Rice noodles much?

You know when you hear a song and it sticks with you all day. Annoying, right? Food does it to me too. It's not so much an annoyance as an obsession and until I get my fix, everything else just tends to taste so blah. After watching the season finale of Top Chef, I couldn’t get stir-fried rice noodles out of my mind. I suppose I could have just picked up some takeout, but where's the fun in that?



I would say seventy-five percent of the questions I get are about stir-frying noodles. You wouldn't think it, but noodles can be tricky to work with and there's no real "right" way to do it. It takes practice so you can get to know your wok. For example, my wok tends to get hotter towards the front due to my heat source. I’ve learned that’s where I should drizzle in sauces to get good caramelization.

Stir-frying noodles also takes patience. You may follow a method to the T, but the results aren’t what you expected. Take heart! The outcome is so dependent on the kind of wok you have, the heat source you have available and the ingredients you use. Another example: I have a cast iron wok and it takes a good amount of time to heat up. I start by pre-heating it as soon as I start preparations for my stir-fries, which means it sits on high heat (on gas) for at least 10 minutes. It retains the heat very well, sometimes too well. When I make noodles, I often have to turn down the heat at some point to prevent the noodles from burning to the bottom. Your wok might not need much time to heat up, but maybe loses the heat faster. In that case you'd have to adjust your cooking method accordingly. (One suggestion is to have a pot of boiling water to quickly blanch your veggies and then transferring them straight to your wok. The hot veggies will prevent the temperature in the wok from dropping too much.)

The point is, it's great to get tips and ideas from other people, but most likely you'll go through some trial and error to find a method that works for you. Don't get discouraged if things don't work out perfectly the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Just keep at it, and eventually you'll get a result you're happy with.

That's it for my pep talk. Now you can practice with the recipe below. Enjoy!


Stir-fried Rice Noodles
Feeds 4

• 12 oz dried rice noodles, soaked until pliable
• About 2 links Chinese sausage, casing removed (or Chinese BBQ pork), sliced
• 1/4 cup good quality dried shrimp
• 1 pack deep fried tofu squares, sliced (or about 1 cup sliced chicken or pork)
• 2 eggs, lightly scrambled (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh green chiles, chopped, to taste (optional)
• 4 green onions (whites only), sliced
• 2 tbs kecap manis, (or more to taste)
• fish sauce, to taste
• fresh bean sprouts, to taste
• Chinese chives (or green onion tops), cut into 2-inch segments
• lime segments for serving

Get your wok nice and hot over high heat. Add some oil and quickly stir-fry the Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and tofu squares. The sausage is fatty and you’re trying to release some of the flavor in that fat. If you’re using fresh meat, cook until the meat is almost done. If you’re using eggs, add them and cook until just set. This step shouldn’t take more than 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate and set aside.

Add more oil to your wok if necessary then add the whites of the green onions, garlic and chiles. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds to release the aromas. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry until the noodles start to soften. Add the kecap manis and some fish sauce and the pre-cooked proteins. Keep the ingredients moving to prevent burning, adjusting the heat if necessary. Add a little more liquid (kecap manis, fish sauce or water depending on what you think is missing) if the noodles seem too dry. Stir-fry until the noodles are tender. Add the chives and bean sprouts, give a couple more tosses and you're done!

Serve immediately with lime wedges and more fish sauce on the side.

Weekend Wokking with Asparagus

If there’s one possession I’d want to take with me to the Afterlife, it would be my wok. It’s my pride and joy and has immense sentimental value. Weighing in at a whopping 10½ pounds, it’s a real cast iron monster. Countless stir-fries and deep-fries have left it beautifully seasoned. I could probably go on and on about how wonderful it is, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm a weirdo.

That wooden spoon is my second most prized possession. It's 19.5" long and perfect for stir-frying. I scored it on our trip to Italy.

