Beef On Egg Noodles

A friend once asked if Jan really cooks in small portions. The images on our blog seem to leave the impression that we eat very little. The truth is that we dish out far more massive results. We just take out small portions for photo purposes. Otherwise, the size of our actual helpings might scare readers away.

This dish in particular was so big I was sure it alone added two rings to the spare tire already forming around my belly. I don’t know why we cooked the entire pack of noodles when technically it was just really the two of us eating. Our two small kids still have the appetites of birds on a diet.

Ingredients:

250 g egg noodles
200 g beef sirloin cut into strips
¼ cup eggs, beaten
2 tbsps cornstarch
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsps ginger juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsps oyster sauce
4 tbsps cooking wine
¼ cup chicken stock
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
Cooking oil
Carrots, sliced
Water spinach
Onions, sliced
Garlic, chopped
Ginger, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Procedure:

1. Mix baking soda with beef strips and leave for 15 minutes. Next add 1 tbsp of cooking wine, ginger juice, salt, Worcestershire sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce. Leave for another 10 minutes.

2. Add eggs and cornstarch. Heat cooking oil in a pan and fry beef strips. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Mix 1 tbsp of sesame oil into the strained noodles.

4. Heat oil in another pan and sauté garlic, onions and ginger. Add the beef strips, carrots, chicken stock, 3 tbsps cooking wine, sugar, salt and pepper. Let boil then add water spinach.

5. Add noodles and mix. Add 3 more tbsps of oyster sauce and mix. Top with green onions and serve. Serves 4.

Wife’s Verdict:

Jan did this recipe grudgingly at my request. He wasn’t too crazy about it because I made him follow a step by step recipe in a magazine. Credits for the inspiration for this recipe go out to Yummy. The truth though is that we didn’t have all the ingredients on hand and the instructions weren’t all too clear so Jan really ended up doing his own thing.

Clearly, the star of this dish was the beef. All those ingredients used for its marinade gave it a mixed but fused eggy, sweet and slightly spicy taste. Of course, beef strips, when they have just the right degree of tenderness, are perfect with egg noodles.

Jan’s Quip: “Cookbooks are meant to gather inspiration from and not to follow to the letter.”