EPISODE TWO  - NOODLES

This episode is all about Asian noodles -  from rice and wheat to egg and starch, noodles come in endless shapes, textures, and flavours, making them the perfect match for almost any dish. 

Up first, is a mouthwatering classic: Chinese Black Pepper Beef with Egg Noodles – tender, peppery, and packed with flavour. Next, Eva is off to the world of Korean cuisine with Japchae, a savory stir-fry featuring thick, chewy glass noodles, beef, and vibrant vegetables. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a spicy favorite: Singapore Noodles, featuring fine Vermicelli noodles infused with a gentle curry hit. 

Dishes you'll learn to cook: 

  • Stir fried Beef with Crispy Egg Noodle Pancake 
  • Singapore Fried Noodle 
  • Korean Japchae Noodle

 

Stir fried Beef with Crispy Egg Noodle Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 220g sirloin steak (sliced into thin pieces)
  • 95g Dried Fine Egg Noodles( approximately 1 nest)
  • 1 red onion thinly sliced
  • ½ red pepper
  • ½ green pepper
    2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
  • 4 sprigs of spring onion cut in 2cm pieces and julienned.

Marinade:

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (Chinese Cooking Wine)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ tsp white pepper

Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp white rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1tsp of coarse black pepper

Method

  1. In a bowl, add the sliced beef and marinade ingredients, mix well and set aside in the fridge.
  2. Prepare and chop all the vegetables and lay them on a plate.
  3. In another bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
  4. Place the egg noodles in a large bowl and soak in some boiling hot water for 2 minutes with a lid on and strain through a sieve. Place it on a tray with some kitchen paper or tea towel so that it can slightly dry out.
  5. In a 9 ½ inch frying pan, add some oil, place the noodles into the pan and spread them out to fill the pan like a thin pancake. Fry on medium heat both sides for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a plate and set aside.
  6. In a wok, add some oil, then the garlic and onions. Stir fry for 20 seconds and add the marinated beef and further stir fry on medium heat for 3 minutes.
  7. Now add the red and green peppers and stir fry for a further 3 to 4 minutes, then add the spring onion and sauce mix. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes and spoon it over the middle of the crispy noodles. Ready to serve.

 

Singapore Fried Noodle Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 70g Char Siu (Chinese style BBQ pork)
  • 80g of raw peeled deveined medium sized prawns (I've used size 41/50, approximately 10 pieces)
  • 250g Vermicelli noodles
  • 1/3 green pepper
  • 1/3 red pepper
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1/2 red onion sliced
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 stalk of scallion, julienned
  • 80g of fresh beansprouts
  • 3tsp mild curry spice paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • Sprinkle of salt


Char Siu:

  • 200g Irish pork neck collar or pork fillet
    Char Siu Marinade:
  • 1 tbsp Yellow Bean Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp of sugar
  • ¼ tsp of salt
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)


Method

  1. To prepare the Char Siu, add all the marinade ingredients in a bowl with 200g of Irish pork neck/ fillet. Leave to marinade in the fridge for a minimum of 30 mins. Cook in an airfryer or oven at 180 degrees for 20 mins and set aside.
  2. To rehydrate the dried noodles, heat up some water in a medium sized pot with a lid. Once the water is boiling, add the vermicelli noodles, turn off the heat and put the lid on. Steam for 2 minutes and then pour it through a sieve and cover the noodles with a tea towel so that it continues to gently steam.
  3. In a hot wok, add some oil and stir fry the egg and scramble it slightly. Take it off the heat when it is cooked but still slightly runny. Set aside.
  4. Next, add some oil, then add the prawns to cook for 1 minute until a bit brown on both sides. Set aside.
  5. Add some oil into the pan, add the onion, carrot, red and green pepper. Stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the char siu and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the vermicelli noodles, prawns, egg, beansprouts, scallion.
  6. Mix the curry paste and soy together and pour over the noodles. Season with some salt. Stir fry and mix well for a further 3 minutes and ready to serve. Garnish with some chopped spring onion.

 

Korean Japchae Noodle Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 100g of Korean Style Vermicelli ( Sweet Potato glass Noodle)
  • 100g raw beef (sliced into small strips)
  • ½ red pepper
  • ½ carrot
  • ½ small onion
  • 60g of Chinese spinach (or local)
  • 2 stalks of scallion, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 50g fresh shiitake mushroom (re-hydrated dry also works)
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Marinade for Beef:

  • 1 tsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tsp finely grated fresh Korean pear (or local)
  • ¼ Salt
  • ½ tsp Sugar
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp sesame oil

Noodle Dressing:

  • 3 tbsp of Korean soy sauce (or light soy)
  • ½ tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1/2 tbsp Roasted sesame seed
  • 1 tsp Chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp of sugar
  • ½ tsp of black pepper


Method

  1. Finely slice the carrot, onion, red pepper, shiitake mushrooms, scallion, garlic, Chinese spinach and set aside.
    Marinade the beef and set aside.
  2. Cook the Korean Glass noodles in hot boiling water for 7- 8 minutes until soft.
  3. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the noodle dressing.
  4. When the noodles are ready, drain them through a sieve and pour them into the large bowl with the noodle sauce.
  5. Now, saute all the vegetables. Into a pan, add some oil, lightly sauté the onion, carrot and red pepper for 2 minutes, add the spinach and spring onion and stir fry for a further 2 minutes until they are soft but still with a bite to it. Season with a little salt before transferring it into the bowl with the noodles.
  6. Now stir fry the beef and mushrooms in a hot oiled pan for 2-3 minutes, until the beef is cooked and the mushrooms are soft. Add this into the bowl with noodles. Mix well and ready to serve.