I really don’t need a reason to bust out the wok. As it is, I use it easily 3 times a week. But when it’s for a special event, like dinner guests, a potluck or Weekend Wokking, I get particularly excited. What’s Weekend Wokking, you ask? It’s a blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks. The idea is to come up with a dish around a (seasonal) theme ingredient. This month’s ingredient is asparagus, so if you’ve got an asparagus recipe you know we’ll love, then do share! Wandering Chopsticks is the host this month, so shoot her an email with your entry and she’ll include you in the round-up. But you better hurry, deadline’s this Sunday! If you can't make the deadline but want to participate in the future, check out the host list. And don’t let the fact that you don’t have a wok stop you. It’s not a requirement. You just have to feature the theme ingredient in your dish.



Asparagus...such a versatile vegetable. When it’s in season, like now, I actually like to eat it raw, but it’s also great used in stir-frys. I love the way it stays crisp-tender. It’s also on the approved vegetables list, which is another way of saying Sonny will eat it.

This stir-fry uses one of my favorite flavor bases, a seasoning paste called naam prik phao. It’s a chilli paste made using chillies, shallots, tamarind juice, dried shrimp, fermented shrimp paste and sugar. As you can judge from the ingredients, it a little sweet, a little spicy and has a nice dose of umami. I use it in hot and sour soup, atop sunny side up eggs, in stir-fries and as a general dipping sauce. Naam prik phao can be found at any Thai-Viet grocer and maybe other Asian grocers with SE Asian sections. Alternatively, you can make it yourself. There are numerous recipes on the web, however I can not endorse these, as I've not tried them. I have recently made some based on a recipe from The Food of Thailand (see right side bar), and it was good. Next time I do it, I'll post about it with pictures.


Thai-style Beef and Asparagus Stir-fry
Feeds 4

• 1 pound beef chuck steak, sliced for stir-frying
• 1 tbs Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-inch segments
• 2 tbs naam prik phao
• 2 tbs thin soy sauce (regular soy sauce is fine)
• 2 tbs oyster sauce, preferably Thai

In a small bowl, combine the beef, cornstarch and Chinese cooking wine. Combine well and set aside until needed.

In another small bowl, make the sauce by combining the naam prik pao, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir well to combine the ingredients. Set aside until needed.

Make sure you have all your ingredients very close by because this stir-fry goes lightning fast. Have a small cup of water handy as well just in case you need to thin the sauce a little. I bet it won’t take you more than 4 minutes to cook this dish!

Heat your wok over high heat until very hot. Add about 2 or 3 tbs oil (no olive! not appropriate for stir-fry; grape seed is best!) then add the beef followed by the garlic. If your wok is hot enough, your beef will cook very quickly. When the beef is seared, but not cooked through (about 30 sec to 1 minute, max) add the asparagus. Cook for another minute. Add about 2/3 of the sauce mix. It should caramelize pretty quickly because of the high sugar content. If it gets too thick add a little water to thin it out. Quickly taste it and add the rest of the sauce if you think it’s required. Give everything a quick stir, then you're done. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Added: Check out the round-up here!

Thai-Style Sweet and Sour Pork

Who said Thai food is spicy?

Okay, a lot of it is, but there are plenty of dishes for those who can’t tolerate the heat. One thing that comes to mind is Thai-style sweet and sour. What? You’ve never heard of it? That’s probably because it’s not commonly found on the menu at most Thai restaurants, but it should be!

You’re probably wondering if it’s similar to the Chinese sweet and sour pork that we are used to here in the States. No, it’s not. Unlike the Chinese version, Thai sweet and sour is a stir-fry with pineapple, onion, tomato and cucumber (and any other embellishments you fancy). The sourness comes from pineapple juice with a little vinegar thrown in. There’s no cornstarch in the sauce; it’s thickened by being wok-caramelized. Oh, and it contains a healthy dose of fish sauce.



The version I use is a little different from traditional sweet and sour pork. Instead of the vinegar, I use plum sauce for tartness (an idea I ran across flipping through a Thai cookbook). I also don’t like stir-fried cucumbers, so I replace those with celery, which tastes wonderful when stir-fried.

