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Another of the many stirfry dishes the Chinese prepare is Beef Chow Mein. An authentic Cantonese recipe for this dish feature fresh egg noodles in a cake where the meat and vegetables are placed on top of the noodles softening them. Chinese egg noodles resemble Wonton noodles Egg noodles are much smoother in appearance. Do not mistake these two noodles. Egg noodles are called by some Hong Kong noodles and should never be mistaken for Wonton noodles.

Ingredients

The noodles:

½ Lb. of fresh Chinese egg noodles (also available as already fried in a can)

The meat:

½ Lb of fresh flank steak or stew beef cut into bite sized portions

¼ teaspoon of sugar

¼ teaspoon of Asian type sesame oil

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

The sauce:

1 tablespoon of Soy sauce

2 tablespoons of Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

2 teaspoons of cornstarch+

½ cup of chicken broth (you may use reduced salt broth if desired)

Cooking oil:

¾ cup of peanut oil

¼ teaspoon of white pepper

1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic

Vegetables:

3 scallions cut into 2 ½ pieces

2 ½ cups of fresh Shitake mushrooms (discard the stems and cut the caps into quarters)

2 ½ cups of choy sum or 1 inch wide broccoli florets

1 large stalk of bok choy or celery

The ingredients are segregated so you will know which ones are used in the various parts of the recipe.

Preparing the fresh noodles only the canned noodles are ready to use.

Preparation

Bring 2 quarts of unsalted water to a boil in a pot. Add the fresh noodles, stirring them to keep them separated. Allow them to cook for 15 seconds. Using a colander allow the noodles to drain, then rinse with cold water until the noodles are cool. Shake the colander with the noodles briskly to drain the excess water. Set aside!

The steak of stew beef is first cut with the grain into strips 1 ½ to 2 inches wide then further cut across the grain into chunks about ½ inch wide. It is then put into a bowl and with your hands toss the beef with the sugar. Put the rest of the ingredients listed under meat into the bowl mixing them with the meat and allow the meat to marinate while you are preparing the other parts of the dish.

The sauce is made by mixing together the remaining ingredients listed under the heading sauce. These ingredients are put in the order listed and thoroughly mixed together so there are no lumps.

The way to properly heat a wok is important you can accomplish this by heating the wok over high heat until a drop of water will evaporate in one to two seconds.

To the wok then add a tablespoon of peanut oil allowing it to heat until it is just smoking. Add the noodles formed into cakes about nine inches in diameter and add them to the wok. Press the noodles down until the cake is about ½ inch thick allow them to fry until their bottoms are golden in 4 to 5 minutes. You have to rotate the noodle cake regularly with a spatula occasionally lifting the edges to check their color. Turn the cake of noodles over when it has reached the desired color and cook the other side until it too us golden 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the noodle to a large plate covered with a paper towel. Cover the noodle cake with a paper towel to keep it warm. Empty any excess oil from the wok and thoroughly wipe it out with a paper towel.

Heat the wok again until a drop of water will evaporate in 1 to 2 seconds. Pour 1 tablespoon full of peanut oil down the side of the wok then swirl it around until the wok is thoroughly covered by slightly tipping the wok. As quickly as possible add the marinated beef to the wok in a single layer covering the bottom and sides. This is cooked undisturbed for about 1 minute until the meat is browned on the bottom then stir fry until the meat is thoroughly browned on the surface but pink in the center. Then transfer the meat with any juices to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to wok over high heat. Add the chopped garlic and ginger to the wok and allow too cook for about 5 seconds. Then add the scallion pieces and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. The next thing into the wok are the shitake mushrooms; stir-fry these for 1bout 3 minutes. Add the choy sum* and stir-fry until the leaves are bright green and only slightly wilted. The bok choy or celery can be added to the wok with the choy sum. Cook until tender. Stir the sauce until thoroughly mixed and pour into a well at the center of the ingredients in the wok and allow to thicken slightly. Then you stir-fry the beef into the rest of the ingredients allowing it to become thoroughly covered with the sauce. The final step is to return the dish to a boil then pour over the prepared noodle cakes to serve.

* Choy sum is another name for bok choy. In a supermarket it is called bok choy.