) fresh ginger
4 large garlic cloves
1-2 small red hot chili peppers (You know I used two!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup or 140g crunchy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For the noodles:
Salt for the boiling water
Almost 9 oz or 250g dried Chinese egg noodles
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 ounces or 115g haricot verts or fine green beans
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium carrot
1/2 small head Napa or Savoy cabbage (about 11 oz or 310g)
2 small or one medium onion
1 pound or 450g shrimp (Mine weighed 12 1/3 oz or 350g when peeled and deveined)

To garnish:
1/4 cup or 25g sesame seeds
Green onion tops

Method
Peel the carrot and cut it into sticks. Top and tail the green beans. Slice the cabbage finely as you would for coleslaw. Do the same with the onions.

Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.

Peel the ginger and garlic. Chop the ginger into small pieces and cut the stems off of  the chilies. Put the ginger, garlic and chilies in the food processor and process for a quick minute.

Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and process until they are well mixed. Leave them in the food processor and get on with the rest of the dish.



Add cold water and ice cubes to a medium-sized mixing bowl and set it in readiness next to your stove.

When the pot of water is boiling, put the carrots and green beans in for just a couple of minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them into the bowl of ice water.



Add the noodles into the pot of boiling water and cook as per packet instructions. Some take longer than others so following the manufacturer’s recommended time, perhaps minus a minute or two, is your best bet.



When the noodles are almost cooked, scoop out 1/4 cup or 60ml of the noodle water and add it to the sauce in the food processor. Process to combine.

Pour the cooked noodles into a colander and rinse them with very hot water. Put the noodles in a large mixing bowl and toss them with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil.

Now pour the peanut sauce in the food processor over them and toss again to make sure the noodles are well coated.



In the now empty noodle pot, sauté the sliced onions in one tablespoon of peanut oil. Add in the sliced cabbage and cook briefly. You want it wilted a little but still crunchy.

Add the onions and cabbage to the noodles and stir well. Cover the bowl and allow it to hang out for 30 to 45 minutes so the noodles can absorb the flavors of the sauce.



While you are waiting for the noodles, you can lightly toast your sesame seeds in a small non-stick skillet on the stove and chop some green onions for garnish, if desired.



When the noodle sitting time is almost up, once again, use your same pot to cook the shrimp with a little peanut oil and a light sprinkle of salt, just until they turn pink.



Drain the carrots and green beans and cut them into bite-sized pieces with your kitchen scissors. Add them to the noodles along with the shrimp. Toss well to mix.



Serve with a generous sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds and some chopped green onions, if desired.

Food Lust People Love: Chinese egg noodles with shrimp and crispy vegetables make a tasty, nutritious meal when tossed with savory peanut sauce. Great room temperature or cold.


This dish is supposed be served at room temperature but it is also quite tasty cold which makes it great lunchbox fare.

Enjoy!


Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

Savory Dishes
Sweet Treats

Food Lust People Love: Chinese egg noodles with shrimp and crispy vegetables make a tasty, nutritious meal when tossed with savory peanut sauce. Great room temperature or cold.




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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Tilapia with Mushrooms, Artichokes, White Wine, Lemon and a Completely Unreasonable Amount of Cream


Calling all heathens.  You know who you are.   We are about to have a biblical lesson.  Not a Bible lesson exactly but I want to talk about fish.  And listening to your mother, because she is probably right.

Who remembers when we didn’t know what tilapia was?  Never heard of it and then, seemingly, it was ubiquitous.  On every fishy crushed ice spread in every grocery store.  And bags and bags of frozen filets in the freezer section as well.  When tilapia first came to my attention, my mother and I were discussing it and she told me that tilapia was most likely the fish that the apostles were catching in Sea of Galilee.  How does she know these things?  She goes to church, people.  And apparently pays attention during the sermon.  After just a little research, I discovered she was so right!  In fact, in many regions, they call tilapia St. Peter’s fish.  I think that is kind of cool.

This dish is one of my summer favorites because my sister, Marta, always makes it when we are home for the long school break.  Upon finding lovely fresh tilapia filets in my local Carrefour supermarket, I wrote and asked her for the recipe.  Her instructions included the method and the ingredients but no amounts so I will try to quantify it for you.  But I imagine if you put a little more of this, or a little less of that, this will still be just as delicious.   I am pretty sure I put way more mushrooms than she would but they looked lovely and fresh that day.

Ingredients
1lb 10oz or 750g button mushrooms
6 filets of tilapia
Sea salt
Black pepper
3/4 cup or 170g butter
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 cup or 120ml lemon juice
2 cans or jars of artichoke hearts (not marinated) - drained weight about 5 3/4 oz or 165g each
1 cup or 240ml dry white wine
2 cups or 480ml heavy cream
Optional:  flat egg noodles to serve this over.

Method
Rinse the tilapia to make sure all the scales are gone.  I also tidy up the margins with a sharp knife because I am like that about fish.  You don’t have to.   Give the filets a good sprinkling of sea salt and a couple of good grinds of fresh black pepper.


Clean and slice your mushrooms and squeeze your lemons, if you are using fresh juice, which I highly recommend.


Drain your artichokes.  I had jars of the tiny ones so I didn’t cut them but you can half or quarter larger ones if you’d like.


Melt your butter in a large saucepan, preferably non-stick and add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from burning.


Gently cook the fish in the butter, for a few minutes on each side.

No one said this was a diet dish. 


Remove the filets to a plate when just cooked through and cover them.


