Stir-Fried Beef with Tomatoes

This is one of Ruby’s favorite dishes.  She showed me how to make it last year, and I’m happy to report that she thinks its good enough to post.  It’s a simple dish best served with steamed rice.

You can adjust the amount of sugar and ketchup to your taste.  Any kind of tomatoes will do; we normally buy what happens to be on sale.

For the beef, we like to use tenderloin or rib eye; however, these are pricey cuts.  If you use a less tender cut such as flank, be sure to marinade it well and don’t overcook it.

Stir-Fried Beef with Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Beef tenderloin, rib eye or your choice of beef, thinly sliced (enough for 4)
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp soya sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 4 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4-6 tbsp ketchup (adjust to your taste)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 -2 tsp soya sauce (adjust to your taste and/or if you are watching your sodium)
• 2 – 3 tsp sugar (adjust to your taste)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water (in a small bowl, set aside)

1. In a bowl, mix the beef with the Chinese cooking wine, oil, soya sauce and minced garlic.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes or marinate overnight (be sure to allow the beef to come to room temperature before frying)
2. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soya sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, set aside
3. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet until hot, you want to get a nice sear on the meat
4. Fry the beef strips until slightly pink.  Remove and set aside.  Do not overcook
5. In same wok or skillet, sauté onions for 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stir for another 2 minutes
6. Add ketchup sauce and simmer on medium low until tomatoes are softened
7. Raise heat to medium high/high and slowly add cornstarch mixture, a teaspoon at a time.  You may not need to use all of the slurry mixture
8. When the sauce starts to thicken, add beef and stir just to coat
9. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onions (optional)

Delicious!

Pho – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

Have you tried Pho?

H and I love a large steaming bowl of fragrant Pho, especially during the colder months.  It’s hard to believe we have trouble finding our favorite Pho restaurant.  There are literally dozens of them, but we have yet to try one that truly stands out.

Everyone seems to have their own preferences.  What we’re looking for is a flavorful broth that has been simmered for hours, and is not too salty.  For Pho lovers out there, you know what I mean when I say “MSG overload!”  Every time we’ve dined out, we’re guzzling water for hours afterwards.

The beef should be good quality and not too tough or chewy.  Next up, the noodles, either they’re over or under cooked.   And, not all places offer coriander or saw-leaf herb, which are traditional garnishes.

H was so frustrated he decided to surprise me by making Pho.   He didn’t seem to mind that he was in the kitchen for 4 hours!  H has only been cooking for over a year, and I can’t believe how much he’s learned.  He’s always been a fantastic Sous Chef, but he’s really starting to outdo me, which I don’t mind at all.  I think I’ll have to start calling him “Chef H.”

I have to admit, for a first try, Chef H’s Pho was amazing.  I felt like we were in a really good authentic Pho restaurant, yet, here we were in the comfort of our own home.  H didn’t even need my help; he just kept shooing me away and told me to sit while he expertly assembled the bowls.

While it’s a lot of work, nothing beats homemade cooking (or baking).  We are definitely craving a bowl of Pho!

H’s Pho

Adapted from Vietworldkitchen.com
Serves 4 – 6 (or in H’s case, 2 – 3)

Ingredients

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 5 whole star anise
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

• 2 medium onions (if you have time, char them in a very hot oven)
• 4″ piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
• 6-7 quarts of water
• 2 – 4 lbs of beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
• 2-3 tablespoons of sugar
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1 tbsp salt

• 2-4 lbs of rice noodles (dried or fresh)
• ½  lb flank, beef sirloin, eye of round or rib-eye, sliced as thin as possible (easier to slice if placed in freezer for 10-15 minutes)
• Beef balls (optional) – add during last 20-30 minutes of cooking time

Optional:  Boil beef bones for a few minutes to remove the guck, rinse and set aside

1. Place cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and coriander seeds in a fine mesh bag (specifically for cooking) and tie tightly
2. Place onion, ginger, water, beef bones, sugar, fish sauce and salt in a large stock pot and bring to a boil
3. Lower heat to medium/medium low and simmer for 3 hours
4. Skim any surface fat as needed

Noodles

1. Place dried noodles in a large pot
2. Add boiling water until the noodles are covered
3. Let sit for 5 – 8 minutes, drain and set aside
4. If using fresh noodles, omit above steps

Assembly

1. Place noodles in individual large bowls
2. Place thinly sliced raw beef on top
3. Pour hot beef broth over noodles

Garnishes

• ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped coriander/cilantro
• 1-lb bean sprouts, rinsed thoroughly (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves
• Asian basil
• Saw-leaf herb – use chiffonade method
• Thai chilies
• Lime wedges

• Hoisin sauce
• Chinese hot sauce

Stir-Fried Chicken with Bitter Melon and Black Bean Sauce

This is a very simple dish that H makes often. You can switch the chicken for beef strips or even ground pork or ground beef.  It re-heats well, and is one of our favorites.

