Noodles | RecipeTin Eats

Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles

Nagi — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Here’s an easy version of Singapore Noodles made using chicken and bacon instead of having to hunt down Chinese BBQ Pork and peel fresh prawns. Same sauce, same vermicelli noodles, just as delicious. You can make this tonight!

The finished dish photos in this post were taken by Rob Palmer.

Singapore chicken vermicelli noodles

These noodles are a simpler “I can make this tonight!” version of Singapore Noodles, a firm takeout favourite here in Australia. It’s made with yellow curry flavoured vermicelli noodles stir fried with vegetables, egg ribbons, Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) and fresh prawns. It’s fast to make – if you happen to have the pork and prawns on hand. Which I never do.

So here’s a version you can make using more regular weekly grocery items. Bacon, chicken, baby spinach and bean sprouts (useful no-chop vegetables I always have). Plus red capsicum strips and egg ribbons (literally just a thin omelette cut into strips), both of which are Singapore Noodle staples, all tossed in the Singapore Noodle curry flavoured sauce.

Ingredients in Singapore vermicelli noodles

This one’s a great versatile recipe you can make with whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand. I think you’ll also like that there’s a good amount of vegetables in it, so it’s a well-rounded complete meal.

The proteins

A mix of chicken, bacon and egg keeps things interesting. Feel free to change the chicken to another protein. But I really urge you to use the bacon. It adds a great flavour pop that replaces the little bits of Chinese BBQ Pork that you get in traditional Singapore Noodles.

Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are juicier than breast and tenderloin, though they work just fine too. We only use 150g/5 oz, which is around one large thigh. Don’t forget we have bacon and egg too!
Curry powder and salt – To season the chicken. Simple but never boring, because we get flavour from the sauce too! For the curry powder, you just need the regular kind you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). No need to hunt down an obscure Singaporean curry powder! Avoid hot curry powder – unless you want your noodles spicy.
Bacon – Streaky bacon, for the best flavour. Though lean bacon will work too (we call it “shortcut bacon” here in Australia, the round eye part that’s devoid of flavour – oops, I mean fat 😂).
Eggs – Two eggs which we will use to make a thin omelette crepe which we then slice into ribbons. Signature feature of traditional Singapore Noodles which we’re keeping!

FOR THE STIR-FRIED NOODLES

Vermicelli noodles – The thin white dried “pokey” noodles that are prepared by soaking in hot water. Very common these days, in the noodle or Asian aisle in grocery stores.
Not to be confused with glass noodles / bean thread noodles which are the clear kind (see Glass Noodle Salad recipe for a closer look at these). While you can make this recipe with glass noodles, it is not quite as good because the noodles are so slippery, the sauce doesn’t stick to them very well!
Garlic and onion – Stir fry staples!
Capsicum (bell pepper) – I like the red strips in traditional Singapore Noodles so I kept them for this recipe.
Bean sprouts and baby spinach – “Grab and toss” vegetables that helps make this recipe fast to make while adding more vegetables so it’s a well rounded me. Feel free to use more of either, or substitute with other cook-able leafy greens. Or you could be a real rebel and make the effort to chop some vegetables yourself!

SINGAPORE NOODLE SAUCE

And here’s what you need for the sauce, which is the same as the sauce used in traditional Singapore Noodles.

Soy sauce – Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.
Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Without, the flavour is missing something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – 1/3 cup (80 ml) low sodium chicken stock. Expect to toss the noodles for an extra minute or two as it will require a little extra time for the sauce to reduce.
Curry powder – Just the regular stuff you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). Avoid hot – unless you want the heat!
White pepper rather than black is the standard in Asian cooking. The flavour is a little fresher than black pepper, and you also cannot see it. Whereas if you use black pepper (which you totally can) you will see little black specks on the noodles.

You just need a curry powder form regular grocery stores in this recipe. These are two popular brands here in Australia – Clive of India and Keen’s.

How to make Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles

As with all stir fries, have all the ingredients chopped and ready to toss into the pan. Because once you start cooking, there is no time to stop!

Soak vermicelli noodles

Prepare the vermicelli noodles per the packet directions. Usually it says to soak in warm or boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain. Nice and easy!

TIP: Don’t soak the noodles until you’re ready to start cooking. The longer the noodles sit around, the more prone they are to breaking. This tip applies to most noodles.

MAKING THE STIR FRIED NOODLES

Once your ingredients are chopped and measured out, it takes around 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. Nice and fast, as most stir fried noodles are!

Toss the chicken in the curry powder and salt, then set aside. There’s no need to let it marinate because the chicken pieces are so small and each piece is coated in the tasty curry powder.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small jug.

Egg omelette – First up, make the egg ribbons. Heat a tiny amount of oil in the pan – just enough to spread across the base. Then once hot, pour the whisked eggs in and swirl so it covers the base of the pan. Leave it on the stove until the surface sets but is still a bit wet – it literally takes around 30 seconds.
Egg ribbons – Flip or slide the omelette onto a cutting board. Once it’s cool enough to handle, roll it up like a cigar then slice thinly. Voila! Egg ribbons!

