I visit the Asian markets probably about twice a month. I often pick up green papaya for making som tam, maybe some dumplings, or siapao, and a couple of condiments. One of my favorite condiments is this Chinese fried red chili sauce. It’s basically a lot of red chili flakes, garlic, ginger, and fermented black beans that is slow cooked in a bunch of oil. It’s flipping amazing. I put it on everything, and I mean everything. It’s almost as addicting as Sriracha, but more mellow. It stores great as well which makes it even better. As I ran out, my buddy sent me a recipe that I tweaked ever so slightly, and it was just as good, if not better.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Chinese black fermented beans
6 cloves garlic, grated into a paste
2 tbsp ginger, grated into a paste
1 cup red chili flakes
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 cups peanut oil
1 tbsp salt
Start by adding the fermented black beans, and any remaining garlic ends into a food processor. Pulse until it is nice and fine.
Add the oil to a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add in the ginger, garlic, and fermented beans, along with the red chili flakes. Give a good stir, and cook for about 30 minutes, making sure the oil mixture stays at about 225 degrees. Once cooked at that temperature for 25 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool.
Once cooled, stored in a sealed tight container.
Again, the sauce is awesome. It is perfect in every way. It’s not to spicy which is why it goes great with pretty much everything. I put it on my eggs in the morning, kebabs, rice, pasta, and well, you get the idea. Give this one a shot, I’m certain you will love it as much as I do.
It was not too long ago where I came across an article on Chinese salted duck eggs, and after reading it, I become very curious on the outcome of the eggs, so I decided to do my take on these Chinese salted eggs.
The eggs go way back and are much a common staple in China, however most use duck eggs. The common chicken egg can also be used, and in my case that is the direction I went.
Basically this recipe is eggs that are soaked in a brine and placed in the refrigerator for about 30 days or so, then cooked, typically hard boiled, and served with things like congee, however I simply fried mine in just a bit of unsalted butter. The result will amaze you.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
6 whole eggs, chicken or duck eggs
1 cup of salt
4 cups of water, enough to fill your large non-reactive container
2 tbsp black peppercorns
1 star anise
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Start by rinsing the eggs in cold water to remove any exterior filth.
Next add your salt, water, star anise, and peppercorns into a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt. Once dissolved, remove from the stove, stir in the Shaoxing wine, and let it come to room temperature.
Next, the gentle part. Being careful not to crack the eggs, place them in a large mason jar. You want a glass jar that is non-reactive. Once the eggs are in place, pour the water into the jar, making sure you fully cover the eggs.
Cover the jar with the cap, and place in the refrigerator. Set your calendar, and check the eggs in 30 days.
When you are ready to make the eggs, either boil them to your favorite temperature, or fry them in a little bit of butter.
Now I will admit, I was a bit hesitant to try these as I did not know what I was getting myself into. I see folks buying these style of eggs at one of my Asian markets, and I knew that they were sitting in the brine so they would not go bad, so I went ahead and cracked one in a preheated skillet with a bit of butter.
I was blown away when I cracked it into the skillet. The whites were a bit thinner, and the yolk was this killer dark orange color. As I let this cook, I began spooning the melted butter on top of the yolk area to continue to cook.
When I took my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a bit salty, I’ll admit, but the texture was awesome. This would be a perfect pairing with some of the more bland dishes that need a punch of salt. Give these a shot. I hope you enjoy.
If you have never had Hong Kong fried noodles before, well then, good. I only say that because you are going to love this recipe. The Hong Kong fried noodles are essentially a crispy fried noodle that when coated with an awesome stir fry and gravy, they get slightly softened and are perfectly balanced with that soft, crisp noodle. You can make these Hong Kong fried noodles with a variety of vegetables, or meat for that matter, but I think that the chicken and broccoli are a great pairing, and let’s not forget about the sauce, or gravy. The gravy is essential.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients for the Gravy:
1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
1/2 cup of Shaoxing wine
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp water
Ingredients for the Marinade:
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
generous pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cornstarch
generous pinch of cracked black pepper
Ingredients for the stir fry:
1 lb of rice vermicelli noodles
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 whole carrots, diced
2 cups of broccoli florets
3 green onions, diced
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1/3 cup of canola oil
Start by mixing your marinade ingredients, until smooth, then pour over the chicken in a bowl. Stir to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Make the gravy by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
To a wok, add the canola oil and bring this to a medium heat, about 3 minutes or so.
Carefully add in the dry noodles, making sure they fit into the wok. If they do not, remove some noodles and fry in batches. Fry the noodles for about 5 minutes, or until they get a golden brown, on both sides. Once golden on both sides, remove and set aside on a paper lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat with any remaining noodles.
Drain all but 2 tbsp of remaining oil. Toss in the garlic and ginger and quickly stir. Cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the chicken. Stir fry the chicken, raising the heat, and adding a bit of water if needed.
Once the chicken begins cooking toss in the broccoli and carrots, and give that a good toss or stir.
Once the vegetables begin to soften (I personally like mine to have a bit of crunch), add in the gravy. Stir, and let the gravy thicken. I love that part.
Set your noodles onto a large serving dish, then pour the stir fry and gravy all over the top of the noodles. Top with the bean sprouts and green onion.