Thai-style Sweet and Sour Pork
Serves 3 adults

• 12oz pork sirloin or tenderloin, sliced for stir-fry
• ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 tbs plum sauce
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs fish sauce, more to taste
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• ½ large onion, cut into wedges
• 3 stalks celery, thick- sliced on the diagonal
• 1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
• ½ to 2/3 cup 1-inch pineapple pieces (fresh is best but canned is fine)

To make the sauce, combine the pineapple juice, plum sauce, sugar and fish sauce in a small bowl. Mix to dissolve the sugar. Set aside until needed.

In a hot wok over medium-high heat, add about 2 tbs oil. Quickly stir-fry the pork with the garlic until almost done. Remove and keep warm.

Crank up the heat to high and add a little more oil if necessary. Stir-fry the onions and celery for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and pineapple. Stir-fry for an additional minute or two. The celery should be crisp, but not raw. Add the pork back in. Drizzle the sauce down the sides of the wok and mix well. It's done when the pork is cooked through. Serve with steamed rice. I also like a large dollop of Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce or sambal oelek.

Food Fit for a Power Ranger

This evening at dinner Sonny said, “This is so yummy, I bet even Power Rangers would eat it!” If you knew how obsessed my son is with Power Rangers, you’d understand what a huge compliment that was. But don’t get the wrong idea, he wasn’t talking about mac n’ cheese or pizza (which we’ll have tomorrow night). He was talking about yakisoba stir-fry.

This is such a versatile dish because you can basically use just about any meat or vegetable you like. The sauce is slightly sweet due to the hoisin, but that’s balanced by the black soy sauce (which is very salty) and chili bean paste. (don’t worry, this is not at all spicy). To further balance the hoisin, I recommend a strong veggie like mustard greens, bok choy, asparagus or even broccoli. For the meat, I used chicken, but you could just as well substitute pork, beef or tofu.

This recipe easily serves 6 (8 if it’s part of a multi-course meal).

Yakisoba Stir-fry with Chicken and Mustard Greens

• 3 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs black soy sauce (regular soy sauce is fine too)
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste (or chili garlic sauce will do fine)
• ½ tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced or grated ginger
• 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ to 2 chicken breast, sliced for stir-fry
• 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 (32 0z) package of yakisoba noodles

Start by separating the noodles. They come compressed together and it can be hard to separate them when they are cold. You could dunk them into boiling water for about 10 or 20 seconds, but that’s too much work for me. I’m also afraid they will get too soft and become soggy when I stir-fry them. What I normally end up doing is putting them into my stockpot and filling that with lukewarm water and carefully trying to separate the noodles with my hands. Every strand doesn’t have to be separated, but they should be loose. Drain them and keep them in a colander until ready to use. They come lightly coated with oil so they shouldn’t clump together and stick.

Make the sauce mix by combining the hoisin, soy sauce, chili bean paste, brown sugar and sesame oil. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and set aside until it’s needed.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s very, very hot add a splash of oil (about 2 tbs). Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and then the mustard greens. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the chicken is almost done. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry until everything is well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mix and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are coated with the sauce, about a minute or two more. Turn off the heat and throw in the green onions. Toss a couple more times and you’re done! Serve immediately. Even though this is well seasoned, I always serve noodles with fish sauce, lime wedges and sambal oelek on the side just in case anyone wants to a little extra seasoning.






We scored this costume at the local Goodwill. Nevermind the costume is for the black ranger and the mask belongs to the green ranger. What can you ask for for $6.99?? He'll probably wear the Darth Vader mask we picked up at the same time anyways. Don't you just love the poses?

Got Eggplant?

My fridge is full of eggplant. Between my CSA share and what I’m taking from my own backyard, we’ll probably be eating eggplant 3 or 4 times this week. I’m not complaining, though. I love the stuff. The problem is deciding what I want to make with it.