Stir fry – The order in which things are added into the pan is very deliberate! First, the bacon. It needs a head start and also I like to get some of the fat melting into the pan so it flavours everything else. After a minute, add the onion and cook until it’s starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared (the inside will still be raw).
Capsicum and garlic – Next, the capsicum and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, by which time the chicken will be cooked through, the onion is translucent and the bacon is golden. Perfect!

Noodles and sauce – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. The idea being that the noodles weigh the fluffy veg down! Then toss for a good 2 minutes until the sauce reduces and stains the noodles a lovely yellow(y) colour. Heads up – there may be some noodle breakage, with some noodle brands breaking more easily than others. And that’s totally ok.
Egg ribbons – And finally, gently toss through the egg ribbons just to disperse. Then serve!

Today’s photos – shot by Rob Palmer!

Before I sign off, I just want to make mention of the photos in today’s post. The finished dish photos were taken by Rob Palmer who is a professional photographer here in Sydney I have worked with on various projects, including my cookbook. These photos were taken at my house in a make-shift studio we set up for the day.

Getting Rob to take the photos for my website is part of my longer term plan to try to get a better work-life balance. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve been struggling in recent years with my workload as my team, business and activities has expanded. And I am determined to fix it! Life is too short, and I am genuinely worried I will burn out.

There will be a transition period. And I’d always like to do some of the photos because I genuinely enjoy it. But I hope to eventually have Rob taking most of the photos for the website. Plus, we can do more photos with Dozer and I in them!

I’d like to do a bit of a RecipeTin-world update soon, because there’s actually a lot that’s been happening which is why I’ve been publishing less than my typical 3 new recipes a week. So I won’t go into more details today, I’ll sign off here.

For now, please enjoy today’s new recipe! I really hope you try it. It’s a terrific complete-meal stir fry that’s simple to make, with adaptable ingredients and just requires a trip to your everyday grocery store. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Easy Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles

Recipe video above. This is just a downright delicious and easy noodle stir fry that channels the flavours of everybody's favourite Singapore Noodles. Same sauce, same egg ribbons, and strips of red capsicum. But with chicken and bacon instead of having to make or hunt down Chinese BBQ Pork and peel fresh prawns! I've also added bean sprouts and baby spinach for extra no-chop veg quota to turn this into a complete meal.

This might not be traditional but it's quick, easy, tasty, and you can make it tonight!

Course Main

Cuisine Asian

Keyword easy singapore noodles, rice noodle stir fry, rice vermicelli, vermicelli noodles

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 517cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

100 g/3.5 oz dried vermicelli noodles (not glass noodles)

Singapore noodles sauce:

3 tbsp light soy sauce , or all-purpose soy (not dark soy) (Note 1)
3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, Note 2)
3 tsp curry powder (Note 3)
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper (sub black pepper)

Chicken:

150g/ 5 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs (sub breast or tenderloin), cut in half lengthways then finely sliced into 5mm / 1/5″ strips
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/2 tsp curry powder (Note 3)

Stir fry add-ins:

2 tbsp plain oil (canola, veg, peanut)
2 eggs , whisked
100g/3 oz streaky bacon , chopped into small pieces
1/2 brown onion , finely sliced
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and finely sliced
1 very heaped cup bean sprouts (or more leafy greens)
1 very heaped cup baby spinach (or other cook-able leafy greens or more bean sprouts)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauce – Mix the sauce in a small bowl or jug.
Season chicken – Toss the seasoned chicken ingredients in a bowl.
Egg ribbons – Heat a small amount of the oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Pour the egg in a swirl to make a thin omelette. Once the surface is set (literally 30 seconds), slide or flip it onto a cutting board. Cool so you can handle it, roll it up into a cigar then cut into 7mm / 1/3" strips. Separate. Voila! Egg ribbons!
Stir-fry – Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until it starts to wilt and the bacon is light golden (about 2 minutes). Add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared. Then add the garlic and capsicum and cook for another 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Noodles – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. Using 2 spatulas, toss well for 1 1/2 minutes or until the sauce stains the noodles. There will be noodle breakage – that's normal.
Finish – Toss through the egg ribbons (gently, just to disperse) then serve immediately!

Notes

1. Soy sauce – Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

2. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Without, the flavour is missing something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – 1/3 cup (80 ml) low sodium chicken stock. Except to toss the noodles for an extra minute or two.

3. Curry powder – Just the regular stuff you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). Avoid hot – unless you want the heat!

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Ahh, poor Dozer! He’s had a rough week. Rough few months, actually!

In the last week, he’s been to the vet 7 times due to what was finally determined to be acute gastro, though at one stage there was a concern it was a much more serious issue (such as megaesophagus). In the almost 12 years I’ve had him, I’ve never seen him in such distress, pain and not to mention the floods of un-controllable💩 (the words “explosion” and “flood gates” come to mind).

There’s been a handful of midnight hospital visits, a couple of all-nighters, and much time spent trying to figure out food he’ll eat that’s laryngeal paralysis* and gastro-friendly.

Let’s just say canned dog food doesn’t make the cut. I know, I know, no one is surprised!

* This is the condition he was diagnosed with earlier this year in which his larynxes are paralysed which means he is at high risk of food getting into his lungs. This causes lung infections which can be deadly. So he is on a special diet these days.

