炒河粉
炒河粉 is perhaps one of my favorite takeout dishes as a child. If a Chinese takeout restaurant had it, I would always choose it over steamed rice, fried rice, or stir-fried noodles. And to be honest, those places often don't make it that well -- the noodles are too soft. I was initially skeptical about frozen rice noodles, but the resulting texture was so chewy and bouncy. It's pretty straightforward to make and I was quite happy with the results.
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 45 min
Ingredients
Beef + Marinade:
> beef (3/4 lb, thinly sliced)
> soy sauce (1 tbsp)
> sugar (1 tsp)
> corn starch (1 tsp)
> baking soda (1/2 tsp)
> neutral oil (1 tsp)
> water (1 tbsp)
Sauce:
> light soy sauce (1.5 tbsp)
> dark soy sauce (1 tsp)
> sugar (1 tsp)
> oyster sauce (1 tbsp)
Putting everything together:
> ginger (3 slices, minced)
> garlic (3 cloves, minced)
> green onion (3-4 stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces)
> onion (1/2 small, thinly sliced)
> flat rice noodles (1 lb fresh or frozen)
> Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp)
> bean sprouts (1 cup)
> sesame oil (1/2 tbsp)
Instructions
1. Cut the beef into thin slices against the grain, and marinade with soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, baking soda, neutral oil, and water. Let marinade for at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours.
2. Carefully separate the flat rice noodles by hand. If using frozen noodles, you may need to run it under warm water for a bit before it thaws.
3. In a large wok, sear the beef in one layer over high heat until both sides are brown and lightly charred (around 1-2 minutes each side). Set aside.
4. In the same wok, add the garlic, ginger, green onions (white parts onl), ginger, and sliced onions. Stir-fry for 1 minute, or until slightly charred.
5. Add the noodles and cook for ~1 minute. Use a gentle scooping motion with chopsticks or a wooden spatula to stir-fry the noodles to keep the noodles in-tact.
6. Add Shaoxing wine to deglaze; mix. Then add the sauce (light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce mixed together), and carefully mix. Cook for a minute or so. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary.
7. Add the cooked beef, green parts of the green onion, bean sprouts, and sesame oil. Gently mix well. Serve once green onions and bean sprouts have softened a bit.
Notes/Tips:
> Any cut of beef works well in this case; feel free to choose to your preference!
> Generally, I would recommend thawing frozen noodles in warm water for a bit. The frozen noodles that I purchased explicitly said that no thawing is necessary, but it is so much easier to stir-fry if the noodles aren't frozen and are properly separated.