Ever wonder why the neighborhood Thai take out place always give you pad thai as the complimentary item if you exceed a certain ticket amount?  Because pad thai is so easy to make and the cost of the ingredients pretty darn low.  This is what they call it in business schools term, highly leverage items.  Low cost, low work, high flavor, high rewards.  The secret is really in the sauce.  Once you boil a vat of it, place it in jars and it will last forever, or at least till you run out. Everytime you feel like a pad thai, it will take you literally a few minutes to whip out the yummy dish.

Chef’s tip: Make it in small batches – no more than 2 servings at a time. You can sub the shrimp with meat of your choice.

Sauce:
2/3 cup tamarind concentrate
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup palm sugar
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup Sriracha chili sauce

Noodles:
1 lb dried rice flat noodles, soaked in warm water 30 mins, drained
½ cup canola oil
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cup firm tofu, cut into small ¼ X ½  X 1 inch strips
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
6 Tablespoons pickled sweet radish, chopped finely
1 bunch Chinese chives, cut into 2 inch length (substitute with green onions if unavailable)
4 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

2 Lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

Prepare the sauce:
1.     Combine tamarind, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, palm sugar, garlic powder and Sriracha in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce becomes thick, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Prep mise-en-place:
2.     Separate all ingredients into 4 batches, including sauce and placed mise-en-place.
Cook noodles in batches:
3.     Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add a Tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the egg and fry for 1 minute, move it to the side.
4.     Next, add the tofu and fry till it is golden.  Move it to the side of the wok.
5.     Next add another Tablespoon of oil, then garlic and shrimp.   When the shrimp is pink, add in the radish.
6.     Next, stir in noodles, followed by the pad thai sauce. Toss back eggs and tofu. Toss to coat noodles.  Let the sauce boil and cook the noodles.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, until the sauce is absorbed.  Do not over stir or else the noodles will fall apart.  Check the noodles for doneness. If they are not completely cooked through, add more sauce or water. Immediately remove the wok from the heat.
7.     Stir in half the beansprouts and half the chives. Toss together and transfer noodles to a large serving platter. Scatter peanuts on top.  Place remaining bean sprouts, chives, and lime on the side. Serve immediately.
8.     Repeat for subsequent batches.

Serves 8

Tags: noodles, street fo, Thai.

This recipe was part of my final class at Whole Foods San Mateo last month.  It was nice to have some of my students whom I have been working with for many years  – Nancy, Bernie, Chris and Yuko were there, as well as my friend, Joyce and the new host of my cooking class in the Peninsula, Wally. It was a nice way to “wrap” up a 7-year teaching stint at Whole Foods.  We wrapped and we ate, and wrapped and ate a variety of spring rolls.

Chef’s tip:   Fresh beancurd skin is quite difficult to find.  Hodo Soy is probably the only folks who sell it in the US.  If you ever see some, you just have to buy it and taste the difference.   For this recipe, if you can’t find the fresh ones, the frozen ones will have to do.  The dried ones would not work.  When rolling the spring roll, ensure no air bubble is trapped within.  Make it compact and dense by pushing out any air bubbles.

Marinade

¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon black, thick soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce to taste
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons Five Spice powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lb pork fillet or pork loin, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup water chestnut
1/2 cup cilantro stems, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup yellow onions, chopped

20 pieces  6X6 inch fresh beancurd skin/ yuba
1 Tablespoon cornstarch mix with a little water to make a slurry
6 cups canola oil for deep frying

To make the springroll

1. Mix filling ingredients together and marinade for 30 minutes, up to overnight
2. To assemble lobak, place beancurd skin square with one corner facing you.  Next place about 2 Tablespoons of the filling on the bottom third of the skin.  Shape the filling into a cylinder, about 3-inches long.  Fold the bottom flap up and over the filling.  Fold the left and right side over the filling. Holding the sides in place, roll up into a tight cylinder.  Moisten edges with the cornstarch slurry to seal.  Lay the rolls flap side down on a baking tray.  Repeat folding the remaining rolls.
3. Heat oil over medium heat till 350F. Deep fry springrolls till golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.

LOH BAK DIPPING SAUCE

1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
¾ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder to be mixed with a bit of water
A pinch of white pepper

1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 Tablespoons water
1/2 egg white
1 teaspoon oil

To make the sauce:

4.     Mix all the seasoning ingredients with the stock and bring to a low boil.

5.     Add cornstarch mixture slowly to thicken the sauce.  You may not need all of it.

6.     Beat the egg white and drizzle into the sauce, wait till the egg white becomes opaque white, then stir slowly.  Finish with 1 teaspoon of oil.

