CHINESE NOODLES WITH SESAME SAUCE

I wanted to make a better dish for my wife ( compared to the one last nigh) when she got home. I made a recipe like this (below) which was from one of my cookbooks favorites (for variety) Hot & Spicy. She liked it! The only think I added was 1-2 tbls ponzo sauce. As it was good for me to.
9.7/10

CHINESE NOODLES WITH SESAME SAUCE
2 tbl sesame paste
7 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. sesame oil
I addeded 1 tbl honey
3 tbsp. peanut oil
3/4 tsp. sugar (did not use)
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
3 cloves crushed garlic
pinch 5 spice powder
1 lb. Chinese noodles
3 steak burgers grilled then chopped up to pieces

Mix together sauce ingredients. This may be stored in refrigerator for several weeks. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse to cool. Toss with 1 tablespoon sesame or peanut oil to keep moist. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Sauce may be added to whole bowl or spooned onto individual servings. Mix together

Korean noodles+ veggies + turkey+ sesame sauce=yummy

I had Korean noodles, veggies, a sauce and some turkey pieces. It was time for me to make an Asian bowl type food for dinner. I found my trusty Bowl Food cookbook by Lynne Aronson & Elizabeth Simon and the sesame sauce recipe. Only thing I did not have "sesame" for the sesame seed sauce. No worry maannn!
The Lan Chi brand was recommended in this recipe but no matter I did not have it. This recipe said if you do have it, you need to make sure it not out of date. And Middle Eastern tahini sesame paste does not count. But this recipe said smooth peanut butter was an excellent substitute, so I was in luck.
I boiled the noodles for 10 minutes, no more no less and then sprayed water over them to take off some starch and then added some sesame oil. I got the turkey shredded and ready while I worked on the sauce and let is heat up. (peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, red curry paste, Chinese 5 spice (instead of just star anise) and a juice of a lime. I wokked some pieces of mushroom, yellow squash with thyme and also added peas and broiled red peppers. So lots of color, protein, noodles and the sauce. The extra bit of lime, which is added after cooling down really added an extra little kick to the paste/ sauce.
The sauce came out pretty well as my wife was telling me not to take so much on my noodles. It came out well and tasted good. The sauce was a little different then ones I have made before. This was one of the better ones. I would have to rate this sauce and the whole 9.7/10 .

CHEF MING TSAI'S DAD'S JA JIAN MIEN recipe

I record Tsai's weekly PBS show to see what else is going on. There are recipes that are not in his other book which I bought when I was at his recipes. The recipes I have tried are excellent. A recent show has his father's noodle recipe which included the cranberry and hoisin like a couple of other recipes. One his here . One with chicken I will post after I make it so I can also post how we liked the recipe and maybe a photo.

Noodle Recipes

August 13, 2008

CHEF MING TSAI'S DAD'S JA JIAN MIEN
# 3 Thai bird chiles, finely chopped (these peppers have a very fiery taste)
# 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
# 1 Tbsp. fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
# 1 red onion, finely diced
# 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
# 1 lb. ground beef, not too lean
# 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
# 1 cup cranberries
# Cornstarch mixed with chicken stock, for thickening (optional)
# 1 lb. fresh or dried Shanghai noodles
# 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, julienned
# 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
# 2 cups mung bean sprouts, picked
# Canola oil for cooking
# Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large saucepan over high heat and lightly coat with oil. Swirl to coat bottom of pan and, when shimmering, add chiles, garlic, ginger, black beans and onion and saute until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add hoisin sauce and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 2 minutes. Add beef and brown for about 6 minutes, breaking up any large chunks. Add Shaoxing to deglaze and add cranberries.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid achieves sauce-like consistency. (You can add the cornstarch/chicken broth mixture to thicken, if necessary.) Season if necessary. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add noodles, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes for fresh, 10 minutes for dried. While noodles are cooking, blanch bean sprouts and carrots in noodle water by placing them, separately, in a fine mesh strainer and holding in the boiling water. Drain noodles well and serve family-style, in a large pasta bowl. Ladle beef over and garnish with cucumber, carrots and mung bean sprouts.

Serves 4.

GRACE YOUNG'S VEGETABLE LO MEIN
# 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
# 6 large leaves Napa cabbage (about 12 ozs.)
# 1 lb. pkg. Chinese fresh egg noodles
# 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
# 2 Tbsps. soy sauce
# 3 Tbsps. vegetable oil
# 1 Tbsp. finely minced ginger
# 1 cup julienne carrots
# 2 scallions, finely shredded
# 1/4 cup chicken broth
# 1 Tbsp. oyster-flavored sauce

Clean the mushrooms. Remove and discard the stems. Thinly slice the caps.

Wash the cabbage leaves in several changes of cold water and allow to thoroughly drain in a colander until dry to the touch. Trim 1/4-inch from the stem end of the cabbage leaves and discard. Stack 2 to 3 cabbage leaves at a time and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide shreds.

In a 4-quart saucepan, bring about 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles, return to rolling boil and cook until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Transfer to a medium bowl, add sesame oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and mix well. Set aside.

Heat 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and ginger, and stir-fry 20 seconds. Add the carrots, scallions and mushrooms, and stir-fry 1 minute, or until the vegetables are just limp. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and cabbage, and stir-fry 1 minute or until cabbage begins to wilt. Add the cooked carrot mixture, noodles and chicken broth and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until noodles are heated through. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and oyster sauce and toss to combine. Serve immediately to 4 or 6 persons as part of a multicourse meal.

-- Adapted from "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing", Grace Young, (Simon & Schuster, 1999, 282 pp.)

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