Mountain o' Noodles

During our reckless youth, hubby and I lived in San Francisco. I normally don’t miss it, but I occasionally (okay often) miss the food delivery culture. You could get just about anything delivered (the only thing we can get delivered here in Portland is Dominoes Pizza, which we don’t even care for). We’d order from this whole-in-the-wall Chinese place, and no matter how big or small the order, we always ordered chow fun in black bean sauce. If I’d known how easy it is to make, I would have done it myself instead of ordering it…maybe.

This type of dish reminds me a lot of fried rice in that you can basically use what you have on hand. I didn’t have bell pepper so I used asparagus, which has been on sale at my local market for the past 3 weeks. We’ve eaten so much asparagus lately, I’m surprised we’re not all peeing green.

This recipe was adapted from a stir-fry recipe in my current favorite Thai cookbook. This recipe makes a mountain of noodles, great for taking to a potluck or having leftovers for 3 nights.

Beef chow fun in black bean sauce:

• 2 tbs black bean paste (with or without garlic is fine)
• 6 tbs water
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ lbs beef/steak, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, diced large
• 1 medium onion, diced large
• 1 package chow fun noodles (usually comes in 32oz)

Mix the bean paste, water, sauces and sugar together in a bowl. You will use about ¾ of this mixture, but it’s always good to have more to adjust the taste.

If you’re not familiar with chow fun noodles, they usually come in a square slab (for lack of a better word). The noodles are layered on top of each other and are slightly oiled to keep them from sticking. If the noodles aren’t pre-cut, cut them into strips about ½ inches wide then separate them. This can sometimes be a pain, because the noodles sometimes rip instead of staying in long strips.

In a super hot wok on high heat, quickly stir fry the meat with the garlic, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Add the onions and bell pepper to the wok and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Avoid moving the food around continuously. Give it about 5-10 seconds or so between stirs. Add the noodles and continue to fry until they start to soften a bit, maybe 2-3 minutes. Add ¾ of the sauce mix and beef. Stir fry until the noodles are done, maybe another 2-3 minutes. Before turning off the heat, adjust the taste with more sauce mix, if needed.

Other veggies that are good in this dish: Chinese kale, snake or green beans, snow or snap peas, bean sprouts, scallions, asparagus, carrots, even broccoli.

I like beef with black bean sauce, but chicken or even tofu are just as good options.

Hey Grandparents (and friends), click here, here and here to see pictures of sonny enjoying chow fun.