Tip your mushrooms and artichokes into the saucepan and sauté until the mushrooms have given up most of their moisture, stirring occasionally.  I put the lid on and turned the fire down because I wasn’t in any hurry but this shouldn’t take more than about 5-7 minutes.



Add in the lemon juice, white wine and whipping cream.  Give it a good stir and lower the flame to a simmer.  Cook until it thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.


(If you are serving this over egg noodles, this would be a good time to cook them according to package instructions.  If they are ready a little before the fish, drain them and put them back in the pot with a good glug of olive oil to keep them from sticking together.)


Slide the fish back into the sauce, making sure to add back all the juices that have accumulated on the plate as well, and carefully redistribute the filets around the pan.



Heat gently until the fish is warmed through and then serve.


I was serving this for a dinner guest so I put the noodles in a dish, added the tilapia and ladled the sauce over the whole thing.  It occurred to me afterwards that a light sprinkling of chopped parsley would have looked pretty but never mind.  The dish tasted delicious.  Kind of a stroganoff of tilapia, if that makes any sense to you.


Give each person a healthy serving of noodles, topped with mushrooms and artichokes and one filet.


Enjoy!


































I’m on a touring holiday right now with my mom so if I don’t answer comments right away, please know that I am still delighted when you leave them and will respond as soon as I have internet access again. 


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Spicy Sichuan Noodles

Spicy Sichuan Noodles are a fragrant, spicy noodle dish with stir-fried ground pork. It's one of our favorite one-pot meals.


Have you ever seen the movie Eat Drink Man Woman?  If you love foodie movies, this is one of the best.  Shot in Taiwan and directed by Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) is the story of an aging chef who tries desperately to keep his family together by cooking elaborate feasts for his three daughters every Sunday.  In the opening scene, he prepares dish after dish and you can’t help but think that he must have a crowd coming.  With every plate that was finished, I wanted to be at that table!  I counted at least 14 dishes and then the chef mentioned, as he rushed off to deal with an emergency at his restaurant, “The crab dumplings are still in the steamer!”   Crab dumplings?  Yes, please!  (I read somewhere that the opening cooking scene actually took two weeks to film.  I believe it!)

A screenshot from the movie of the LADEN #SundaySupper table, just as the chef rushes off to his restaurant. 

This week’s #SundaySupper theme, hosted by the delightful Heather of GirliChef, is movie-inspired recipes.  What could be better inspiration than Eat Drink Man Woman, where Sunday supper is the most special, unifying meal of the week?  We love Chinese food of all kinds so it was hard for me to choose just one dish, but, finally, I decided that the Spicy Sichuan Noodles from Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery would be perfect.  Noodles in Chinese culture symbolize long life (so you never cut noodles!) and anything spicy is a winner in our house.   Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you.  This comes together quickly and is sooooo tasty.   Like many noodle dishes, it gets better and better and leftovers will be your favorite lunch ever, the next day.  If you have any left over. 

Ingredients
13 1/4 oz or 375g ground or minced pork
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (sometimes called Special Soy in the grocery stores) 
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
Cantonese-style egg noodles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb + or 500g dried Cantonese egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
5 tablespoons green onions
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini) or smooth peanut butter (I used peanut butter.)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili bean sauce
2 tablespoon chili oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup or 250ml chicken stock

For the garnish:
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns

Method
Mix the pork with the next four ingredients: the dark soy sauce, the rice wine or dry sherry, the salt and black pepper.  Stir well, cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.  (This can be done earlier in the day, in which case, refrigerate until needed.) 


Put some water on to boil in a pot big enough for your egg noodles.  Add a little salt to the water. 

Peel and finely mince your garlic and ginger.  Finely chop your green onions.  Set aside. 



When the water comes to a boil, drop in the noodles and cook about 3-5 minutes, until they are done. 



Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with hot water.  Drain again.  


Put the noodles in a bowl and pour over the tablespoon sesame oil.  Toss to coat and cover.  This can also be done early in the day and refrigerated until needed.)


Mix the sesame paste or smooth peanut butter, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chili bean sauce, chili oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, and set aside until you are ready to cook the dish. 


Meanwhile, toast your Sichuan peppercorns in a small skillet for a few minutes, and then grind them up with a mortar and pestle. 



Okay, are you ready to cook and eat?  

Heat your wok or large skillet until screaming hot and then add the peanut oil.  

Yeah, I didn't measure too carefully.  Sorry. 

When it is really hot too, stirfry the garlic, ginger and green onions for a couple of minutes. 


Add in the seasoned pork and break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.  Cook until all the pink is gone.  




Now add in the bowl of seasonings you mixed together (with the peanut butter) along with the chicken stock.   



Let it bubble along for a few minutes, and then add in the noodles. 


Stir well so the noodles are well-coated with the liquid seasonings and cook until they are hot through again.  I find it most effective to use two spoons and toss the noodles as you would a salad. 


Pour the noodles into a serving dish and sprinkle with the ground Sichuan peppercorns (and a few random chopped green onions for color, if desired) and serve immediately.  



Enjoy!  



Have a look at all the wonderful movie-inspired recipes the #SundaySupper group have for you today!  Is your favorite foodie movie among them? 


NOW SHOWING: 

Toast (bready things)


No Reservations (soups and salads)


Today's Special (fish, chicken, beef, and pork)


Forks Over Knives (veggie-heavy dishes and sides)


Udon (pasta and noodles)


Just Desserts (sweet treats)


Bottle Shock (beverages)