Ingredients
8 oz noodles - (3-4 cups after cooking)
6 oz plain pressed tofu
1/2 cup green soybeans - (frozen or fresh), -or- baby corn spea
1/2 cup bamboo shoot, diced finely
2 oz cucumber
1 tsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp chinese bean sauce, -or- dark miso
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in...
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Directions
If you are cooking the noodles first, drain them, remove to a bowl or
serving platter, and toss with 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil to prevent
sticking (do not rinse in cold water as this reduces flavor). Crumble
the pressed tofu coarsely to yield 1-1/2 cups. Parboil green soybeans
till almost tender yet still firm (10 minutes for frozen). If using
fresh baby corn spears, steam or parboil till tender; if canned,
rinse with boiling water. Rinse green soybeans or corn in cold water
and chop finely. You should have about 1/2 cup baby corn. It is not
necessary to peel or seed the hothouse (English) or Oriental
cucumber. Regular cucumber should be pared and seeded, but leave a
few narrow strips of skin for color and texture. Julienne finely to
yield 1/2 cup. If you are using miso, dissolve it in 1/4 cup warm
water. Put 3 tablespoons oil into a preheated pan over high. When
the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium-high. Add garlic and stir-fry a
few seconds to release aroma. Add pressed tofu and bean sauce or
miso. Stir-fry briefly to mix. Add 1-1/2 cups water, 1 tablepsoon
soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally,
until the boil is reached. Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture and
cook, stirring, another minute or so until the consistency is like a
light gravy, not too thick. Test for salt, and add an extra
tablespoon soy sauce if needed. (at this point, if you like, you can
heat noodles and/or green soybeans, baby corn, and bamboo shoot by
combining with the sauce until just mixed.) Add 1/2 teaspoon sesame
oil. Remove from the stove. Pour sauce over noodles, and top with
garnish in separate arrangement (garnish with just the cucumber if
you have added soybeans or baby corn and bamboo shoot to the sauce).
Toss before serving.
Servings: 2 servings
Peking Style Noodles With Bean Sauce & Mixe Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Sauce
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to follow the history of recipes far back into history, in fact as far back into recorded history as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further than that. Having said that, mostly, these old recipes were just primitive pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to experts in ancient history are a few stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel exhilarated. Later on, in The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of documents detailing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his publication, he tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main course and dessert, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he describes how the cooks of his times used many herbs and spices, including a few you will know for example basil, mint and asafoetida. Later, there are two recipe books published in the 1300s - a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, these are not about the indian food that we all know today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and powerful of that period. Later, in the fifteenth century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and spices from the holy lands, including spices such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new culinary ideas prompted a torrent in recipe manuscripts, the majority of which still exist in academic collections. Over the following few centuries, the powerful families of the West tried to serve up the best banquets, and as a result the best cooks and their recipes were highly sought after. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s that formal cookery and recipe publications became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated years of their lives to collating, trying out, and publishing recipes of the day. By the arrival of the twentieth century, recipe books are increasing in popularity due to increased literacy, more leisure time and being a little richer. The introduction of television brought us celebrity chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to search through thousands of recipes like those on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Peking Style Noodles With Bean Sauce & Mixe recipe.
