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Noodles

Rad Na with Pork

Sep 1st, 2010
by dave.
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Rad Na

It’s about time I updated “The List” that you see in the upper right corner of the page. I’ve since added quite a few new recipes and I should really reflect those up there. Getting close to that 100 number! And it’s almost been a year…about how long I thought it might take.

But anyway, another day, more noodles =)

Access to fresh rice noodles is something that should never go unused. I have a couple packets of dried rice noodles in the cupboard but I don’t think I’ve used them in the year or so I’ve had them since fresh ones are so close at hand at Hong Kong Supermarket in Allston. Just walk up, buy them and let them sit on the counter while you prep the rest of the dish. Makes for a 15-20 minute meal most times because the noodles only take a minute or two to soften and soak up all the tasty sauces in the pan.

Every time I pick up the fresh rice noodles, I almost always cook Beef Chow Fun or Pad See Ew, two of my favorites (and go-to dishes whenever I have guests). But I do have to admit, it’s nice to branch out and try something new every once in a while (Especially since I cook fresh noodles around twice a month these days…)

One of my favorite dishes while growing up was Beef Chow Fun but with a soupy gravy poured over top along with some carrots and sugar peas. I think I could still eat that almost every day. The one problem I did have with it was that it did not refrigerate well. If bought at a restaurant, leftovers would be a soupy/soggy mess the next day. The best thing would be when ordering takeout, to have the restaurant separate the gravy and the noodles, that way you only need to prepare a little bit at a time for a meal.

Unfortunately, being the smart college-educated guy I am, I cooked Rad Na (the Thai version of “wet” beef chow fun) and just drenched all the noodles (close to 2 pounds!) with the gravy. And in an attempt to remedy the situation, ended up spilling a portion of it on the floor. Serves me right I guess.

Special thanks to Appon of Appon’s Thai Food for a wonderful recipe to work off of.

Rad Na with Pork

Serves 4
Time : 20 minutes

Recipe adaped from Appon’s Thai Food

Ingredients:
- 1.5 – 2 lbs fresh wide rice noodles
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb Pork butt, sliced thin
- 2 cups water + 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (or 2 cups light chicken broth)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp corn starch mixed with 4 tbsp water
- Chinese broccoli
NOTE: I used a full bouillon cube the first time…way too salty.

Method:
1. Add the water/broth to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When boiling, add bouillon cube (if using), fish sauce, and light soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
2. Add in the sliced pork. Let cook for a minute or two.
3. Add in the starch and water mix, stir well so that the starch doesn’t coagulate.
4. Add in the Chinese Broccoli.
5. In a frying pan, heat 4 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add in the dark soy sauce and sugar mix, give a quick stir and then toss in the fresh rice noodles. Stir fry until the noodles are starting to get soft, then remove to a deep plate.
6. Finally, pour the sauce over the noodles and serve!
NOTE: If preparing leftovers, separate the noodles and the gravy in different containers. Heat them separately and then mix them together when having your meal

Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp

May 19th, 2010
by dave.
4 comments

Pad Thai 3

Every once in a while, lightning strikes and I have one of those “Eureka!” moments. Sadly, I can’t say this involves a time machine or some incredibly super-duper scientific discovery like anti-matter or anything. I mean, anti-matter would be awesome wouldn’t it? Then there could be stuff like this! (facepalm)

This epiphany, if you will, involves food (of course it does).

Pad Thai’s been one of those dishes I could NEVER get right. After a dozen failures (miserable at that, they were all barely edible), I stumbled on an old post on Use Real Butter which opened my eyes. And after consulting a link at Chez Pim, I knew I was set. Not an hour later (I immediately ran off to the store and had to cook this), I had a nice steaming plate of noodles and devoured it without hesitation. The first portion was only ok, the next was much better (the secret is in the sauce!) and within two weeks, I probably cooked it 4 times.

What was wrong with what I was doing before? Turns out one of the most important techniques is incredibly simple. Cook small portions at a time, preferably individual servings if you can! Why? It’s easier to manipulate everything as a whole and being able to move ingredients around the pan/wok really helps when trying to mix things together and also when cracking in the egg. That, and with the dish taking 2-3 minutes of actual cooking time, you can still churn servings out at a good clip.

A word of caution though, this is by no means healthy food. I had to use a lot of oil to avoid too much sticking and that may be a little excessive but it does get the job done.

Recipe adapted from Use Real Butter and Chez Pim.

