Tag: Chinese
Pan Fried Noodles with Bacon
Pan Fried Noodles with Bacon
This is a quick and easy noodle stir fry dish utilizing basic ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. You can substitute any protein of your liking if bacon isn’t your thing, or add tofu or more vegetables and make this dish vegetarian. I ate the leftovers the next morning with 2 fried eggs on top of the noodles…good at all times of the day.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Chinese egg noodles prepared according to package directions
- 1/4 lb thick cut bacon diced
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium white onion thinly sliced
- 2 cup green cabbage chopped
Sauce
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan or wok over medium heat until crispy and the fat has rendered out. Pour the bacon and it’s grease in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp of the bacon grease in the same pan over medium high heat. Place the noodles in the pan in a single layer. Fry for 3 minutes.
- Flip the noodles. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and move to a plate.
- Heat up the last 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Sauté the cabbage and onions for 3 minutes.
- Add the bacon back in. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the noodles back in; tossing with bacon and vegetables.
- Pour in the sauce and sauté for 3 minutes, making sure that the noodles are evenly coated.
String Beans with Smoked Tofu
String Beans with Smoked Tofu
Stir fried green beans with black bean sauce is a popular Chinese takeout menu item. You typically will see it with chicken. Instead, I made it with my smoked tofu recipe, making the dish vegan now. Honestly, just as good. You can make this entire meal in 15 minutes or less!
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 brick smoked tofu sliced into 1/2” thick squares
- 1/2 lb green beans trimmed
- 4 shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 3 green onions chopped
Sauce
- 1/3 cup veggie stock or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp fermented black beans of black bean sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the tofu.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes a side until crispy. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the last tbsp of oil. Stir in the green beans and shiitake mushrooms. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add in the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 more minute.
- Add the tofu back in. Stir fry for a minute.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients.
- Pour the sauce in the pan. Make sure to coat everything evenly.
- Turn off the heat. It only will take a minute for the sauce to thicken.
Smoked Tofu
Yes, you can smoke tofu. All you have to do is press the liquid out of it for 30 minutes. I recommend extra firm tofu. It will have the least amount of moisture. Marinate for 2 hours. Smoke for 2 hours. That’s it. Really any type of wood will work. I used apple and cherry woodchips. You can eat the tofu as is or use it in numerous recipes. Check out the recipe for string beans with smoked tofu below.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 blocks extra firm tofu pressed for 30 minutes
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Wood Chips
- applewood chips
- cherrywood chips
Instructions
- Mixed together the marinade ingredients.
- Cut the blocks of tofu into thirds.
- Place the tofu and the marinade into a gallon sized storage bag. Squeeze out the excess air. Marinate the tofu for 2 hours.
- Place the tofu on a rack. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat your electric smoker to 225 degrees according to the manufacturer’s directions. Smoke for 2 hours.
Stir Fried Ong Choy
Stir Fried Ong Choy
Ong Choy, or water spinach, is a popular vegetable eaten all over Asia. They have long leaves and hollow stems that give the green a nice crunch. This stir fry is quite simple and can be found on any authentic Chinese or Vietnamese menu. You can purchase ong choy at just about any Asian market for a couple dollars for a huge bunch.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil
- 1 bunch ong choy washed and chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
- Add in the chili oil. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add in the ong choy.
- Stir fry for 4 minutes.
- Season with salt and sugar.
How to make Chili Oil in an Instant Pot
Ever eat at a Chinese restaurant and they have that chili oil at the table? Then you end up putting it on everything because it’s so damn good. Well now it’s time to learn how to make it for a fraction of the price of the store bought brands. Making this couldn’t be easier using the Instant Pot. The most important thing in making this chili oil is to not burn the ingredients. You want to keep the oil between 225 and 250 degrees. The Instant Pot has a custom temperature setting which makes making this street free. You can still make this on a stove top if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Just make sure to use a cane thermometer to make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot. If the ingredients burn, you will have to start over.Most cultures have some sort of chili oil in their cuisine, all made very similarly. This recipe is for a Chinese style chili oil, so I used ingredients in Chinese cooking. If you were to make a chili oil for Italian cuisine, you would you’d Italian crushed chili flakes and maybe some garlic and dried herbs in the oil. So experiment with making different oils. The chili flake is always the main ingredient, followed by aromatics steeping in the oil.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 5 star anise
- 3 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup crushed Szechuan chili flakes
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Choose custom temp. Set to 230 degrees, Add your oil, cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Cook for 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Put the crushed chili flakes in a mason jar. Take a small piece of cheese cloth and put it over the jar, with a rubber band around it to hold in place.
- Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Pour the oil into the mason jar. The cheese cloth will catch all of the peppercorns and star anise..
- Screw on the cover and let cool to room temp. Refrigerate up to 6 months.