Today I decided on a Chinese-style spicy eggplant. The inspiration for this came from my current favorite Chinese cookbook. I added chicken and baked the eggplant instead of deep frying it. The result was still tender and flavorful, without all the guilt.

Spicy Eggplant with Chicken

• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tbs hoisin sauce
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp plum sauce
• 1 lbs eggplant (Chinese variety is good, but any should be fine)
• 10 oz chicken breast or thighs, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• Chili pepper, quartered lengthwise (use whichever and how much you want)
• Handful of basil leaves (make sure they’re dry)
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly on diagonal

Cut the eggplant into wedges (if using a large eggplant, cut into 6 wedges; for Chinese eggplant, split in half lengthwise). Toss them with oil and salt. Bake them in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes. They should be soft and a little browned. Remove from heat and set aside until needed. This part can be done a day in advance and the eggplant stored in the fridge until needed.

In a small bowl, combine the stock, hoisin, soy sauce, lime juice, and plum sauce. Set aside until needed.

In a hot wok over high heat, add about 1-2 tbs oil. When the oil starts to smoke add the chili, basil, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about 15-20 seconds (don’t let it burn). Add the chicken and continue to fry until the chicken is just about done, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and fry for a minute to get everything combined. Add the sauce by drizzling it down the side of the wok so it can caramelize. Continue to cook until everything is well combined and heated through. Turn of heat and stir in the green onions. Adjust seasonings with soy sauce or salt, if necessary. Serve with steamed rice.

Are You as Confused as I Am?

With all the different types of soy sauces out there, do you ever find yourself confused? I certainly am. I grew up using fish sauce and occasionally plain ol’ Kikkoman soy sauce. Now that Asian cuisines have become more widespread in America, there are a ton of different soy sauces on the market. What’s the difference between them? What can be used interchangeably? Here’s a quick run down of what I have in my pantry and what I think are the differences.

Soy sauce usually contains water, wheat, soybeans, salt and a preservative. I use this for everyday cooking and making dipping sauces. I normally use Kikkoman low sodium sauce. When I cook Korean or Japanese food, I use tamari, which is Japanese soy sauce.

Black soy sauce usually has water, soybeans, molasses, wheat, salt and maybe a preservative. I only purchased this sauce because I found a few Chinese recipes that call for it. However, I find it very salty and prefer thick soy sauce.

Thick soy sauce has molasses, soybeans, salt and maybe wheat and a preservative (the brand I use does not). As it’s name implies, it’s very thick and has a very concentrated taste, like salty burnt molasses. It is usually used with regular soy sauce or fish sauce to add more saltiness. I prefer this type of soy sauce to black soy sauce and have been able to use it interchangeably (though not volume for volume). I usually use 1 tsp thick soy sauce in place of 1 tbs black soy sauce (approximately). I keep this sauce in the fridge after opening.

Mushroom soy sauce normally contains water, soy beans, mushrooms, salt, sugar, wheat and maybe a preservative. I’ve only recently started using this kind of soy sauce and I really like it. It’s not as salty as regular soy sauce and it’s got a mellow flavor (although, I would have never guessed it has mushrooms). I use it interchangeably with regular soy sauce in noodle dishes and fried rice.

Fish sauce is not a soy sauce, but it’s salty. I grew up on this stuff and it’s a staple of Thai cooking. It’s made from anchovy or shrimp extract and usually contains salt and sugar. It can be quite pungent if it spills and it’s definitely noticeable when used in stir-fries, but I wouldn’t say it’s fishy (as anchovies are not fishy when cooked). Because it has a distinctive flavor, I don't recommend substituting soy sauce in it's place.

Oyster (flavored) sauce doesn’t contain soy. I don’t think it contains oyster either (my coworker, who is allergic to fish, uses this stuff). It does contain water, sugar, salt, wheat, and coloring. Of course you can get real oyster sauce, but you’ll have to seek it out. The stuff you get in most supermarkets is the flavored sauce. It is not really salty like soy sauce (relatively speaking) and needs to be used with soy or fish sauce. If you normally just stir-fry with soy sauce, I highly recommend adding a tablespoon or two of this stuff. I guarantee you will taste a difference. Keep this sauce in the fridge after opening.

