Oriental food question

[Double Trouble]

Ok, taking a break from all the usual politics, religion, gun control, etc etc etc topics. It's time for the "ask the oriental cuisine expert" section of today's show

I had a wonderful Beef Chow Mein (SP?) dish a few days ago. It was great except for the nasty beansprouts they added in there, I had to filter all of them out before eating :frown: Anyway, I really liked the small very thin noodles that were part of the dish. If I wanted to make a similar dish at home, what do I need to get? What would be the name of the noodles? What kind of sauces/flavorings do I need? Are there different variations I cold try?

I'm a complete novice at the cooking thing, so lets hear some advice

 

[phatcow]

Ummm.. roughly translated...

Gong Lo Mein...(dry mixed noodle)

thats a dish where all you get is the thin dry noodles, in sauce and stuff. I think thats what ur talking about, right?

 

[Yeeny]

The noodles are just called Chow Mein noodles, and they are at any grocery store in the ethnic foods section. I don't care for beansprouts either, so this is the recipe I use.

2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups chopped celery
2 onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can baby corn
1/2 cup green beans
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
3 cups cooked and cubed beef

Directions
1 In a wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, onions and garlic powder; cook until the onions have wilted. Add beef broth and baby corn. Continue cooking until celery is cooked but still crisp. Stir in the green beans or bean sprouts and soy sauce.

2 Mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Slowly stir into vegetables. Sauce should start to thicken a little. Mix in beef, and heat through.

 

[Moonbeam]

Wheat is grown in Northern China and so the people there have as part of their ethnic tradition, use noodles made from wheat and wheat and egg. Beef would, I think, also be pretty much limited to the north.

My experience has been that if you find a Chinese dish you like from a particular restaurant, go there to have it. I have cooked twice cooked pork ten different ways hoping to match the delicious twice cooked pork at a favorite local, but no can do. People like mine, but it's not what I want so it disappoints me. Any my two cents. Here's a simple Beef Chow Mein recipe with a strong ginger beef flavor:

3/4lb packet wheat flour noodles or egg noodles

3/4 lb steak, eg tenderloin, rump. or sirloin

2 Tablespoons soy sause

peper to taste

3 slices fresh ginger root

2 green onions

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoon shortning or lard

1 tablespoon hoisin sause

2 tablespoon good stock Use chicken bouillon unless you want to boil a chicken for this

1 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry (traditionally Shaohsing wine)

1 tablespoon cornstarch blended with 2 tablespoons water

Prepararion

Place noodles in sausepan of boiling water and simmer for five min. Drain. Cut beef into 2 X 1-in very thin slices. Rum with soy sause and pepper to taste. Shred ginger. Cut green onions into 2-in sections, separating white from green parts.

Cooking

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in wok or skillet. When hot, stir-fry ginger and white parts of green onion for 30 seconds. Add beef slices, spread them over wok or skillet, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from pan. Add shortening or lard. hoisin sause, remainding soy sause and stock to wok. Bring to biol, stirring. Pour noodles into pan, toss and stirr until heated through. Spread out on heated serving dish. Add remainding oil, green parts of green onion, sherry and beef to wok or pan. When mixture boils, pour over blended cornstarch and turn beef over several times. Spoon beef mixture evenly over noodles.

 

[Plantanthera]

Chow Mein is a great slop that was developed in America.

An adition to GF & MB recipe:

Pre cook meat/seafood.
Pre boiled/soft noodles and drained dry (you can also replace them with packet instant noodles).
Any vegetable that you like.
2-3 crushed clove of garlic (add it to the heated oil wok then the vegies).
Any broth that you like.
Soy sauce or hoisin sauce.

 

[Double Trouble]

Excellent suggestions all I appreciate the info, I'm gonna give these a try!

If anyone else has some ideas for food that's pretty much idiot-proof to make, post here!