Canned dog food – hard pass!

Working through the options to see what I can get him to eat!

Another one, rejected

Anyway, in a nutshell, it’s been a rough week for poor Dozer. Well, actually, it’s been 10 days now. He seems to be at the tail end of it now though still not back to his normal self. Right now he’s sitting under the table at my feet, clearly feeling a little nauseous though nowhere near as extreme as it was last week. (He has anti-nausea pills. I skipped this morning thinking he was ok. I’ll be putting him back on them for a while, I think!).

But he is much, much better than he was on the weekend which was pretty horrific. The worst part was seeing him in such pain, finding him curled up in the middle of the night under a bush in the far corner of the garden. I knew something was really wrong. 😢

I’m so thankful he’s feeling better now!

Oh – but finishing with a little fun: here he is in the early stages of his gastro when I resorted to man-buns:

But by the time the weekend rolled around and after the 20th butt wash, we caved and shaved his butt. You don’t need to see a photo of that. 😂

Hope to bring more positive Dozer news in the next post! – Nagi x

The post Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Garlic Noodles

Nagi — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

These extraordinarily delicious, yet simple Garlic Noodles are a fusion Asian dish made famous by Thanh Long restaurant in San Francisco, via Kenji Lopez-Alt. Top with a fried egg and vegetables for a quick meal. Also makes an excellent Asian side dish for “anything”!

Garlic noodles

This is yet another example of an excellent fusion Asian dish that brings together Asian and Western ingredients to create something incredibly tasty. Big garlic flavours – with a secret ingredient: parmesan. Yes, you read that right! Parmesan. Mixed with Asian sauces (oyster, fish sauce and Maggi seasoning or soy sauce) and a stack of garlic, it adds a punch of savoury flavour when it melts into the sauce. And it goes amazingly well with the Asian flavours!

Ingredients in Garlic Noodles

Here’s what you need to make Garlic Noodles. There are lots of noodle options but my favourite are ramen / noodles cakes, as pictured below.

Noodles – As mentioned above, this recipe can be made with any noodles, dried or fresh (from fridge). It’s pictured below made with hokkien noodles. It can even be made with spaghetti – there’s plenty of recipes that use pasta!! But my favourite are ramen / noodles cakes, like those pictured above. The wrinkly nature of those noodles just makes the sauce cling better.
As for spaghetti – it works and tastes fine, but pasta doesn’t have the same chew that noodles do. I’d still plough ahead if I only had pasta though!
Garlic – Lots. We need 2 whole tablespoons of finely minced garlic. The garlic flavour is unmissable in this!
Fish sauce – The savoury sauce that’s got more layers of flavour than soy sauce. Though, if you don’t have it, soy sauce can be substituted. Use light or all-purpose soy sauce, not dark soy sauce (too strong). More on different soy sauce types here.
Maggi Seasoning is a savoury Asian sauce, I think of it like soy sauce + an Asian Worcestershire sauce. Find it in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies) or Asian stores. It’s used for noodles, stir fries and it’s also the secret ingredient in Banh Mi Sauce.
Substitute with soy sauce (light or all-purpose, not dark soy). Though note if you substitute both the fish sauce and Maggie Seasoning you will start losing flavour in this dish.

Maggi Seasoning – think of it like soy sauce, but with more flavour!

Parmesan – The “secret ingredient” that adds a punch of savoury flavour and saltiness! There is subtle parmesan flavour in the dish, it’s not the dominant flavour.
Be sure to finely shred the parmesan using a microplane or similar so it melts seamlessly into the sauce. If you use store bought pre-grated (sandy type or fine batons) it won’t melt as well. But if that’s all you’ve got, I’d still make this!
Butter, not oil. Tastier!
Green onion for freshness.

These garlic noodles made with hokkien noodles. Delish!

How to make Garlic Noodles

In the video, you’ll see me boil the noodles then make the sauce using the same saucepan. It works fine because the sauce barely takes a minute to make. But sometimes, I’ll get the sauce going while the noodles are boiling then toss it together in a pan. Do what works for you.

Reserve noodles water – Cook the noodles per packet directions. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water (this is to make the sauce later). Take at least 1/2 cup or more – you need 1/4 cup for the recipe plus extra just in case.
Drain the noodles then leave in the colander while you make the sauce (it’s barely a minute).

Sauté garlic – In the same saucepan, melt the butter then sauté the garlic for 30 seconds or until it smells ridiculously good.
Sauce – Add the fish sauce, Maggi seasoning, Oyster sauce and 1/4 cup reserved noodle cooking water. Stir to combine the sauce ingredients, there’s no need to simmer or cook it.
The noodle cooking water is what makes the sauce – the starch in the water helps thicken the sauce so it clings to the noodles.
Noodles & parmesan – Add the noodles and parmesan then toss for 30 seconds or until the sauce is coating the noodles rather than pooling at the bottom of the saucepan. The parmesan will melt seamlessly into the sauce. The noodles should be slick and loose. If it gets sticky and thick (because the heat is too high / tossed for longer than needed), just add a splash of noodle cooking water to loosen it up!
Toss through green onion then serve immediately!

