Chinese Broccoli Beef Heart Hong Kong Noodles (芥蘭牛心炒雲吞麵, Gaai3 Laan4 Ngau4 Sam1 Caau2 Wan4 Tan1 Min6)

My previous noodle recipe using beef hearts, Curry Tomato Beef Heart Chow Mein (咖哩番茄牛心炒麵, Gaa³ Lei¹ Faan¹ Ke⁴ Ngau⁴ Sam¹ Caau² Min⁶), was a variation on a tomato beef curry noodles using chow mein noodles. This recipe uses the thinner Hong Kong noodles (also known as Won Ton Noodles), so the ingredients are cut small to compliment the noodles width, and uses a simple soy based sauce for flavoring. As a reminder, beef hearts have the same texture as chicken gizzards and, of course, taste like beef. You can think of them as a crunchy version of beef. Also since the heart is a muscle, beef hearts do not have an organ taste, for instance, like liver. You can purchase beef hearts at your local Asian market, usually already cut into pieces.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Beef heart (牛心, ngau4 sam1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) x 2-inch (5 cm.) 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 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)
½ lb.	250 g.	Chinese broccoli (芥蘭, gaai3 laan4), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
8	8	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (油炸豆腐, jau4 zaa3 dau6 fu6), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
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.	454 g.	One package Hong Kong noodles (雲吞麵, wan4 tan1 min6)
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Kim Ve Wong brand Thick Soy Sauce (膏油醬, gou1 jau4 zeong3) or equivalent, or dark sauce (老抽, lou5 cau1)
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

 

Kim Ve Wong Brand Thick Soy Sauce
(膏油醬, gou1 jau4 zeong3)

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the beef heart by removing any silver skin, veins, and fat, and cut the meat into ½-inch (15 mm.) x 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. Marinate the beef heart 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 beef heart overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, remove the stems, and cut them into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
3. Wash and cut the Chinese broccoli into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
4. Open the fried tofu package, discard any liquid, and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
7. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Kim Ve Wong brand Thick Soy Sauce (or equivalent) or dark soy sauce, 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 beef heart pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the beef heart in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the beef heart to a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer them to the bowl with the beef heart.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu and then transfer them to the bowl with the beef heart.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Chinese broccoli. Stir fry the Chinese broccoli to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Transfer the contents of the wok to bowl with the beef heart.
6. 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 Shiitake mushroom rehydration liquid (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.
7. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the beef heart back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve immediately.