Dinner Tonight

Beau’s friend, Morgan, is coming over for dinner tonight. Morgan travels a great deal for work, so when he’s in town we try to see him. Tonight’s special meal? Asian food! I don’t believe I’ve really cooked up my Asian food for Beau so tonight will be a first! What’s on the menu? Malaysian Stir-Fried Beef with Noodles and Spicy Dry Cooked Green Beans (one of my favorite dishes from China). And in case you caught that one is a Malaysian dish and one is Chinese. It’s okay. Malaysians make this vegetable dish as well. J

 

Malaysian Stir-Fried Beef with Noodles

¾ lb fresh or dried flat rice stick noodles

½ lb beef tenderloin

1 tsp cornstarch

¼ tsp each salt and sugar

1/8 tsp baking soda

3 T chicken broth or beef broth

1 T each fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sweet soy sauce (I just put 2 T soy sauce)

1 tsp rice vinegar

½ tsp Sriracha chile sauce

3 T canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 yellow onion, thily sliced

1 c julienned red bell pepper

½ c mung bean sprouts

¼ c sliced garlic chives

 

If using dried noodles, soak them in water to cover for 30 minutes and then drain. Slice the beef across the grain into strips 4 inches long by ¼ inch wide. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, sugar, baking soda, 1 T water and beef strips and stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

 

In another bowl, stir together broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chile sauce. Set aside.

 

In a wok over high heat, heat 2 T canola oil until very hot. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, 4-5 seconds. Add onion and bell pepper and stir-fry until tender. Transfer veggies to a bowl.

 

Return pan to high heat and add 1 T oil and heat to very hot. Remove beef from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Add beef to pan and stir-fry about two minutes. Transfer beef to a colander and let drain.

 

Return pan to high heat and add fish sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and add noodles and veggies. Cover and simmer and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles. Uncover and add beef, sprouts and garlic chives. Stir-fry until beef is heated through.

 

Spicy Dry Cooked Green Beans

1 lb long beans or green beans, trimmed

2 T canola oil or peanut oil

 

2 T chicken broth

1 T each black vinegar and dark soy sauce

½ tsp each tomato paste and Sriracha chile sauce

½ tsp cornstarch

¼ tsp sugar

 

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T minced celery

2 T minced green onions

1 T minced fresh ginger

¼ lb ground pork

1 T minced fresh hot red chile

2 T rinsed and minced Sichuan preserved vegetable

 

Cut beans into lengths measuring 3-6 inches. In a wok over high heat, heat 1 T canola oil until very hot. Add beans and stir-fry until they begin to char and blister, 7-10 minutes. Transfer the beans to a bowl. Set pan aside without rinsing.

 

To make the sauce, in a bowl, stir together broth, vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, chile sauce, cornstarch and sugar.

 

Return the pan to high heat, add remaining 1 T oil and heat until very hot. Add garlic, celery, green onions and ginger and stir-fry until very fragrant, about two minutes. Stir in the pork, chile and preserved vegetable and continue to stir-fry until pork is opaque, 2-3 minutes.

 

Return the beans to the pan and fry for 2 minutes to heat through. Pour the sauce over the beans and fry until the sauce reduces and thickens, 3-4 minutes.

 

We’ll be eating well tonight!