Let this rest for a few minutes before digging in. Your goal is to allow those noodles to soften. After a few minutes, dig in.
This family style dish was awesome. The noodles found themselves to have a slight crunch, while the majority were perfectly al dente, leading to an awesome stir fry. By the way, if you have never had Shaoxing wine, you will love it. That flavor alone is worth visiting your Asian market and picking some up. I use that quiet a bit when marinating chicken. Hope you enjoy!
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 whole carrots, diced
2 cups of broccoli florets
3 green onions, diced
1½ cups bean sprouts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
⅓ cup of canola oil
Instructions
Start by mixing your marinade ingredients, until smooth, then pour over the chicken in a bowl. Stir to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Make the gravy by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
To a wok, add the canola oil and bring this to a medium heat, about 3 minutes or so.
Carefully add in the dry noodles, making sure they fit into the wok. If they do not, remove some noodles and fry in batches. Fry the noodles for about 5 minutes, or until they get a golden brown, on both sides. Once golden on both sides, remove and set aside on a paper lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat with any remaining noodles.
Drain all but 2 tbsp of remaining oil. Toss in the garlic and ginger and quickly stir. Cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the chicken. Stir fry the chicken, raising the heat, and adding a bit of water if needed.
Once the chicken begins cooking toss in the broccoli and carrots, and give that a good toss or stir.
Once the vegetables begin to soften (I personally like mine to have a bit of crunch), add in the gravy. Stir, and let the gravy thicken. I love that part.
Set your noodles onto a large serving dish, then pour the stir fry and gravy all over the top of the noodles. Top with the bean sprouts and green onion.
Let this rest for a few minutes before digging in. Your goal is to allow those noodles to soften. After a few minutes, dig in.
This family style dish was awesome. The noodles found themselves to have a slight crunch, while the majority were perfectly al dente, leading to an awesome stir fry. By the way, if you have never had Shaoxing wine, you will love it. That flavor alone is worth visiting your Asian market and picking some up. I use that quiet a bit when marinating chicken. Hope you enjoy!
The other day I had this vision of slurping noodles. I have no idea why. I was probably hungry, and as my oldest has been devouring ramen noodles lately, noodle slurping was just on my mind. This was around ten in the morning mind you. So when I got home I looked around and noticed I had a bunch of green onions to use, and had an array of pasta to chose from. I was looking to make a thicker style noodle in a spicy, yet awesome Asian style sauce. I’ll admit that one third of my refrigerator door is littered with Asian ingredients; everything from soy sauces, fish sauces, hoisin, sesame oil, gochujang, and mirin just to name a few. So with that said, I was going to setup a nice, thick Asian sauce, almost like a gravy, to be slurped with some nice thick cut bucatini.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
1 lb bucatini, cooked al dente
3 tbsp canola oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 generous pinch of red chili flakes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/3 cup of hoisin sauce
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup Sherry cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup of roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
Start by cooking your pasta. Drain and set aside.
Make the sauce by adding the soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, and sherry cooking wine to a small bowl, and give a good mix. Set it aside.
Add the chicken stock and corn starch to another bowl. Stir well, and set it aside.
Add the oil to a large skillet, or wok, and bring the oil up to temperature on medium to medium, high heat.
Toss in the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, cooking for a few minutes. Add in the sauce, and cook for about five minutes, stirring along the way.
Toss in the chicken stock and corn starch. This will begin to thicken the sauce after cooking for a few minutes. Stir.
Once the sauce begins to thicken, toss in the noodles and almost all of the green onions. Set a few aside to sprinkle on top of the noodles when serving.
Gently toss the noodles, incorporating the sauce, and warming the noodles.
Put the noodles into a serving dish, and shower with any remaining green onion and the crushed peanuts.
Slurp away. The bucatini noodles themselves are awesome. They are much thicker than a spaghetti, but they are hollowed ou which allows that sauce to get in there and penetrate the pasta. These noodles are pretty delicious. They had that nice spice from the garlic and chili flakes, but are balanced by the hoisin and sesame oil. These are also great hot or cold, so they are perfect for outdoor picnics and get togethers.
A simple Asian noodle dish that is great hot or cold.
Ingredients
1 lb bucatini, cooked al dente
3 tbsp canola oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 generous pinch of red chili flakes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup of soy sauce
⅓ cup of hoisin sauce
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
¼ cup Sherry cooking wine
½ cup chicken stock
½ tbsp corn starch
¼ cup of roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
Instructions
Start by cooking your pasta. Drain and set aside.
Make the sauce by adding the soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, and sherry cooking wine to a small bowl, and give a good mix. Set it aside.
Add the chicken stock and corn starch to another bowl. Stir well, and set it aside.
Add the oil to a large skillet, or wok, and bring the oil up to temperature on medium to medium, high heat.
Toss in the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, cooking for a few minutes. Add in the sauce, and cook for about five minutes, stirring along the way.
Toss in the chicken stock and corn starch. This will begin to thicken the sauce after cooking for a few minutes. Stir.
Once the sauce begins to thicken, toss in the noodles and almost all of the green onions. Set a few aside to sprinkle on top of the noodles when serving.
Gently toss the noodles, incorporating the sauce, and warming the noodles.
Put the noodles into a serving dish, and shower with any remaining green onion and the crushed peanuts.