To serve

Make a quick meal out of these garlic noodles by adding a fried egg or slices of boiled egg, plus a side of greens. Pictured at the top is broccolini which I boiled with the noodles then tossed with Asian Sesame Dressing (which you always have in the fridge, right!).

Otherwise, this is literally the perfect side dish that will go with “any” Asian mains that needs a starchy side. I see…..Sticky Chinese Wings, Chinese BBQ Pork, Chinese BBQ Chicken, Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Steaks, Golden Turmeric Fish or Asian Glazed Barramundi! I’m sure you’re visualising many other options. Tell me what you see! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Garlic Noodles

Recipe video above. Quick & easy, this is a fusion Asian dish made famous by Thanh Long restaurant in San Francisco, via Kenji Lopez-Alt. Big garlic flavours and Asian sauces are combined with parmesan which gives it an extra savoury punch. Makes these noodles lip smackingly good!

Add a fried egg and broccolini cooked with the noodles for a quick meal. Or serve as a side with any Asian meal!

Course Noodles, Side, Side Dish

Cuisine asian fusioin, Asian-esque

Keyword garlic noodles

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Servings

Calories 450cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Noodles:

140g/ 5oz dried ramen or noodle cakes (2 cakes) – Note 1 for other options

Sauce:

30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp (6 cloves) garlic, finely minced (yep, a lot!)
2 tsp oyster sauce (sub vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tsp fish sauce (sub soy sauce – Note 2)
1 1/2 tsp Maggi seasoning (sub soy sauce – Note 3)
1/4 cup noodle cooking water , more if needed (Note 4)
1/4 cup (tightly packed) finely grated parmesan (freshly grated, Note 5)
1/4 cup green onion , thinly sliced (~1 stem)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Noodles – Cook the noodles in a large saucepan per packet directions. Scoop out ~1/2 cup cooking water. Strain noodles and set aside.
Sauce – Melt butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until soft. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, Maggi seasoning and 1/4 cup cooking water. Stir to combine.
Toss – Add cooked noodles, parmesan and green onion. Toss until the noodles are all coated, and the sauce is not pooled in the bottom of the saucepan. Add more cooking water 1 tbsp at the time, if needed to loosen the noodles.
Serve immediately!
Serving suggestion: fried egg and broccolini cooked with the noodles*, tossed with Asian Sesame Dressing you always have in your fridge.
* Broccolini takes about 3 minutes, so put it into the water before/after/with the noodles depending on the noodle cooking time.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt from his cookbook The Wok.

1. Noodles – I like this best with ramen noodles / noodle cakes ie wrinkly, because the garlic bits and sauce clings better. Fresh egg noodles (ie from fridge section, yellow) are a close second – thick or thin (like hokkien, lo mein), use 220g/8oz – or dried egg noodles (amount per recipe).

Angel hair pasta or spaghetti can also be used (amount per recipe) but I prefer noodles as pasta doesn’t have the same “chew” as noodles. If I only had pasta, I’d still make this! Rice noodles also works but texture is different.

2. Fish sauce will give the best savoury flavour here (doesn’t taste fishy!) but can be substituted with soy sauce (light or all-purpose, not dark soy).

3. Maggi Seasoning is a savoury Asian sauce, I think of it like soy sauce + an Asian Worcestershire sauce. Find it in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies) or Asian stores. Staple sauce in South East Asia! Sub with soy sauce (light or all-purpose, not dark soy).

4. Cooking water – This is what creates the sauce that coats the noodles. The starch in the water helps thicken the sauce.

5. Freshly grated parmesan required for smooth melt that disappears into the noodles. Store bought sandy or finely shredded grated won’t melt as perfectly but if that’s all you’ve got, do it!

6. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge, loosen with a touch of water.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 2 servings.

Nutrition

More quick noodle recipes to try!

Buy a big bag of noodle cakes so you can make these with the leftover noodles:

Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles

12 Minute Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles (mince)

Chilli Crisp Noodles

Teriyaki Salmon Noodles

Mie Goreng (Mee Goreng – Indonesian noodles)

Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles

Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

Noodles

Life of Dozer

I returned yesterday from a long overdue but unfortunately very short trip to Tokyo for family reasons. Dozer was, as always, sent to the golden retriever boarder’s place for his own holiday. She sends me daily updates. Here he is at the beach, looking far too happy despite being separated from me. I’m sure he’s weeping on the inside. 😂

The post Garlic Noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Japchae – Korean noodles

Nagi — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Japchae – the bright, colourful Korean noodle dish made with an abundance of vegetables, juicy bits of marinated beef and a sesame-forward dressing. Made with sweet potato noodles which have a unique slippery, chewy texture, this is sort of a stir fry, sort of a noodle salad, and 100% YUM!

Japchae

Japchae is a famous Korean noodle dish that I describe as sort of a stir fry, sort of a salad. It’s a cross between the two in my mind because stir fried vegetables are tossed with noodles and sauce in a bowl rather than on the stove, and served barely warm.

You start by mixing the sauce in a giant bowl, then pile all the ingredients in one after the other – the noodles, a giant mound of cooked vegetables then lastly the seared marinated beef. Then finally, you give it a big toss to mix it all together in the bowl. This part is really satisfying, getting really stuck into it! (Just make sure you use a really big bowl else you’ll be cursing!).

