Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles

Every time I go to my favorite Shanghai restaurant, I never fail to order their stir-fried golden yellow noodles. Each bite reminds me so much of stir-fried Hokkien / Cantonese noodles aka Hokkien Char Mee / Cantonese Tai Lok Meen, one of the more popular stir-fried noodle dishes in Malaysia. Bear in mind, this is not the regular soft and soggy lo mein yellow noodles or wonton egg noodles. Traditionally, stir-fried Hokkien noodles is cooked with specially prepared fresh thick yellow egg noodles and a combination of meats, seafood, vegetables, and a special ingredient, crispy pork cubes :) You can really taste the breath of wok as you slurp away the plump and springy fat yellow egg noodles drenched in rich thick black soy sauce and a mixture of one tiny bite of the crispylicious pork bits is enough to blow your tastebuds away. Stir-fried Shanghai noodles also employ a very similar type of noodles. However it is cooked with shredded pork, lard and napa cabbage with a less saucier version.

Lately, fond food memories have been invading my mind with crazy as the days draw closer to my vacation, especially noodly ones. But I've been putting off making this one particular noodle dish because "the" right type noodles couldn't be found at my local Asian grocery store. Taking matters into my own hands, I bugged the manager on numerous occasions until he finally gave in haha :)

Okay, people. Here's what to look for at the market, and here's what it looks like. Save it, print it, bring it to your Asian market, do whatever you need to do and you shall be on your way to enjoying some pretty darn delicious golden Shanghai noodles or some good ol' Malaysian stir-fried Hokkien noodles :) As for now, I'll stick to a very quick and easy recipe, stir-fried Shanghai noodles with mushroom and chinese mustard greens in thick soy sauce :) Soon, I'll be reunited with the real deal .. stir-fried Hokkien noodles with squid, cabbage, shrimp, pork and crispy pork fats ...................... to be continued after 2 months :)

Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles Recipe

Ingredients :
1/2 pack thick yellow noodles, fresh ( 7 oz )
1 tsp chopped garlic
4 oz shredded green onions
5 oz sliced button mushrooms
5 oz cut chinese mustard greens ( aka Small Gai Choy )
1 egg
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp thick soy sauce
1-2 tsp tsp sweet soy sauce (ABC brand, bottle)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cooking oil
white pepper to taste

Notes : Sugar and molasses are already added in the thick soy sauce and the sweet soy sauce. Hence, no sugar is needed for this recipe.

Method :
1) In a pot of boiling water, cook the yellow noodles until the required texture is achieved. I like it springier, so I cook the yellow noodles for just about 5-8 minutes. Remove, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
2) Add sesame oil and cooking oil to the cooked noodles. Mix well and set aside.
3) Heat the wok until it's smoking hot and turn the heat down to low. Quickly stir-fry the green onions and garlic until fragrant.
4) Stir in an egg, mix the cut mustard greens, sliced button mushrooms, turn the heat back high, and continue stir-fry for 1 minute.
5) Add the noodles, splash in the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, thick soy sauce, white pepper to taste, and continue to stir-fry for an additional 2-3 minute or until evenly mixed.

Pan-fried Steak

I'm not really a big fan of red meat, although I do enjoy a nice thick and juicy steak occasionally, especially the slightly crispy edges. My preference is somewhere between medium-rare and medium-done. I don't think I've had any perfect steaks at the restaurants ever. It's either too done, too rare or they'll serve me some non-select prime cut and call it with some fancy-shmancy name like Victorian cut or something. Thanks to Steamy Kitchen, Jaden and her enticingly delicious-looking rib eye steak, I decided to go out and get my own :) Great timing too ! Since it's the 4th of July, I found a great bargain on some thick moist looking rib eye steaks ! Without hesitation, I picked out a pack with the most marbly texture at only USD$4.99 per pound :)

I didn't want to clean up the big mess I'm sure to make after firing up the grill, so I decided to cook my rib eye steaks in a pan instead :) How do you pan-fry steak to perfection ? Make sure you rub your steak with enough oil during the seasoning process. Rub it in and rub it well ! The oil will help seal the juices in. Last thing you want is to overcook a good piece of steak right before your very own eyes, all dried and wasted. Next, get the pan really hot. Don't be a wuss. Get the pan really smoking hot and briefly carbonize the outside of the steak. You'll get a nice brown on the outside, and leave the inside nice and pink.

Here are my cooking tips for pan-frying steaks :

1) Place steak in pan. ( 1 minute per side, total 2 minutes for both sides of the steak )
2) Use your left hand to hold the handle of the pan and tilt the pan at a 45 degree angle, allowing most of the oil to ooze down away from the steak.
3) With your right hand, hold the steak vertically with a pair of tongs. Then pan sear all edges of the steak in the oil to a light crisp. ( 1 1/2 minutes, or until nicely browned )
5) Next, bring the pan back to its normal position, in contact with the stove. Place the steak back in the pan. ( cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute per side )
6) When the steak is cooked, remove, and let it rest to allow juices to redistribute themselves for that perfect even color. ( 3 minutes )

Total cooking time : ONLY 6-8 minutes.
Resting time : 3-5 minutes.

