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.

A really light noodle dish that is full of flavor- nutty sesame and peanut butter, and hot Sichuan chili cooled down by the cucumber and cold noodles.  You can make your own noodles or substitute with store bought egg noodles or even spaghetti.  And if you really want to do this in under 30 minutes, use store bought rotiserrie chicken.

Chef’s tip: Mung bean starch is easily available in Korean grocery stores.

Noodles:

4 cups + 2 Tablespoons water
¾ cup mung bean starch

Meat and marinade:
2 chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ginger juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons tahini + 3 Tablespoons water (more if tahini is thick)
1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Chinkiang or black Chinese vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan peppercorn or Sichuan peppercorn oil
1 teaspoon ginger, grated fine
1 clove garlic, grated fine
1 Tablespoon Asian chili oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 stalk green onions, green parts only, julienned into 1 inch strips
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon Asian chili oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil

Preparing the noodle
1.   Mix starch with 1 ½ cups of water till starch is fully dissolved.  Mix in remaining water.
2. Bring to boil, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens.  It’s easiest to stir from the center out. Stir until the mixture is clear and translucent.  About 4 minutes total.  Immediately pour mixture into a wet, glass or ceramic dish, about 9X12 inch, making a thin 3/8 inch layer.
3. Leave to cool for 45 minutes in the fridge or 2 hours at room temperature.
4.  When set, cut noodles into thin ¼ inch strips

Preparing the chicken
5.     Preheat oven 350F.  Mix chicken marinade ingredients together.  Place chicken breast on a baking sheet, rub skin with marinade.  Roast for 35-40 minutes until chicken is just cooked (190F).
6.  Remove the meat from the bones, discard skin and shred the chicken.

Preparing the sauce
7.   Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Preparing the garnish:
8.   Cut the green onions into 1 ½ inch section, then sliced lengthwise into thin shreds.  Put into cold water and drain well and pat dry before use.

9.   Pan-fry the sesame seeds (without any oil) under medium heat till golden brown.

Assembly:

10.  In a bowl, place a heapful of noodles.  Pour sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Place on top of noodles some shredded chicken, green onions and sesame seed.  Finish with a little chili oil and sesame oil.

Serves: 6

Tags: Chinese, noodles, Sichuanese, street foods.

Sticky, chewy Chinese rice cakes are definitely a textural affair.  These Chinese gnocchi make a great base for many flavors – leeks with lamb, salted egg yolks with crab roe or simply in a clear soup.  This simple Shanghai-style stir-fry recipe, which I recreated from eating the nian gao that my friend Geraldine’s mom makes, is a truly satisfying comfort food.

Chef’s tip: Well, Mrs.Liu recommended the Korean-made rice cakes over the Chinese made ones since it doesn’t require parboiling or soaking.

Marinade:
4 pieces chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2  Tablespoon shao xing wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon oil

Sauce:
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon shao xing wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chicken broth (and more if needed)

3 Tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 slices ginger, thinly julienned
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cups napa cabbage, stems and leaves separated, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
16 oz rice ovaletts (fresh, refrigerated ones, preferably Korean made), toss to separate
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 stalk green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced

1. Marinade chicken strips with soy sauce, oyster sauce, shao xing wine, sugar, cornstarch and oil for 20 minutes.
2. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or a non stick pan over high heat.  Add half the oil, when hot, add garlic and ginger.  Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add marinated meat and onions and brown meat, about 2 minutes.  Push to the side of the wok.
4. Add napa cabbage stems and red bell pepper and saute until limp, about 2 minutes.    Push to the side of the wok.
5.  Add remaining oil, then add the rice cakes.  Drizzle in part of the sauce mixture, being careful to not soak the rice cakes.  Toss all wok ingredients together.  Add in cabbage leaves.  When the sauce has cooked off, add remaining sauce in parts, each time being careful not to soak the rice cakes.  Continuously stir fry until the rice cakes are tender, about 6 minutes.
6.  Drizzle in the sesame oil, and toss with green onions.  Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Tags: Chinese, noodles, Shanghainese.