Bitter Melon

As its name states, bitter melon is bitter; but is very healthy for you.  It has been used for medicinal purposes, contains anticancer compounds, and is anthelmintic, antimalarial, antiviral, and cardioprotective to name a few.  No wonder I feel good about eating this dish!

Warning:  Do not eat the seeds.

Bitter melon can be found in all Asian grocery stores (and most regular grocery stores).  You’ll find it in the vegetable section.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Bitter Melon & Black Bean Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small bite sized pieces
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 ½ tsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 medium to large sized bitter melons, washed, dried, seeded and cut into 1 inch slices (China phenotype variation)
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp Black Bean Garlic Sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee brand)
• 1 tbsp light Soya Sauce
• 1 tsp sugar (try using 1/2 tsp and adjust to your preference)
• ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl, set aside

1. Place chicken and next 5 ingredients in a bowl, mix and set aside
2. In a large deep skillet or wok, heat oil to high heat
3. Add marinated chicken and stir, cook until no longer pink in color
4. Place in a clean bowl and set aside
5. Add 1 tsp oil to skillet
6. Add garlic and ginger, stir for a few minutes, do not allow garlic to burn
7. Add bitter melon slices, stir for a few minutes until lightly sautéed
8. Add black bean sauce, chicken broth, light soya sauce and sugar, mix to combine
9. Add cooked chicken (along with juices)
10. If you are using beef, leave out until the last minute so you don’t overcook the beef
11. Place lid on top of wok or skillet and continue to cook over medium heat until the bitter melon has softened, 5-8 minutes, depending on your taste (we like our veggies crunchy)
12. Turn heat to medium high; add cornstarch slurry, a little at a time, until sauce has thickened
13. Throughout this process, if your sauce has evaporated, add a little more chicken broth, a bit at a time
14. If using beef, add it in now and stir
15. Remove from heat and enjoy with steamed rice

Note:

• Sprinkle with diced green onions (optional)

Summertime is Perfect for Cold Sesame Noodles

H loves sesame oil and pasta so he had rave reviews when I made cold sesame noodles for dinner.  He’s also a meat lover so of course he wasn’t happy with the noodles alone.  I on the other hand, like to eat vegetarian dishes every now and then.

For the meat lover in our family, I marinated strips of boneless rib eye steak overnight, and then stir-fried in a small amount of hot oil to get a nice sear.

We both love coriander, but I realized we ran out, which means I’ll have to make this dish again!  H promptly added coriander to our grocery list this week!

I gasped when I saw how much oil the recipe called for.  I’m always trying to reduce oil and salt when I cook, and sugar when I bake (but NOT butter)!  I tried using only 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, and it was okay, but the noodles did stick together the next day.  I added an extra ½ tbsp, but I personally wouldn’t add anymore than that as I found the noodles tasted a bit greasy. If you’re a sesame oil lover like H, you may want to experiment.

For the beef marinade, we used a bit of oil, cornstarch, Chinese cooking wine, soya sauce, salt, pepper, grated fresh garlic and ginger.  Drain as much of the liquid as you can before you stir-fry.

Please let me know your thoughts, if you liked this dish with more or less sesame oil, and what type of pasta you used.

Enjoy; I know H did!

Cold Sesame Noodles

Serves 2 – 4
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 8 – 12 ounces long pasta of your choice (I used ¾ box of Catelli Smart spaghettini)
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 ½ tbsp toasted Asian sesame oil
• 1 tbsp plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• ¼ – ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and rinse under cold running water. Wait about 5-10 minutes and then transfer the noodles to a large bowl
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, salt, green onions, and, if using, red pepper flakes
3. Pour mixture over pasta and mix until well coated.  Adjust condiments to your taste
4. Sprinkle with chopped coriander if using
5. Serve cold or at room temperature

5 Guys (Burger & Fries) – Review

H loves a good burger and fries, so we decided to try out 5 Guys.  The place was very clean, and had an open kitchen.  There were actually 5 guys working behind the counter!

H also liked the free salted/roasted peanuts.

The burgers are made with 100% fresh never frozen ground beef, and the standard burger comes with 2 patties.

The fries were very similar to New York Fries.  What we didn’t like was the soggy buns, due to being wrapped in foil.  It made for a huge and messy burger, and I don’t mean that in a good way.  The meat was also very bland.  I know some would prefer it this way; to taste the actual beef.  Even though we limit our salt intake, I was tempted to sprinkle some on.  I bit of seasoning would have been nice.

I would suggest asking for the burger to be kept open, and not wrapped. A steamed and soggy bun ruined an otherwise “okay” burger.

Hamburger – $6.69
Bacon Cheeseburger – $8.69
Fries (Regular) – $3.69
Fries (Large) – $4.99
Drinks (Regular) – $2.19
Drinks (Large) – $2.39
Toppings – Free
Peanuts – Free

Our bill for 2 burgers, fries and drinks with tax was approximately $30.00; a bit steep in our opinion. We weren’t impressed, and I’m not sure if we’d return.

Our favorite burger and fries is actually across the border, at Red Robin, but that’s quite a drive!

On to the next craving …………..