Black Bean Chili Sauce Cabbage Lamb Chow Mein (黑豆辣椒青椰菜羊肉炒麵, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Ceng1 Je4 Coi3 Joeng4 Juk6 Caau2 Min6)

I used brown beech mushrooms for the first time in a noodle dish. These mushrooms are also known as Shimeji (Hypsizygus tessellatus) mushrooms and are available at your local Asian market. The mushrooms are firm with a nutty taste. Any mushroom can be substituted if beech mushrooms are not available. This lamb noodle dish actually has a lot of texture to it, through the use of cabbage, bamboo shoots, and onions, and is similar to the Cabbage Lamb Dough Sliced Noodles (青椰菜羊肉刀削麵, Ceng¹ Je⁴ Coi³ Joeng⁴ Juk⁶ Dou¹ Soek³ Min⁶) recipe, except for the addition of the black bean chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Lamb leg or shoulder meat (羊肉, joeng4  juk6), cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
10.5 oz.	297 g.	One 20 oz. (566 g.) can bamboo shoot strips (筍, seon2), drained, or use fresh if available
½ lb.	250 g.	Cabbage (青椰菜, ceng1 je4 coi3), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1	1	Onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), halved and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
8 oz.	227 g.	One package brown beech (Shimeji; Hypsizygus tessellatus) mushrooms, separated from the root
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
3	3	Red chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), cut into thin pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 lb.	500 g.	Chow mein noodles (炒麵, caau2 min6)
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Laoganma brand black bean chili sauce (黑豆辣椒油, hak1 dau6 laat6 ziu1 jau4) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Laoganma Brand
Black Bean Chili Sauce
(黑豆辣椒油,
hak1 dau6 laat6 ziu1 jau4)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the lamb leg meat by removing any skin, bones, excess fat, and sinew, and cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Wet with water and add baking soda to the lamb, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the lamb in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the lamb overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Open and drain the can of bamboo shoots, or use fresh if available (wash first). Remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
4. Wash and cut the cabbage in half. Cut ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces from the cabbage half.
5. Remove the tough outer skin of the onion, cut in half, and then cut each half into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
6. Open the brown beech mushroom package and cut the mushroom caps from the root. Brown beech mushrooms are also known as Shimeji mushrooms and are available at your local Asian market. Any mushroom can be substituted if the brown beech mushrooms are not available.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl. Wash and cut the red chili peppers into thin pieces and place into the bowl with the crushed ginger and garlic. The amount of red chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Laoganma brand black bean chili sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package and until the noodles are al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside. If using thawed, ready-made, or fresh noodles, “fluff” the noodles to separate them (i.e. you don’t want put a single mass of noodles into the wok).
2. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the lamb pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the lamb in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Set the lamb aside in a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onions. Stir fry the onions and then remove them to the bowl with the lamb.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the brown beech mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then remove them to the bowl with the lamb.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the cabbage. Stir fry the cabbage to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger, garlic, and red chilies, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger, garlic, and red chilies become fragrant. Remove the contents of the wok to the bowl with the lamb.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bamboo shoot strips. Stir fry the bamboo shoots and then remove them to the bowl with the lamb.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil and then the noodles. The wok should be very hot before adding the oil and then the noodles. Noodles cooked in a restaurant wok (over much higher heat than that available in your kitchen) are served slightly burned, which gives the noodles an extra added flavor.  To try to emulate slightly burned noodles, try to put the noodles in one layer in the hot wok and add some liquid (water, stock, or Shaoxing wine; but not too much liquid otherwise you’ll steam the noodles) to facilitate the heat transfer from the wok to the noodles, and leave the noodles alone. You want the noodles to get burned before adding more oil to the noodles and turning them over, repeating the process.
8. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the lamb back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve immediately.