Pan-fried Rib Eye Steak With Mushrooms And Onions

Ingredients :
1 piece 1/2 inch thick, rib eye steak ( approximately 14 oz )
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ( preferably Lea & Perrin )
4 tbsp olive oil
7 oz button mushroom, sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, cut into rings

Method :
1) Rub both sides of the steak with salt first. Then with black pepper, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, and lastly olive oil.
2) Refrigerate for an hour or preferably overnight.
3) Remove steak from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking.
4) Heat pan until really hot. Saute onions until slightly fragrant in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add mushroom and continue stir-frying for 1 minute. Dish up and set aside.
5) Pan-fry steaks in 2 tbsp olive oil using the above cooking tips.

Well that's how I like my steak y'all ... yeee haaa :) I still have a piece in my freezer so let me know if you have a favorite way to cook yours :)

Green Curry Chicken

For crying out loud, I'm screaming for hot curries in the summertime ! Somebody call the food fashion police ! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that in a couple of months time, I'll be taking a short trip home to Malaysia.. HURRAYY ! I seriously think I'm having one of those out-of-body experiences people talk about because my mind is already there savoring all the delicious curries while my body is still here impatiently counting the days.

Speaking of curries, I've come to realize that my ability to take the "heat" without breaking a sweat has waned me over the years *sigh*. I remember a time back in Malaysia when I could stomach a variety of level 10++ spicy food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and still wake up the next day wanting for more. These days, when the "hot and spicy" craving kicks in, I've had to dial down a few notches to using fresh red chilis, jalapenos, anaheim chilis, and serranos in my recipes.

One of the milder curries that I had just the right ingredients for at the moment was the Thai Green Curry. I had adapted the recipe to a taste I preferred using milder chilis, plenty of refreshing herbs and a few of my favorite spices. The experiment was a success IMHO ! Before the green curry reached my mouth, I have already filled up on the aroma ..wickedly pleasing !:)

Some fresh herbs from Wandering Chopsticks

A couple of weeks back, I was invited to Wandering Chopsticks' home. She was so sweet to give me a tour to her beautiful plantation garden hehe..Believe it or not, girl's got the whole nine thousand yards. From sugar cane, persimmon, guavas, papayas, promeganate, dragon fruit, and longan trees to basil, lemongrass, and a dozen or so other plants/trees. I'll bring my memory cap (and some produce bags :P) next time but there's definitely has more than what is shown here. Immediately, I stumbled upon some of my favorite herbs : Laksa leaves aka Vietnamese mint, Mint leaves and a species of curry leaves that's new to me. In Malaysia, laksa leaves are used in cooking spicy seafood dish and most importantly, it plays an important part in the famous Malaysian Asam Laksa noodle soup. In the Vietnamese cuisine, laksa leaves are not cooked, instead, they are used mainly in salads and rice paper wraps / spring rolls. Thanks again WC for the wonderful fresh herbs. I've used them for my Green Curry Chicken recipe and enjoyed them immensely :)

So, before they disappear altogether, I'm going to share these pictures with everyone else and submit this to Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen.



Green Chili Paste Recipe

Ingredients :
1 Anaheim chili
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch basil leaves ( leaves only )

Method :
1) Blend all the above ingredients until a paste-like texture is formed.

My Green Curry Chicken Recipe

Ingredients :
4 chicken drumsticks ( each piece cut into 2 )
6 laksa leaves
1/4 branch curry leaves
10 mint leaves
3 bay leaves
3 dried chili pods ( seedless )
2 cardamon
2 cloves
8 coriander seeds
1/2 star anise seed
2 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced shallots
1 medium sized Russet potato ( peeled and cut into wedges)
1 tomato ( cut into wedges)
1/2 red bell peppers ( cut into wedges)
3 tbsp green chili paste
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2-1 tbsp tamarind paste ( depending on how tangy you want it )
10 oz coconut milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt and sugar to taste
water to adjust level of curry thickness

Method :
1) Marinade potatoes with turmeric powder, curry powder, and 1 tbsp of the green chili paste. Set aside.
2) Marinade chicken with 2 tbsp of green chili paste.
3) In a wok/skillet, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil and pan-fry potatoes until brown. Cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or until almost cooked. Remove and set aside.
4) Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil. Saute the curry leaves, bay leaves, minced shallots, ginger, and red bell peppers with all the spice ingredients until fragrant.
5) Add chicken and pan-fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil during pan-frying if the meat starts sticking to the pan.
6) Mix in coconut milk. Cover and let boil.
7) When boiling, add tomatoes, tamarind paste, salt and sugar to taste. Mix well, turn to medium-low heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
8) Remove cover, add dried chili pods with the laksa leaves and the mint leaves. Mix well and add potatoes. Cover and continue to cook at medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes or until meat is done. Add water to adjust level of curry thickness.

Other Weekend Herb Blogging entries :
Edamame And Tiger Lily Stir-fry with Shrimps
Pesto Chicken