Sunday, April 14, 2013

Spicy Sichuan Noodles

Spicy Sichuan Noodles are a fragrant, spicy noodle dish with stir-fried ground pork. It's one of our favorite one-pot meals.


Have you ever seen the movie Eat Drink Man Woman?  If you love foodie movies, this is one of the best.  Shot in Taiwan and directed by Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee, Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) is the story of an aging chef who tries desperately to keep his family together by cooking elaborate feasts for his three daughters every Sunday.  In the opening scene, he prepares dish after dish and you can’t help but think that he must have a crowd coming.  With every plate that was finished, I wanted to be at that table!  I counted at least 14 dishes and then the chef mentioned, as he rushed off to deal with an emergency at his restaurant, “The crab dumplings are still in the steamer!”   Crab dumplings?  Yes, please!  (I read somewhere that the opening cooking scene actually took two weeks to film.  I believe it!)

A screenshot from the movie of the LADEN #SundaySupper table, just as the chef rushes off to his restaurant. 

This week’s #SundaySupper theme, hosted by the delightful Heather of GirliChef, is movie-inspired recipes.  What could be better inspiration than Eat Drink Man Woman, where Sunday supper is the most special, unifying meal of the week?  We love Chinese food of all kinds so it was hard for me to choose just one dish, but, finally, I decided that the Spicy Sichuan Noodles from Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery would be perfect.  Noodles in Chinese culture symbolize long life (so you never cut noodles!) and anything spicy is a winner in our house.   Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you.  This comes together quickly and is sooooo tasty.   Like many noodle dishes, it gets better and better and leftovers will be your favorite lunch ever, the next day.  If you have any left over. 

Ingredients
13 1/4 oz or 375g ground or minced pork
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (sometimes called Special Soy in the grocery stores) 
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
Cantonese-style egg noodles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lb + or 500g dried Cantonese egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
5 tablespoons green onions
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini) or smooth peanut butter (I used peanut butter.)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili bean sauce
2 tablespoon chili oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup or 250ml chicken stock

For the garnish:
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns

Method
Mix the pork with the next four ingredients: the dark soy sauce, the rice wine or dry sherry, the salt and black pepper.  Stir well, cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.  (This can be done earlier in the day, in which case, refrigerate until needed.) 


Put some water on to boil in a pot big enough for your egg noodles.  Add a little salt to the water. 

Peel and finely mince your garlic and ginger.  Finely chop your green onions.  Set aside. 



When the water comes to a boil, drop in the noodles and cook about 3-5 minutes, until they are done. 



Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with hot water.  Drain again.  


Put the noodles in a bowl and pour over the tablespoon sesame oil.  Toss to coat and cover.  This can also be done early in the day and refrigerated until needed.)


Mix the sesame paste or smooth peanut butter, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, chili bean sauce, chili oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl, and set aside until you are ready to cook the dish. 


Meanwhile, toast your Sichuan peppercorns in a small skillet for a few minutes, and then grind them up with a mortar and pestle. 



Okay, are you ready to cook and eat?  

Heat your wok or large skillet until screaming hot and then add the peanut oil.  

Yeah, I didn't measure too carefully.  Sorry. 

When it is really hot too, stirfry the garlic, ginger and green onions for a couple of minutes. 


Add in the seasoned pork and break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.  Cook until all the pink is gone.  




Now add in the bowl of seasonings you mixed together (with the peanut butter) along with the chicken stock.   



Let it bubble along for a few minutes, and then add in the noodles. 


Stir well so the noodles are well-coated with the liquid seasonings and cook until they are hot through again.  I find it most effective to use two spoons and toss the noodles as you would a salad. 


Pour the noodles into a serving dish and sprinkle with the ground Sichuan peppercorns (and a few random chopped green onions for color, if desired) and serve immediately.  



Enjoy!  



Have a look at all the wonderful movie-inspired recipes the #SundaySupper group have for you today!  Is your favorite foodie movie among them? 


NOW SHOWING: 

Toast (bready things)


No Reservations (soups and salads)


Today's Special (fish, chicken, beef, and pork)


Forks Over Knives (veggie-heavy dishes and sides)


Udon (pasta and noodles)


Just Desserts (sweet treats)


Bottle Shock (beverages)




 

Posted by at 4:47:00 AM 52 comments
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Monday, April 8, 2013

Cookies and Cream Muffins #MuffinMonday



It’s Monday so we are baking muffins again!  As we do.  Or, I should say, as I do.  Anyone out there baking with me?  Here’s a muffin I don’t think you are going to be able to resist.

Our ingredient this week is the classic Oreo, which made its debut in 1912 so they are the same age as my beloved grandfather (if he weren’t dead) which means they turned 100 last year.  Did you hear of any celebrations?  I certainly don’t remember any!  What I do know is if you are going to buy and eat Oreos, you might as well go all the way, so I bought the Double Stuff.  It’s a little known fact but in the United States, they are known as Double Stuf, because apparently Nabisco thinks Americans can’t spell or don’t care about spelling.  Or something.  In the United Kingdom (and Dubai) they are labeled Double Stuff.  My editor OCD is much happier here.  Call them what you will, they make a fine cookies and cream muffin.  They also make a fine Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oreo Muffin.