Like I said, these are the sauces I have in my pantry. There are a ton of other sauces from other Asian countries I don’t even know about. If you have a favorite salty sauce, let us know. In the meantime, here’s a recipe using thick soy sauce. The flavors are reminiscent of Pad Kee Mao or Pad Ka-Pao.

Spicy Pork Stir-fry using Thick Soy Sauce

• 2 tsp thick soy sauce
• 1 tbs oyster flavored sauce
• 1 ½ tbs fish sauce
• 1 ½ tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• handful basil leaves (holy basil is preferable; make sure the leaves are dry)
• 1-2 hot chili pepper (or to taste), quartered lengthwise
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup green beans, cut into 1 ½ inch segments
• 10 to 12 oz minced pork*

Start by making the sauce. In a small bowl, mix the thick soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar in a bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

In a wok over high heat, add about 2 tbs oil. When it’s smoking hot, add the basil leaves, chili pepper and garlic. Stir-fry quickly for about 15 seconds, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the green pepper, onion and green beans. Continue stir-frying for 2-3 minutes. The veggies should still be crisp. Add the minced pork. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more or until the pork is just done. Add the sauce mix by drizzling it down the sides of the wok. Hopefully your wok is sufficiently hot to caramelize and thicken the sauce a little. Turn to coat the food and heat through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

This stir-fry is also great to do with noodles. Scale up the amount of sauce by 3 or 4 to make sure there is enough to coat the noodles. I recommend using about ½ lbs of fresh rice noodles (wide variety). You need only separate the layers. If they come in a slab, slice them into ½ inch slices before separating. If you don’t have access to the fresh variety, the dried kind is fine. Soak in warm water until pliable (not soft, otherwise you’ll get a mushy mess when you stir-fry them).

*I recommend mincing your own pork. I find that store bought minced pork is too wet and will release too much water during cooking, even if your wok is blazing hot. To mince your own, use the specified about of pork sirloin and a sharp knife. No need for a fine mince, coarse is fine. Chicken can also be used instead of pork.

Eat More Chinese Food

Martin Yan has always been one of my favorite cooks to watch. He always seems so enthusiastic about the food. Although I watched Julia and Lidia and all those PBS cooks, it was Martin that could inspire me to get into the kitchen. I would watch him prepare a dish and could literally imagine it’s taste and texture. I recognized many of the ingredients he used, such as ginger, garlic and chilies (as opposed to tarragon, dill or rosemary). For me, his food felt familiar even though I didn’t grow up eating Chinese food.

Browsing through the cooking section of our local library, I came upon his book Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking. This book is a gem. He presents recipes from Chinatowns all over the world. Some of the dishes are commonly found in Chinese restaurants in larger American cities, but there are also dishes from Hawaii, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Canada, Australia and England. It’s interesting to see the local influences in each dish and how much variation there can be in Chinese cooking.

The first recipe I wanted to try was oven-baked salmon in spicy chili-bean sauce. Only problem was my local supermarket didn’t have any good looking salmon. I decided to use chicken instead and do it as a stir-fry with various veggies (I know, I have a bad habit of changing recipes. But isn’t improvisation and versatility a good thing in cooking?). The veggies I chose were just the ones I had on hand and needed to use, but really you could use just about anything else: carrots, broccoli, green onions, celery, green beans, Chinese long beans, Chinese broccoli. And even though this dish may seem spicy, it’s not (you could always add more chili bean paste or sambal oelek if you like more heat). My son, who is 4, could eat and enjoyed it.

