Asian Flavors Hand-pulled Noodles & Stir Fry

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Mint Culinary Studio 2 West Park Ave, STE #2 DuBois, PA 15801

www.MintCulinary.Com

Spring Rolls

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 lb ground pork 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 cups grated carrots (4 to 5 carrots) 1/4 cup mirin 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably from Phu Quoc) 1 tablespoon sesame oil 7 1/2 oz very thin bean thread noodles (in small skeins, also known as cellophane or mung bean noodles), soften according to package directions 25 (8-inch) square frozen spring roll pastry wrappers made with wheat flour, thawed (*Can also use egg roll wrappers if spring rolls wrappers are unavailable) 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten (for assembly) About 6 cups vegetable oil

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Brown pork and onions. Stir in garlic and carrots, cook 3 minutes until fragrant and carrots begin to soften. Add mirin, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Cook additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and toss with noodles. Let cool until room temperature.

Assemble rolls: Line 2 trays with wax paper.

Transfer one fourth of filling to a small bowl and keep remainder chilled, covered. Place 1 wrapper on a work surface, keeping remaining wrappers covered with a clean kitchen towel (to prevent them from drying out). Cut wrapper diagonally in half to form 2 triangles.

With long side of 1 triangle nearest you, put 2 tablespoons filling along middle of long edge of triangle, and shape filling into a thin 5-inch log. Fold left and right corners of wrapper over filling, overlapping slightly and aligning bottom edges. (Wrapper will resemble an open envelope.)

Dab top corner with yolk, then roll up wrapper away from you into a long thin roll, making sure ends stay tucked inside. Place on a tray, seam side down. Repeat with remaining triangle. Make more rolls in same manner with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping trays of rolls chilled, loosely covered, until ready to fry.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a 5- to 6-quart pot over moderately high heat until it registers 375°F on thermometer. Fry rolls in batches of 5 or 6, keeping rolls apart during first minute of frying to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (Return oil to 365°F between batches.)

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Transfer as fried to a colander lined with paper towels and drain rolls upright 2 to 3 minutes. To eat, wrap hot or warm rolls in lettuce leaves and tuck in mint and cilantro leaves. Serve with dipping sauce.

*Rolls can be assembled (but not fried) 1 month ahead and frozen, wrapped well in foil. Thaw in refrigerator before frying.

Spring Roll Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger 2 tablespoons chopped green onion 2 medium cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl and set aside.

©Mint Culinary LLC Real-Deal Kung Pao Tofu (宫爆豆腐) Author: Maggie Zhu

*Be Sure to use extra firm tofu. If you cannot find this type, medium-firm tofu also works. Look for House-Foods. It is tasty, inexpensive, and made with high-quality Non- GMO US soybeans. It is also gluten-free and kosher certified. You can find it in most grocery stores and Asian markets.

Tofu 1 block (16 oz / 450 g) House Foods extra firm tofu (or medium firm tofu) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or agave nectar) 5 to 6 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) 3 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons water

Stir fry 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil) 2 teaspoons whole Sichuan peppercorns (Optional) 4 to 5 dried chili peppers 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 2 teaspoons doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean paste) (Footnote 1) (Optional) 4 green onions, roughly chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1/3 cup peanuts

Cut tofu into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a ziploc bag. Add soy sauce and maple syrup. Gently flip the bag a few times to coat tofu with the liquid. Marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside.

When tofu is marinated, open the bag and drain and discard marinade. Add cornstarch, a tablespoon at a time, and gently toss the bag to coat the tofu. It is OK if the tofu isn’t coated evenly.

Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until hot. Add the tofu with your hand (or a pair of tongs), shaking off any extra cornstarch. Let cook without

©Mint Culinary LLC moving for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side. If the pan gets too hot, turn to medium or medium low heat. Transfer cooked tofu to a plate. Set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the Sichuan peppercorns. Cook and stir until the peppercorns turn dark (but not black). Remove the Sichuan peppercorns and discard them.