Serves: 10

Tags: Malaysian, springrolls, street foods.

We had the sequel to a dim sum class last week at Sur La Table, perhaps the finale of the dim sum classes since Sur La Table is closing its cooking school in San Francisco with their move to the glitzy mall in May.  We will miss the quaint Maiden Lane location, and even more the cooking classes and smell of food while you shop.  I believe, if you look at marketing psychology, the good food smell must have increased sales uptake.  I will continue my Asian classes at the Cooking School at Cavallo Point starting May.  Please join me there.  It’s just across the GG Bridge and they have a spectacular kitchen and awesome views of the city.

Anyhoos, during the class, we made the non-steam items….you know, the items that the restaurant really tries to push the sale because these items can be made in advance, and hence help the restaurant keep peak demand at bay.   We baked, steamed, pan fried.  BBQ Pork buns are really one of my favorite snacks.  The pastry is also a yeast dough pastry, but a tad richer with the addition of milk and butter.  The bun recipe is from my sister, and she entitled it – Delicious White Bread.  Sort of an oxymoron.

Chef’s tip: If you are looking for  other steam items, I have many dim sum recipes on this site, too, including the steamed BBQ Pork bun.  Also, when you are proofing the dough, a good way to test for readiness is the finger test.  When it doesn’t spring back, it’s ready.  Look at the steamed BBQ Pork bun recipe for details on this test.  This recipe makes 24 buns which is just right as they freeze really well.  To reheat, just pop them into the microwave under defrost.

BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS – DOUGH

1/4  cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 ½ cups bread flour

Part 1: Prepare the dough

1.     Proofing the yeast: Dissolve sugar in hot water.  Add cold water to make a warm solution (105 – 115°F).  Dissolve the yeast in the sugar solution.  Stir lightly, and let stand in a warm place until mixture develops a creamy foam, about 7 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
2.     Making the sponge: In a large bowl, add 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture and stir to incorporate the flour. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes or until bubbles are breaking on the surface and the sponge begin to fall.
3.     In another bowl, combine the melted butter with the milk and salt.  Warm the mixture till luke warm about 90°F. Pour mixture into the sponge when 30 minutes is up, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
4.     Next, add remaining 4½ cups of flour, a cup at a time until dough holds together and just come away from side of bowl.
5.     Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead.  Lightly flour your hands if necessary.  Knead (by using the heels of your hands and your body weight to push away from you, pull it back and fold in the sides of the dough towards the center.  Turn the dough right angle every few kneads) until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough should be slightly sticky. Form into a ball.
6.     Transfer dough to a very lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap/damp tea cloth and let dough rise in a warm (75-80°F), draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  The dough is ready when it does not spring back when poked with a finger.

Part 2: Finishing the dough – Using the dough
7.     Uncover the dough, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
8.     Knead lightly to form a ball.  Divide the dough into 4 cylinders about 2 inch thick.  Cut each into 6.  Make 24 2-inch ball portions.  Cover dough with a damp tea cloth as you work.
9.     Proceed with dumpling recipes.

BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS – FILLING

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
3 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine / sherry
5 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1 1/4 lb BBQ pork (char siu), diced small ¼ inch cubes
1/2 cup dried onion flakes soaked in ¼ cup of water
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted

24 pieces of 2 x 2 parchment paper

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

3 Tablespoons honey, warmed with 2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven 400°F

Preparing the filling
1.     Mix all the sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, hoisin, soy, sesame oil, wine, sugar, cornstarch and water) together in a bowl.  Heat he mixture in a saucepan. Stir till slightly thickened.
2.     Add the diced pork to the saucepan.  Cook on low until the sauce glazes the pork.  Add the reconstituted dried onion and sesame seeds and toss together to mix.  Let the filling cool before proceeding.
Assembling
3.     Take a dough portion, work into a round ball about 2- inch in diameter.  Flatten it into a 5-inch round with a rolling pin about 3/8 inch thick. Make sure the edges are half as thin as the center.
4.     Place a heaping Tablespoon of filling into dough.  Pull the sides to meet at the center, making a ruffled fold as you work.  Pinch the top together and give it a twist to seal.  Pinch off any extra dough at the top.  Place upside down onto a piece of waxed paper and place the finished bun on a baking sheet.  Cover the filled buns loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise 15-20 minutes or until it doubles in size.
5.     Preheat oven 400°F.
6.     Brush the top of the bun with the eggwash.  Transfer to the oven and bake at 400°F for 10 mins, reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 20 minutes.
7.     Remove from oven and brush with the honey glaze.

Serves: 24 buns

Tags: dim sum, street foods.