Chicken and Veggies in Spicy Chili-Bean Sauce

• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) + 2 tsp kept separate
• 1 tbs honey (or brown sugar)
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ large onion, sliced into thin wedges
• 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into 2 inch long sticks
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into sticks
• 1 bunch baby bok choy, leaves cut in half lengthwise
• 120z white meat chicken, sliced thin
• 1 ½ tsp cornstarch

Combine the chicken, 2 tsp rice wine and cornstarch in a bowl and mix well to coat the chicken. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin, 2 tbs rice wine, honey, chopped cilantro, and chili bean sauce.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil (1-2 tbs) and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic and fry for about 10-15 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until almost done. Remove and set aside.

In the same wok, add the onion and red bell pepper (add more oil if you think it’s necessary). Stir-fry for a minute or two. Next add the snow peas then zucchini and continue cooking for another minute or two. Finally add the baby bok choy and return the chicken (and juices) to the pan. After about a minute, add the sauce. Your wok should be hot enough to reduce the sauce on contact. Continue to cook until completely heated through and the chicken is done. Serve with steamed rice.

*Just about every Asian country has their own version of a chili bean paste/sauce. I recommend using the Chinese version for this dish. If you can't find it, try using 1/2 tbs black bean paste (with or without garlic is fine) + 1/2 tbs chili garlic sauce, both of which can usually be found in most large supermarkets.

In Too Much of a Hurry to Make Curry?

Ya'll know I'm a big stir-frier. It's the fastest type of food I know how to make and requires little more than an onion and meat (or tofu). Of course, I like to spruce it up and curry pastes do just that.

Chicken Curry Stir-fry

• 4-5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks (or 2 breasts, 1 block firm tofu or about half a pork tenderloin)
• 1 carrot, diagonally sliced
• 1 cup green bean, cut into 1 inch segments
• ½ large onion, sliced into wedges
• 1 tbs Thai curry paste (red (hot), green (medium) or yellow (relatively mild))
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• handful basil leaves

In a small bowl, combine the curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves. Mix well and set aside.

In a very hot wok over high heat, add 1-2 tbs oil. Add the curry mixture and garlic and fry for about 20-30 seconds. Don't let it burn. Hopefully your wok is well seasoned so it won't stick either. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, tossing well to insure the veggies are coated with curry sauce. Add the chicken and continue to stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, basil and 2 tbs water. Stir-fry until the chicken is done. Adjust seasonings with fish sauce, if necessary. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

This dish reminds me of the classic Thai stir-fried pork with Chinese green beans, which is made with red curry paste and no basil. Different options include using other veggies (baby corn, asparagus, green onions), substituting 1 stalk lemon grass (whites only, finely sliced) for the kaffir lime leaves, or adding fresh chopped ginger.

There are Few Things that are Easier than This

What can I say? This stir-fry is not only fast to cook up, but even easier to prep. Did I mention it’s tasty too?

Pork Stir-fry with Basil

• 1 lbs pork or chicken, thinly sliced (recommend tenderloin or boneless, skinless thighs)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• ½ to 1 tbs fish sauce (to taste)
• 1 tsp sambal oelek (optional)
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• ½ to 1 tbs fresh lime juice (to taste)
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh basil leave

Make the sauce mix by combining the oyster sauce, ½ tbs fish sauce, sugar, ½ tbs lime juice, and sambal oelek.

I like to pick out about 5-10 nice basil leaves to fry and use as an edible garnish. Make sure they are completely dry, otherwise you’ll have oil popping everywhere. Get your wok really, really hot and add about 3 tbs oil (I like peanut oil). Add the basil leaves and fry until they are crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.

To the wok, add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds (don’t let it burn). Add the onion and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the meat and continue to fry until almost done. Hopefully your wok is hot enough to give the meat a little crust (that’s why I recommend cast iron). Add the sauce mix and continue frying. In less than 1 minute, if your wok is hot enough, you’ll see the sauce caramelize and get thick. Turn off the heat and add the remaining basil. Season with additional fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Garnish with the crispy basil leaves. Serve with steaming jasmine rice.