Pad Thai w/ Chicken and Shrimp

Serves 4
Time : 45 minutes (mostly prep time)

Ingredients:
– 1 lb rice noodles, just undercooked per packaging directions
– 1/2 – 3/4 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
– 12 medium shrimp (maybe 1/2 lb at the most), peeled deveined (tails ok)
– 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 – 2 tbsp salted turnips, minced
– 2 tbsp chives, chopped
– Generous handful of bean sprouts
– 2 – 3 oz firm pressed tofu, sliced
– 4 eggs
– 1 lime, wedged
– Handful of crushed peanuts

Sauce:
– 1/2 cup Tamarind paste
– 1/2 cup Fish sauce
– 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
– 1 tbsp+ Chili Powder

Method:
Prepare EVERYTHING beforehand. Have everything within an arm-length of the stove, pad thai is cooked quickly and you don’t want to waste precious seconds fumbling around for things. Separate the noodles into 4 portions (this is key since the noodles stick together and again, you don’t want to waste time pulling the noodles apart!)
1. Combine the sauce together in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Fill a medium saucepan with water (could be the water you cooked the noodles in) and leave simmering on the side. You’ll be using this to quickly dunk the noodles before adding them to the frying pan (If the noodles are piping hot when you start cooking you may not need to do this.
3. Heat a frying/pan over high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Add a quarter-portion of sliced chicken (2-3oz) and a portion of the shrimp (4 shrimp). Let it cook undisturbed for about 15-20 seconds, then turn and cook another 15-20 seconds.
5. Add 1-2 tbsp of the sauce and a portion of garlic, quickly stir everything together.
6. Dunk a portion of the rice noodles in water, drain and add to the frying pan along with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Mix well to combine.
7. Push the noodles to one end of the pan and crack 1 egg on the other side. Let the egg cook for 10 seconds undisturbed and then use the spatula to break it apart and mix with the noodles.
8. Add a portion of salted turnip, tofu, bean sprouts, and chives in. Stir and toss for another 30 seconds to a minute and plate immediately.
9. Serve with lime wedges, crushed peanuts, and extra chili powder.

NOTE : If done right, you should not need to scrub the pan between portions. Took me a couple tries to get this down.

Bucatini Amatriciana

May 12th, 2010
by dave.
2 comments

Bucatini Amatriciana

Being busy sure takes a lot out of you. I mean, it’s a good thing, always having something to do. But something’s gotta give eventually right? And for me, I’ve had to neglect a few chores for a while (paperwork, ugh!) but worst of all, I’ve fallen behind in my schedule to update the blog! I actually will be adding a page soon with a list of some of the local restaurants that I frequent but I’m trying to figure out how to sort it. By cuisine? By neighborhood? By price??

While on that note, I was at Giacomo’s for the first time in 8 years living in Boston. I’ve heard great things about the food but I also heard that the line can be long, especially since the North End location can only sit at most about 20 people! But last week, we decided to chance it and only had to wait about 20 minutes (Maybe it was a late dinner on a Sunday night that did it) and were treated to quite a meal. The specialty appetizer is fried calamari and despite it being a very mainstream dish, Giacomo’s made it unique…in a good way. I’m also a sucker for fusilli (probably my favorite type of pasta) so I got the house special fusilli with lobster and shrimp. In hindsight, I should’ve probably saved some of it for lunch the next day but I couldn’t stop eating! The only negative point I’ve heard about the place is that the waitstaff tries to turn over tables as quickly as they can. Which could mean dining in less than an hour during busy times (which almost is all the time)!

Being a huge fan of noodles and pasta (and inspired by some of the dishes I’ve had dining out), I’ve really been trying to recreate some things at home. I feel that the magic is in two distinct steps.

#1 : Don’t overcook the noodles
#2 : It’s all in the sauce

Contrary to the way I used to think, you don’t need to use that much “stuff” in your noodles. That is, meat and vegetables. And that, in addition to bringing the noodles to the forefront of the dish, keeps cooking cheap. For example, for 1.5-2lb fresh rice noodles, I use between 3/4 to 1 pound of meat (usually stuff I bought on sale a while ago and kept in the freezer).

Most of my experience here has been with Asian style noodles. And you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been on an Italian kick as of late and that it was only a matter of time until I got to more pasta dishes right? If not, that’s ok, I forgive you =P

But anyway, one of my favorite dishes when dining out is any kind of pasta in a fra diavolo (spicy marinara) sauce, especially mixed seafood. I’ve only ever tried making a base tomato sauce a friend of mine taught me and never really deviated from it since. That is, until I got my hands on Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking! I hate to keep sounding like a broken record but I can’t say enough good things about Marcella’s recipes. She provides so much intricate detail and description to a recipe but keeps the whole process unbelievably simple. It’s one of my favorite cookbooks…that’s for sure.

Recipe is adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Bucatini Amatriciana

Serves 4 – 5
Time : 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
– 1 lb bucatini (spaghetti, linguine work too)
– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1 tbsp butter
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 1 clove garlic, minced
– 1/4 lb pancetta, sliced into strips
– 1 28oz can of whole Italian Tomatoes
– Red pepper flakes
– Salt, to taste
– Freshly grated parmesan and romano cheese

Method:
1. Add the oil, butter, garlic, and onion to a saucepan on medium heat. Cook until the onion becomes slightly translucent.
2. Add the pancetta and cook another minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, pepper flakes, and salt. Crush the whole tomatoes against the side of the saucepan with a wooden spoon.
4. Simmer uncovered for about 20-30 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and spiciness.
5. While simmering the sauce, boil hot water (with at least 1 tbsp salt) and cook the pasta to the desired firmness.
6. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and freshly grated cheese and serve.

