Noodle Bowl

A bowl of noodles accented with vegetables and maybe some meat in broth is a simple meal, versatile as to specific ingredients and can be quick to set up.

Boil water for cooking the noodles. The single serving nests of Chinese egg noodles are convenient and cook quickly for this purpose. While I'm cooking for 5, with the appetites of my family, and the volume of vegetables I use, 4 nests is a better amount.

While the noodles are cooking, start some broth. Fastest would be to use Oigatsuo soup base. I generally mix it about 1/2-2/3 strength as the recommended dilution ratio is still too strong for my tastes, probably because of the salt intensity.  Here, I used some Better Than Bouillion Low Sodium Chicken base seasoned with some soy, rice wine, ginger, garlic and star anise.

Stock:
6-8 cups chicken stock, low sodium
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 clove garlic, crushed lightly
2 coins of ginger the size of quarters
2 star anise

Combine and simmer until needed. Correct seasoning to taste if needed.


Noodle Garnishes:
8 oz button mushrooms sliced thinly
1 carrot cut julienne
1/4 head of cabbage cut julienne
1/2 pound spinach
1/2 pound char shu thinly sliced. Other cooked meats would work well too such as ham, chicken, pork, shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon minced ginger
Soy sauce as needed
Rice wine as needed

Condiments:
Sriracha or chili oil
soy sauce
sesame oil
rice vinegar or black vinegar

While the stock is cooking, marinate the mushrooms with 1/2 of the minced garlic and a little soy. Toss the mushrooms quickly as soon as you add the soy sauce as they'll absorb the soy quickly and unevenly if you just pour some in.

Because of garlic in with the mushrooms from the start, Stir fry on only medium heat to keep the garlic from burning. After the initial sear, turn to medium low to cook gently and remove some of the water, to concentrate their flavor. At lower heats, they don't require a lot of attention so you can work on some slicing as it cooks. Stir them occasionally as needed.  This is a bonus for a Chinese dish as you have time to prepare other parts of the meal.

When the mushrooms are done, remove them to a bowl for serving.

Wipe out the wok and heat on high. Add 2 teaspoons of oil, then the cabbage and carrots. Stir fry to mix, and add the ginger. Continue stir frying. After 2 minutes add a little rice wine and stir fry until crisp tender, another minute or so. Remove to a bowl for serving.

Wipe out the wok, return to high heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Swirl to lightly coat the wok. Add the spinach and toss quickly. Add the rest of the garlic and continue to cook until the spinach has wilted and is tender.

Lay out the ingredients and condiments and warmed bowls.

Build your bowl. Noodles first, then mushrooms, spinach, cabbage and carrots and an accent of Char Shu

Add the stock, just enough to keep things moist is best. This is not really a soup.

Stir to combine and enjoy with the extra seasonings of your choice. A little more soy, some sriracha, sesame oil, maybe a little rice vinegar or black vinegar.

Delicious!

Pork in Onion Sauce

This concept is not traditional to China, as shown by the volume of meat the dish contains. With the rise of more Western-influenced dining this is something that does happen now.

I first encountered this concept as a Southern dish, Smothered Pork Chops, smothered being an onion gravy. Cook's Illustrated and their various brands have taken a few different approachs to it.

• Roadfood.com Post #3 in that thread and is how I first made this dish from their cookbook.
• Boston.com has a variation with apples too
• Cooks Country version
• A slow cooker variation on imperfecthappiness.com

And I've encountered the idea a few times from Chinese cookbooks and dining such as  ChristinesRecipes as well as in Nina Simonds work.


Here, I make thin cut scallops of pork which will stir fry well, and build an onion sauce in the Chinese style.

1 1/2 pounds lean pork from the sirloin, loin, or tenderloin sliced in thin rounds 2 inches across

Marinade:
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing wine
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons corn starch (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, slivered/julienne--technique link for the Julienne
oil for stir frying, about 3 tablespoons

Sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons Black vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch (more or less to desired thickening power)
black pepper to taste

Combine the pork slices and marinade ingredients. Marinate 15 minutes up to 2 hours, refrigerated. I prefer the flavor of the longer marination but it's still good with the short marination if you're in a rush to get dinner on the table.
Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Stir fry the pork in batches.

Reserve the cooked pork on a plate. Note also the juices that build up.

Wipe out the wok, add some fresh clean oil and stir fry onions until they just start to soften. 

Add the garlic, and stir fry for a minute until aromatic. Add the pork and it's juices and stir to combine. Add the sauce mixture and stir fry until glossy, thickened and hot.

Serve immediately.  I opted for steamed rice and an Asian slaw for side dishes. 

Brown Rice Beef Congee

Made this last night for this mornings breakfast. I followed the same procedure as for my regular slow cooker congee. Except I used 1 cup of brown rice and about 12 oz cut from a chuck roast I'll be grinding and making meatballs from later today.

Brown rice still has the bran and the germ so there's not as much starch to thicken it. It comes out more like a soft barley and is rather reminiscent of a beef and barely soup in many ways.

The stronger flavor of the brown rice marries well with the beef. The whole grain also makes this a healthier variation worth trying.