With Recipes for Pork Chow Mein and Baby Bok Choy in Oyster Sauce
Chefs on TV are always waxing poetic about simplicity. These are people who have an unlimited cornucopia of ingredients and kitchen tools at their disposal. Yet, after they’ve gone down the rabbit hole of gussied-up dishes that require 1,000 steps and a flambé flourish, they seem to start paring back to simple but perfectly prepared cuisine. Short ingredient lists are hot hot hot.
There are two ingredients that, when used together, are pretty fail-safe in the Asian kitchen: oyster sauce and soy sauce. My cooking skills are not such that I can rely on technique alone to make a dish exceptional. Doctoring is often in order halfway through preparing dinner. When in doubt I employ Sriracha “liberally”. That makes just about anything edible. An oyster/soy mix can also often save a sauce that is misbehaving.
You can conjure up wickedly successful dishes with this very simple combination. If you read the recipes for MANY popular stir-fries, the sauce bases rely on these two cheap, easy to find ingredients. If you don’t have these things in your pantry already… seriously, what are you doing here? Get your butt off my blog and into 99 Ranch, stat. Pick up some Sriracha while you’re at it - sheesh. The rest of you, read on for some O&S recipes.
PORK CHOW MEIN
When you order Chow Mein at a restaurant, you could be saying one of two things. You could mean: “I think ‘authentic’ Chinese food is whack, and mostly made of dog gristle.” Or you might mean: “Chow Mein is damn delicious. You know it, I know it, and I’m not such a hipster that I’m embarrassed to eat it in in public. So there.”
This recipe is adapted from one by Rhonda Parkinson for About.com. Yeah, I said About.com. What’s it to ya? Delicious is as delicious does, that’s what I always say.
This version contains soft noodles in a gravy-like sauce. Using red onions instead of white adds depth of flavor. Both the sauce AND the marinade are made of oyster and soy sauce. Doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Ingredients: Marinade:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
¾ teaspoon cornstarch
Sauce:
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 - 6 tablespoons water
Other: ½ pound bean sprout
s8 oz pork loin, sliced thinly
3 ribs celery
1/2 pound bok choy or broccoli
1/2 pound fresh or straw mushrooms
I small red onion
2 green onions or spring onions
3 – 4 cloves garlic
Vegetable oil for frying and stir-frying, as needed
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds Preparation:
Mix marinade ingredients thoroughly and add the pork. Marinate for 20 to 25 minutes.
While meat is marinating:
Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl dissolve the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with the 4 -6 tablespoons water.
Whisk the water or chicken broth with the oyster sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch/water mixture and set aside. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Shoot for al dente - do not overcook noodles.
Cut the celery and the bok choy into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Peel and chop the onion. Cut the green parts of the green onions into 1-inch strips, and chop the white ends into smaller pieces.
Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the noodles. Fry in batches for 4-5 minutes, adding oil as needed. Remove the noodles from the pan.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onion and the meat. Stir-fry until the redness is gone and the meat is nearly cooked through. Remove the cooked meat and onion from the pan.Heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir fry the bok choy, celery, mushrooms, garlic and bean sprouts for 2-3 minutes until softened.
Give the sauce a quick restir. Add the meat and onions back into the wok, making a "well" in the middle if the wok for the sauce. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring quickly to thicken. Mix everything together. Stir in the green onions. Pour the cooked vegetable and sauce mixture on top of the noodles. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.
BABY BOK CHOY IN OYSTER SAUCE
A simple side dish that pairs well with just about any Asian meal and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes. You can substitute many other greens with tasty results. This really sets off the bright, slightly bitter taste of the bok choy.
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds Baby Bok Choy
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water Vegetable Oil, for cooking
Cut ends off of baby bok choy and separate leaves. Leave the “hearts” in the middle of the bok choy intact. Dissolve cornstarch in water in a small bowl. Mix oyster sauce and soy sauce together in a separate bowl.Heat a wok or pan on medium-high or high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add bok choy and stir fry, 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir fry 1-2 minutes more, until bok choy begins to wilt. Add oyster/soy mixture and stir 1-2 times. Add cornstarch mixture a bit at a time, stirring constantly, until sauce has achieved desired thickness. Serve at once.
Comentarios