The sauce is mixed in the bottom of the bowl then noodles are added on top

Then all the vegetables and beef are piled on top before mixing it all together

Ingredients in Japchae

Here’s what you need to make Japchae. I’ve broken it up into:

Noodles and sauce
Beef and marinade
All the colourful veg!

The noodles & sauce

Here’s what you need for the noodles and sauce:

Some notes on some of the pictured ingredients:

Japchae noodles – The noodles used in Japchae are dried sweet potato noodles called dangmyeon. They are made from sweet potato starch and are almost transparent when cooked. It’s like the Korean version of glass noodles! The packets shown above are sold at large grocery stores in the Asian aisle, though you can get them cheaper at Asian stores.
Substitute with glass noodles (ie the clear vermicelli noodles). And though Korean nationals may have my head for saying this, just quietly, you can totally make this recipe with any noodles. It will still be delicious!
Soy sauce – Either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.
Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). The default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

Beef and marinade

We’re using beef short ribs in today’s recipe. Yes, it’s an unusual option for a stir fry – but I think you’ll be really impressed. It surprised me!

Beef (choices!) – Beef short rib is my favourite cut to use in Japchae. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just for slow cooking! When cut off the bone then thinly sliced, the beautifully marbled meat is juicy, tender and flavourful when cooked quickly on high heat – just 90 seconds. (If using beef short ribs whole, however, they must be slow cooked to break down the tough fibres. Try this, this, this or this recipe).
It really is so much nicer to have the beef bits extra tender and juicy in a noodle dish that is not as saucy as your everyday Chinese Beef Stir Fry. So I really hope you give beef ribs a go! I honestly think it’s better than even pricier steaks like scotch / rib-eye.
Other options – Scotch fillet/boneless rib eye is best, as it is the juiciest. If using other steak cuts like rump, porterhouse/t-bone, sirloin/strip etc (especially if economical), I recommend tenderising them before using in the recipe so the beef pieces are extra tender (directions in recipe card). Thin strips of beef are difficult to keep juicy as they overcook in a microsecond. As mentioned above, you can get away with that in saucy Beef Stir Fries. Not so much in noodle dishes.
Soy sauce – As above!

Vegetables

The vegetables shown below is a fairly common combination for Japchae, with a lovely contrast of colour, textures and flavour. But you can really use any stir-fry-able vegetables you want.

Just a note on a few of the vegetables:

Shiitake mushrooms – These are Asian mushrooms with a more intense mushroomy flavour than standard white mushrooms, brown/cremini mushrooms etc. However, if you can’t find them or they are a bit pricey, feel free to use ordinary mushrooms. They are, as you’d expect, better value in Asian stores.
Baby spinach – Substitute with chopped English spinach, the leafy part of Asian greens or even kale. *She ducks as Koreans start throwing rotten tomatoes at her*

How to make Japchae (semi-traditional way)

Traditional Japchae recipes call for each vegetable to be cooked individually to factor in the different cook times and preserve the flavour of each. Yes, it’s cumbersome (you count 6 vegetables above!).

But if you jumble them all up into one giant stir fry then the flavours do tend to bleed into each other a bit. So I’ve compromised and cooked the vegetables in 2 lots, bundling vegetables together by factoring in cook times and flavour “bleeding” to best replicate the same result where vegetables are cooked individually. Bonus: We use less oil.

I hope my slight short-cut method doesn’t offend Korean nationals! 😇

Cutting beef short ribs

As noted above, I really think the best beef for Japchae is beef short ribs – juiciest, best flavour. It’s typically sold on the bone (off the bone is not common here in Australia), so here is how to slice the meat.

If you are using a boneless steak instead, or boneless beef short ribs, then you obviously don’t need to cut the meat off the bone!

Beef ribs – Not gonna lie. My step photo templates use even number of photos and I only had 5. So I stuck this in as a filler. “Beef short ribs. Ta da!”
Trim excess fat – Beef ribs tend to have quite a generous layer of fat on them. So slice off the thick layers on the surface. Not all of it though! The fat is what keeps it juicy!
Cut the meat off the bone simply by holding the beef rib upright then slicing the knife down against the bone. It’s easy – the bone is straight and flat.
Cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks so we can cut thin beef strips.
Cut strips – Keep the halves stacked. Then cut into thin 0.5cm/ 1/5″ slices.
Voila! Tasty beef strips. You are going to love how juicy these are!

Cooking Japchae

Marinate beef ~20 minutes – Place the beef with the marinade ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. Then just set aside while you prepare and cook everything else, so it ends up marinating for around 20 minutes. It doesn’t need to be marinated for long because the beef strips are so thin, though it wouldn’t hurt to leave overnight.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a very big bowl. We are going to be tossing the whole batch of Japchae in this bowl so I really mean it when I say make it a big one!
Cook the Japchae noodles per packet directions. Mine says 8 minutes in boiling water.
Noodles on sauce – Drain, rinse briefly under tap water, shake off excess water well then place in the bowl with the sauce. Do not mix – just leave it there.