Crazy Noodles

Mar 31st, 2010
by dave.
2 comments

Crazy Noodles

I’ve always been fascinated with some of the stories authors/chefs have for many of their recipes. Some have old recipes passed down from their ancestors, some had a “eureka” moment, and there seems to be a countless myriad of others. Myself? I open a book, look at a picture and think to myself, “Hey, that look’s good!”

Part of learning about cooking for me (and I’m still learning) is figuring out what brings a dish together. I mean, starting out, I’d be the guy that ate chocolate, then immediately had a hamburger or drank orange juice. Hopefully, I’ve learned a little bit since then, though I’m still heavily reliant on recipes for any inspiration. But slowly, I think I’m getting the hang of it =P

I used to watch Ming Tsai on food network waaaaaay back. He and Martin Yan were probably the two cooks on TV that got me more interested in the stuff. Ming with the great explanations and Martin with the entertainment (My grandmother called him “Chop chop lo”). Both are incredible cooks and I still find myself looking their work up time after time. Lately, I’ve been cooking a bunch from Simply Ming, this dish included. I’m not usually a fan of fusion cuisine but Ming does an incredible job blending flavors together while trying to keep dishes distinctly Asian.

Recipe originally from Ming Tsai’s Simply Ming.

Side note : Don’t overcook the noodles! Once boiled, they usually will only need to be stirred in with the sauce and then served.

Crazy Noodles

Time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 3-4 with side dish

Ingredients:
– 8oz Thin rice noodles
– 3 shallots, minced
– 3 – 4 stalks scallions, chopped
– 1/4 up Fresh thai basil, chopped
– 3 tbsp fish sauce
– Juice of 2 limes
– 2 tsp sugar
– 1 – 2 tbsp Sambal Olek
– 1 lb Ground Chicken or Turkey
– 1 egg

Method:
1. Boil water in a stock pot and cook noodles until just done (see packaging).
2. Add some oil to a frying pan, stir fry shallots for a minute, until starting to turn translucent.
3. Add chicken/turkey, season lightly with salt and pepper, stir fry until cooked through.
4. Mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and Sambal Olek. Add the cooked noodles into the pan and pour the sauce on top. Toss well to combine.
5. Add scallions and basil, toss well.
6. Make a well at the center of the pan. Add the egg in, let set for a couple seconds, then break apart the yolk and stir into the rest of the noodles. Stir fry until egg is just done and then remove and serve.

Beef Chow Fun 2.0

Jan 6th, 2010
by dave.
1 comment

Beef Chow Fun

Happy New Year and I hope everyone had a nice, safe, and relaxing holiday. And that all of the travel plans weren’t too much of a pain. And that you all ate a lot…I definitely did. I think there are studies that say the average American gains between 5-10 pounds been Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Then again, there are studies that say they only gain an average of 1 pound. Gotta love science, there’ll always be studies for and against something.

I’ve been getting pretty busy during the week these days and believe it or not, I’m running out of time to cook sometimes (unless I want to eat dinner at 10pm of course). So I’ve been getting creative. I’m trying to cook some things in about 30 minutes and other times when I get back late, eat leftovers and then cook something up that I can just heat up for lunch/dinner another day. I guess there’s also the instant boxed stuff, but that’s no fun =)

I wrote about a staple Chinese recipe, Beef Chow Fun, a while back…originally adapted from Grace Young’s Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. I’ve been trying to come up with a few variations on the recipe, I found the original one a little bit greasy, and not enough of the saltier/soy flavor that I was used to. Then there’s the “gravy” version. It’s a similar recipe, only with a thick gravy sauce poured over top, delicious.

Beef Chow Fun

Serves 4
Time 30 minutes

Ingredients:
– 1.5 – 2 lb Fresh Wide Rice Noodles
– 1 lb Beef flank, sliced
– 1 Medium onion, chopped
– 4 stalks Scallions, chopped
– 1 small handful bean sprouts, rinsed
– 5 tsp soy sauce
– 1 – 2 tsp ShaoHsing Rice wine

Marinade:
– 2 tsp soy sauce
– 1 tsp corn starch
– 1/2 tsp sesame oil
– 1 tsp ShaoHsing rice wine
– Few grinds of white pepper

Method:
1. Marinate beef for about 10-20 minutes.
2. Heat wok/frying pan over high heat, swirl in 2 tbsp oil, stir-fry beef until just barely cooked. Set aside.
3. Clean pan, return to stove. Add 2-3 tbsp oil and the chopped onions and white parts of the scallions. Stir fry about a minute. Dash in the ShaoHsing rice wine.
4. Add in soy sauce, let bubble (20-30 seconds). Add in the noodles, stir-fry and combine.
5. Add beef back in, give a couple stirs.
6. Add green parts of scallions and bean sprouts. Stir fry another minute then serve.

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