Ingredients
12 Double Stuff Oreos
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour

3/4 cup or 170g granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
2 eggs

3/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

Chop the Oreos roughly with a large knife and separate them into two piles of about two-thirds and one-third.  Just eyeball it, no need to measure.  The bigger pile will go into the batter. The smaller one will be sprinkled for topping before baking.


In a large bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.


In a smaller bowl, whisk your eggs, whipping cream, oil and vanilla together.



Pour the liquids into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold them together until they are just mixed.  If there is still some flour showing, you've done it perfectly.



Fold in the bigger pile of Oreos bits.


Divide your batter between the cups in the prepared muffin pan.


Sprinkle the tops with the smaller pile of Oreos and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.



Enjoy!


Posted by at 6:34:00 AM 18 comments
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Sunday, April 7, 2013

Tarka Dal or Curry Lentils

This tarka dal (or curry lentils) is a warm bowl of spicy comfort that is cheap but satisfyingly delicious.


Today Sunday Supper’s theme is budget dishes. In other words, delicious recipes that won’t break the bank. I considered giving you a recipe for my old college standby of tuna casserole with cream cheese (which sometimes didn’t even have tuna if the month was longer than my money) but I settled on something really tasty that we love to eat, even when money isn’t an issue. And that is when you know it’s good!

When we lived in Malaysia, we picked up the habit of eating dal and roti canai for breakfast since the school canteen served a tasty bowl and the little shop not far from our house was great on weekends. But there were many times when I would make my own dal long before that. From the time I got my first Madhur Jaffery cookbook and spice box, in fact, circa 1996-97, this recipe for spicy yellow lentils, cooked down until they become a sauce, has been a favorite. You can thin them with more water and call them soup. Or you can leave them thick and scoop them up with flatbread or serve over rice.

The original recipe doesn’t include potatoes or carrots or green beans, but coffee shops in Malaysia often add them so I do too. The vegetables make this spicy dish even more of a meal. And, best of all, dal is a great, cheap source of easily digestible protein and nutrients. Perfect for this week’s Sunday Supper! You can even make your own naan to go with. It’s easy!

Oh, and a quick word on the title: Dal means split so any split pea or bean is dal but it is also the name of the cooked dish. Tarka refers to the spices that are fried in a little oil and added at the end to season the dish. For more information on lentil varieties, have a look here. And for lentil nutrition, this is a good link.

Ingredients
1 cup or 225g moong dal or split mung beans
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium potato
1 medium carrot
Good handful green beans
1/3 teaspoon asafoetida (optional but good – I couldn’t find any!)
1 teaspoon whole cumin
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 small red chilies plus more for garnish, if desired
Good handful curry leaves (optional but good)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
Salt to taste

Method
Wash the lentils well in a big bowl of water, making sure that there aren’t any stones or hard bits of mud, and then drain and tip into a large pan. 


Pour in 26 oz or 750ml water. Bring to the boil, and use a slotted spoon to remove the grey-white scum that rises to the surface. As you can see, I missed this step so I skimmed after adding the turmeric. It's all good in the end.


Stir in the turmeric, and turn the stove to simmer. 
 

Skim scum now if you forgot to. 
Put on the lid, but leave it partially ajar, to prevent the pot from boiling over. Check it every once in a while and give it a stir. Add a little more water if necessary. My simmer is hotter than it should be so I did add some water part the way through to make sure the lentils didn’t go dry.



Meanwhile, cut the ends off of your green beans and then cut them into smaller lengths. Peel and chop your carrot and potato.



After about 20 minutes of lentil cooking time, add in the vegetables. Keep simmering for about another 20 minutes, as which point your lentils and vegetables will both be cooked.


If you want to use a couple of red chilies for garnish, slice them finely holding the stem end with a sharp knife and pop them in a glass of ice water. Ideally, they should curl, if you have cut the strands thin enough. Set aside till needed. 



Now on to the tarka for seasoning.

Slice your onion and your garlic very finely. 
 

Heat the oil and add the asafetida (if using), cumin, mustard seeds, whole chilies and curry leaves. And stir! 


When the mustard seeds start popping, which happens quite quickly, add the sliced onion and cook until golden.


Add in the garlic and stir quickly. You don’t want the garlic to burn because it turns bitter. 


Pour the mixture into the dal and give the whole thing a good stir. Add salt to taste and pop the lid on. 
 


Enjoy! As mentioned above, you can serve this over rice or with a flatbread. It is delicious, comforting and affordable!


Adapted from Tarka Dal from Madhur Jaffery



Have a look at all the wonderful budget dishes the #SundaySupper group have for you this week! We are going to eat well and cheaply for the next few weeks on these recipes! Our hosts this week are Lane from Supper for a Steal and Pam from Blueberries and Blessings. Thanks for hosting, ladies!

Starters, Soups, and Salads
Main
Sides
Drinks and Desserts

Posted by at 4:00:00 AM 38 comments
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