Vegetables Batch 1 – Cook the onion, mushrooms and white part of green onions first, until the mushrooms just start to soft. Then transfer into the noodle bowl.
Vegetables batch 2 – Next, cook the carrot and capsicum/bell pepper first, until they are just cooked but still have a soft bite to them. ie “tender crisp”. Soggy floppy overcooked vegetables is unacceptable! 😂 Then add the spinach and the green part of the green onions and toss for a minute just until the spinach is wilted. Then transfer into the noodle bowl.
Cook beef – Lastly, cook the beef! Cook it on high heat just until you no longer see red – with a strong stove and good pan it should be barely 90 seconds. Hopefully in this time you’ll get a bit of browning in some patches too. Then add it into the bowl.
Toss! Add the sesame seeds, and now it’s time to toss! You used a giant bowl right, like I said to right at the start?? If you didn’t, you’ll start to cry (or swear) right about now.
Toss, toss, toss, until the sauce is evenly distributed. Check by looking at the colour of the noodles – the sauce stains the glassy noodles a brown colour.
Then tumble it all into a bowl, finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve!

YUM. That sauce is everything! I really like that it’s not as sweet as the Japchae sauce you get at some Korean restaurants which I find a little too sweet.

This is a big batch recipe so it’s an excellent one for taking leftovers to work. It will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Just lightly warm it – or serve hot if you want. Though honestly, it’s also very good at room temperature too! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Japchae – Korean Noodles

Recipe video above. Sort of a stir fry, sort of a noodle salad, this big, colourful Korean noodle dish is tossed together in a bowl rather than on the stove and served barely warm. Made with chewy, slippery sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) which are available in large grocery stores, though can be substitute with glass noodles (bean thread noodles) or vermicelli noodles in a pinch.

Makes a big batch – leftovers make for a terrific lunch!

Course Lunch, Mains

Cuisine Korean

Keyword japchae, korean glass noodles

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 504cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Choose beef option (Note 1):

600g/1.2lb bone-in beef short ribs *RECOMMENDED* (300g/10oz boneless)
300g/10 oz boneless beef short ribs *RECOMMENDED*
300g/10oz scotch fillet / boneless rib eye or other steak, recommend tenderising (Note 1)

Beef marinade:

2 tsp soy sauce , all-purpose or light soy (Note 2)
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper

Noodle dressing:

1/4 cup soy sauce , all-purpose or light soy (Note 2)
2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Noodles & vegetables:

250g/ 8oz sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), dried (Note 3)
4 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
1 tsp cooking/kosher salt , divided
1 onion , peeled, halved, sliced into 6mm/1/4″ wedges
3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm / 2″ lengths, white & green parts separated
200g/7oz fresh shiitake mushrooms , stem removed, cut into 5mm/1/5″ slices (Note 4)
2 carrots , peeled, cut into 3mm / 1/8" batons
1 red capsicum/bell pepper , cut into 0.5cm / 1/5″ slices
4 1/2 cups (tightly packed) baby spinach
2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Quick beef marinade:

Cut beef into strips that are ~ 5mm thick, 1cm wide and about 5cm long (1/5" x 2/5" x 2"). If using shortribs, trim excess fat, cut the meat off the bone. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise (to form 2 "steaks") then slice into 5mm thick. (See step photos in post or video at 0.11s, Note 6)
Marinate – Put beef in a bowl. Add marinade ingredients, then mix. Set aside marinate while you proceed with recipe, ~15 – 20 minutes is all it needs. (Note 5)

Sauce and noodles:

Sauce – Mix the Sauce ingredients in a very large mixing bowl.
Noodles – Cook sweet potato noodles per packet directions (normally 8 min in boiling water). Drain, briefly rinse under tap water then shake off excess water well. Add noodles into the bowl with the dressing. DO NOT MIX.

Vegetables:

Batch 1 – Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan (30cm/12") over high heat. Cook the brown onion, white part of green onion and shiitake mushrooms with 1/2 tsp salt for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, just until starting to soften but not going golden. Pour on top of the noodles – don't mix yet!
Batch 2 – Using the same pan still on high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil then cook the carrot and capsicum for 1 1/2 minutes, constantly stirring. Add spinach, green onion and the final 1/2 tsp salt. Keep cooking for 1 1/2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Transfer into the noodle bowl – still don't mix!
Cook beef – In the same pan, heat the final 1 tbsp of oil still on high heat. Add beef and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until very lightly golden and just cooked through. Add to the noodle bowl. Don't mix!
Mix! Add most of the sesame seeds (reserve some for topping). NOW you can mix! Toss, toss, toss.
Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. This is meant to be eaten warm, not piping hot. Eat!

Notes

1. Beef quality matters here because the strips of beef are so thin they will overcook in a flash.

Beef short ribs when sliced thinly is excellent for fast-cook stir frying – superior flavour, juicy and tender. Only needs to be slow cooked to “fall-apart-tender” when it’s served whole!

Next best option in my opinion is scotch fillet/boneless rib eye.

Other steak cuts – rump, porterhouse/t-bone, sirloin/strip etc will work but if using economical cuts, consider tenderising them before using in the recipe so they are soft and tender to eat using the Asian “velveting” technique – read about this here. To do this, slice per recipe, toss with 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carb), set aside for 20 minutes. Rinse in colander, pat dry, then marinate per recipe.