Add the chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and doubanjiang. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds to release the fragrance. Add the bell pepper and green onion. Stir for 20 seconds.

Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir a few times until the sauce thickens. Add back the cooked tofu. Gently toss to coat with sauce. Add the peanuts and give it a quick stir. Immediately transfer everything to serving plate.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes *If you do not use doubanjiang, taste the tofu at the end and add a pinch of salt, if needed.

©Mint Culinary LLC Flat Hand-Pulled Noodles (Biang Biang Mian) with Chili Oil Vinaigrette (Recipe Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Biang Biang noodles are a popular dish from the Shaanxi province of China. (Shaanxi is situated geographically between the Shanxi and Sichuan provinces.) They are handmade, flat, belt-like noodles often served with lots of hot peppers and chili oil in the cold winter months. The name describes the sound made when the noodles are slapped against a table to stretch them.

Dough 2⅓ cups (12¾ ounces) bread flour ¾ teaspoon salt 1 cup (8 ounces) water 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Chili Vinaigrette 10 to 20 bird chiles, ground fine ½ cup vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns ½ cinnamon stick 1 star anise pod 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons black vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon sugar 4 quarts water 1 tablespoon salt 12 fresh cilantro sprigs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 6 scallions, sliced thin on bias

BEFORE YOU BEGIN Bird chiles are dried red Thai chiles, and are pretty spicy. Spice tolerance can vary a lot so I’m giving a range here. If you’re part of the can’t-be-too-spicy crowd, go for the high end. If not, scale back accordingly. Black vinegar, an important ingredient and condiment in Chinese cuisine, is a dark vinegar made from glutinous rice or sorghum. Its flavor is fruity, slightly malty, and smoky. It can be found at Asian markets or online.

In step 1, you can mix the dough in a food processor instead of a stand mixer: Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, add water and oil and process until dough forms satiny ball that clears sides of workbowl, about 90 seconds.

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It is critical to rest the dough for at least 12 hours (and up to 48 hours). During this long rest, the gluten network becomes more extensible, making it easier to pull long, flat noodles by hand. Note that after 24 hours the surface of the dough may develop small black speckles. This oxidation has no impact on flavor or safety.

For the Dough: Whisk flour and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Add water and oil. Fit stand mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and satiny, 10 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, mix dough in food processor, following instructions above.) Transfer dough to counter, knead for 30 seconds, and shape into 9-inch log. Wrap log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours.

For the Chili Vinaigrette: Place chiles in large heatproof bowl. Place fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside. Combine vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon, and star anise pod in small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until garlic and ginger are slightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour through strainer into bowl with chiles; discard solids in strainer. Stir chile oil to combine and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until combined; set aside.

Noodles: Unwrap dough, transfer to lightly oiled counter, and, using bench scraper or knife, divide into 6 equal pieces (each 1 ½ inches wide). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring water and salt to boil in large pot; reduce heat to low and cover to keep hot. Following the video in "Before You Begin" working with 1 piece at a time, oil both sides of dough and flatten into 7 by 3-inch rectangle, with long side parallel to edge of counter. With both hands, gently grasp short ends of dough. Stretch dough and slap against counter until noodle is 32 to 36 inches long (noodle will be between 1/16 and 1/8-inch-thick). (If dough is hard to stretch to this length or is snapping back significantly, set aside on counter and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, continue stretching remaining portions of dough.) Place noodle on counter. Pinch center of noodle with forefingers and thumbs of both hands and pull apart with even pressure in both directions to rip seam in middle of noodle and create 1 continuous loop. Cut loop to create 2 equal-length noodles. Set noodles aside on lightly oiled counter (do not let noodles touch) and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat stretching and cutting with remaining pieces of dough.

Return water to boil over high heat. Add half of noodles to water and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles float and turn chewy-tender, 45 to 60 seconds. Using wire skimmer, transfer noodles to bowl with chili vinaigrette; toss to combine. Return water to boil and repeat with remaining noodles. Divide noodles among individual bowls, top with cilantro and scallions, and serve.

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