2. Soy sauce – Use all purpose or a light soy sauce. Not dark soy sauce, colour and flavour is too intense.

3. Korean noodles that are sweet potato noodles called “dangmyeon” sold in dried form that looks a bit clear, like glass noodles. Sold in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores here in Australia, cheaper in Asian stores. Cooked by boiling – follow packet times.

Substitute with glass noodles (“bean thread noodles”) or vermicelli noodles. Or any other very thin noodles.

4. Shiitake mushrooms – Asian mushrooms with a more intense mushroomy flavour than standard white mushrooms, brown/cremini mushrooms (though feel free to sub!).

5. Marinating – No need to marinate overnight though you can.

6. Beef cutting – Aim for thin strips so you get plenty dispersed throughout the noodles.

7. Leftovers make great lunch! Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

I can feel him heavy breathing on my feet. 🙄 Also, don’t miss Dozer’s cameo in today’s recipe video – at 0:36!

The post Japchae – Korean noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Beef chow mein – great mince/ground beef recipe!

Nagi — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Here’s a great beef mince recipe for you that’s quick to make, economical and full of hidden vegetables so it’s a complete meal – Beef Chow Mein! It’s the beef version of everybody’s favourite Chicken Chow Mein, made with the convenience of ground beef.

Beef chow mein

Here’s something new to try with that packet of beef mince you throw into your shopping cart every week! The beef is stir fried with chow mein sauce until it’s beautifully caramelised then tossed in a tangle of noodles and vegetables.

A neat trick in today’s recipe is to scramble up an egg with the beef. It makes the beef bits stick to the noodles better, with the added bonus of upping the protein.

Another bonus: chow mein actually has a vast amount of noodle-shaped vegetables hidden in the noodles. A carrot, 2 heaped cups of cabbage and a heaped cup of bean sprouts. That’s a good veg serving for a meal!

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this:

Noodles & add-ins

Noodles – Chow mein noodles are sort of dry and crinkly, rather than oily and straight like hokkien noodles, lo mein noodles. But this dish can really be made with any noodles – or even spaghetti (yes really, who’s going to know once tossed in chow mein sauce??). Use the same weight.
Garlic – Rarely do Asian stir fries happen without garlic, and this one is no exception!
Beef mince – That’s ground beef to Americans. Any fat % is fine here though lean beef won’t caramelise quite as well.
Other proteins – Any other mince will work just fine here. Chicken, pork, turkey, even lamb! Though bear in mind the sauce is quite intense flavoured to suit the beefy flavour of beef, so you won’t taste the flavour of white meats through the sauce.
Egg – We use this to scramble into the beef. Neat trick to make the beef stick to the noodles better with the added bonus of a free protein boost!
Green cabbage – Or Chinese cabbage. Finely sliced so it disappears into the tangle of noodles.
Bean sprouts – Excellent grab-and-throw-in vegetable option! STORAGE TIP: Keep bean sprouts in water in an airtight container. Change the water every couple of days. This will increase the shelf life of beansprouts 3x.
Carrot – Cut into thin batons. More noodle shaped vegetables so it all jumbles up together!
Green onion – We use 3 whole stems here. They are the onion in this dish, as well as some fresh green colour.

Chow Mein Sauce

The combination of sauces used in Chow Mein is common in Chinese dishes.

Soy sauces – We’re using both light and dark soy sauce in this recipe. What’s the difference? Dark soy stains the noodles a lovely warm mahogany colour as well as adding soy flavour. Light soy sauce provides the salt without overwhelming with soy flavour, and does not stain the rice.
Substitutions -You can use only light soy sauce or just an all-purpose soy sauce (ie bottle just labelled “soy sauce” without “light” or “dark” in front of it) instead of dark soy sauce. But you cannot use only dark soy sauce as the flavour is too strong! More on different types of soy sauces here.
Oyster sauce – A load of flavour, all in one sauce! It’s sweet and savoury and adds a neat flavour shortcut in dishes. Makes a regular appearance in Asian dishes, from Pad See Ew to Asian Glazed Salmon to Honey Pepper Beef to Supreme Soy Noodles. And Steamed Asian Greens with Oyster Sauce!
Vegetarian oyster sauce is available these days, at Asian stores and some large grocery stores (Australia – there’s Ayam vegetarian oyster sauce at Woolies). Otherwise, hoisin is a good alternative. Slightly different flavour profile (hint of Chinese five spice) but similar savoury / sweetness.
Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant tasting” Chinese dishes. Without it, the dish will be lacking something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry.
Non alcoholic sub – sub both the cooking wine and water with low sodium chicken broth/stock.
Cornflour / cornstarch (left out of photo – oops!) – For thickening the sauce so it clings to the noodles. It also makes the sauce lovely and glossy.
White pepper and sugar – For seasoning.

How to make Beef Chow Mein

Be sure to cook the beef well once you add the sauce to get it really nicely caramelised, for a free flavour boost!

1. Sauce & thickener

Sauce – Mix the soy sauces, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. We’re going to use some to flavour the beef, then we will mix the rest with the sauce thickener (next step) to make the noodle sauce.
Sauce thickener (cornflour slurry) – Mix the cornflour / cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl. This is what thickens the sauce so it coats the noodles, as well as making it shiny and glossy.

2. Making the stir fried noodles

Prepare the noodles per the packet directions then drain. I usually get the water boiling while I’m prepping the vegetables then cook the noodles when I start cooking. The chow mein noodles I get just call for soaking in hot water for 3 minutes. Some brands need to be boiled.
Caramelise beef – Using a large non-stick pan, cook the garlic first to flavour the oil. Then cook the beef, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see raw beef.
Then add the white part of the green onions and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Sauce. We add the white part of the green onions first as it takes longer than the green part. Cook for another 2 minutes to get the beef nicely caramelised.

Finish sauce – Meanwhile, mix the cornflour slurry into the remaining sauce.
Scramble egg – Add the egg into the pan then mix it through the beef, it will sort of scramble into the mixture. This is what makes beef stick to the noodles better!
Keep cooking! – When the egg is mostly cooked, add the carrot and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute until cabbage starts to wilt.
Sauce & noodles – Give the sauce a quick mix. Add the bean sprouts, noodles and sauce into the pan. Toss well for 1 minute or until sauce is dispersed through the noodles. Add green part of green onions. Toss for another 1 minute, then serve!

So there you go! Stir fried noodles for dinner, relatively low effort and quick to make. Great way to get a noodle fix, very economical, and highly versatile – switch out the vegetables and proteins with what you’ve got or what you love.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Beef Chow Mein – great beef mince noodle recipe!

Recipe video above. The beef mince version of everybody's favourite Chicken Chow Mein – great way to cook up ground beef with noodles. Economical and no meat chopping required, with plenty of hidden vegetables so it's a complete dinner!

Scrambling up an egg with the beef is a neat trick to make the beef cling to the noodles better.

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword beef mince recipe, beef noodles, Chow Mein, ground beef stir fry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings

Calories 664cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chow Mein:

200g/ 7 oz chow mein noodles , or other thin yellow egg noodles or 3 ramen cakes (Note 1)
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
200g/ 7 oz beef mince / ground beef (any fat %)
3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm/2″ lengths, white and green parts separated
1 egg
2 cups green cabbage , finely sliced (or Chinese cabbage)
1 carrot , peeled, cut into thin batons
1 heaped cups bean sprouts (~ 75g / 2 1/2 oz) (Note 5 – storage tip)

Chow Mein Sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce or all-purpose soy sauce (Note 2)
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 3)
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) (Note 4)
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
Pinch white pepper

Sauce thickener:

1 1/2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
3 tbsp water

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauce – Mix ingredients in a small bowl then set aside. Some is used to flavour the beef, then the rest for the noodles.
Sauce thickener (cornflour slurry) – Mix the cornflour / cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl.
Prepare noodles per packet directions then drain.
Cook beef – Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook garlic for 10 seconds, then add the beef and cook until you can no longer see pink. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Sauce and the white part of the green onions. Cook for another 2 minutes to get the beef nicely caramelised.
Finish sauce – Mix the cornflour slurry into the remaining sauce.
Egg – Add the egg into the pan then mix it through the beef, it will sort of scramble. Egg makes the beef stick to the noodles better!
Cabbage & carrot – When the egg is mostly cooked, add the carrot and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute until cabbage starts to wilt.
Sauce & noodles – Give the sauce a quick mix. Add the bean sprouts, noodles and sauce into the pan. Toss well for 1 minute or until sauce is dispersed through the noodles. Add green part of green onions. Toss for another 1 minute.
Serve – Divide between bowls and serve!

Notes

1. Noodles – Chow mein noodles are sort of dry and crinkly, rather than oily and straight like hokkien noodles, lo mein noodles. But this dish can really be made with any noodles – or even spaghetti (yes really, who’s going to know once tossed in chow mein sauce??). Use the same weight.

2. Soy sauce – Light soy sauce and all-purpose soy sauce add salt but doesn’t add much soy flavour or colour. The dark soy sauce stains the noodles a brown colour and adds soy flavour. It’s intense so you don’t need much!

3. Oyster sauce – Sweet and savoury, adds depth of flavour to an otherwise simple sauce. Sub with vegetarian oyster sauce (available in some large grocery stores and Asian stores these days) or Hoisin (different flavour with hint of five spice but similar savouriness and sauce thickness).

4. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry.

Non alcoholic sub – sub both the cooking wine AND water with low sodium chicken broth/stock.

5. Keep beansprouts submerged in water in an airtight container in the fridge. Change the water every couple of days. This will extend the shelf life 3x. Also, here in Australia, bean sprouts at Asian stores are much better quality than ordinary grocery stores!

6. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Will freeze fine but not ideal – noodles get a little soft.

Nutrition per serving. Serves 2 very generously – more like 2 1/2 servings.

Nutrition

My noodle life

Chow Mein

Lo Mein Noodles

Chinese Crispy Noodles (Chow Mein)

Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

Singapore Noodles

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Noodles

Life of Dozer

Visited our old stomping ground on the weekend – Bayview dog beach! Plenty of Dozer smiles that morning. 🥰

The post Beef chow mein – great mince/ground beef recipe! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.