Shabu Shabu Beef Chow Mein (涮涮锅牛肉炒麵, Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Ngau4 Juk6 Caau2 Min6)

Shabu Shabu beef can be purchased at your local Japanese or Asian market, and is thinly sliced beef used as an ingredient to the Japanese dish by the same name. The price of Shabu Shabu beef will vary widely depending upon the cut of the meat, so pick a type that’s affordable to you. There’s no need to use any baking soda to tenderize the beef since thinly cut meat is already tender. Shabu Shabu beef is an easy to use ingredient for noodle dishes, since the beef’s already cut into thin pieces.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Shabu Shabu beef (涮涮锅牛肉, saan3 saan3 wo1 ngau4 juk6), cut into 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)
¼ lb.	115 g.	Chinese broccoli (芥蘭, gaai3 laan4), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can peeled straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained
8 oz.	227 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can baby corn (玉米尖, juk6 mai5 zim1), drained and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1	1	Onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), halved and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
10.5 oz.	297 g.	One 20 oz. (566 g.) can bamboo shoot strips (筍, seon2), drained, or use fresh if available
12 oz.	350 g.	Bean sprouts (芽菜, ngaa4 coi3)
8 oz.	227 g.	One package Kimbo brand Shredded Spice Tofu (五香豆腐絲, ng5 hoeng1 dau6 fu6 si1) or equivalent, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
2	2	Fresh red chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), optional and to taste, 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.	454 g.	One package chow mein noodles (炒麵, caau2 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)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

Shabu Shabu beef can be purchased at your local Japanese or Asian market, and is thinly sliced beef used as an ingredient to the Japanese dish by the same name. The price of Shabu Shabu beef will vary widely depending upon the cut of the meat, so pick a type that’s affordable to you. There’s no need to use any baking soda to tenderize the beef since thinly cut meat is already tender.

Kimbo Brand Shredded Spice Tofu
(五香豆腐絲, ng5 hoeng1 dau6 fu6 si1)

1. Marinate the beef 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 overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Wash and cut the Chinese broccoli into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
3. Open the Kimbo brand Shredded Spice Tofu package, or equivalent, discard any liquid, and cut into 2-inch pieces. The easiest method to cut the shredded tofu is to remove the shredded tofu from the package (it comes out as one single mass) and cut the mass into thirds.
4. Remove the tough outer skin and cut the onion in half. Cut ½-inch pieces from each onion half.
5. Open the can of straw mushrooms and discard any liquid.



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

6. Open the can of baby corn, discard any liquid, and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
7. Open and drain the can with the bamboo shoots, or use fresh if available (wash first). Remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
8. Wash the bean sprouts and remove as much water as possible to facilitate stir frying.
9. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
10. Remove any stems from the fresh red chili peppers, cut 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 and is optional, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
11. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.


12. 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. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. If using dried noodles, cook according to the instructions on the package until the noodles just become al dente, drain the noodles, and set aside. If using thawed, ready-made, or fresh noodles, “fluff” to separate the individual noodles (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 pieces to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the beef in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the beef to a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the shredded tofu. Stir fry the shredded tofu and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the baby corn. Stir fry the baby corn and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onion. Stir fry the onion and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Chinese broccoli. Stir fry to brown the Chinese broccoli. 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. Place the contents of the wok into the bowl with the beef.
8. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bamboo shoots. Stir fry the bamboo shoots and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
9. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bean sprouts. Stir fry the bean sprouts and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
10. 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.
11. Add the contents of the bowl with the beef back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
12. Add the green onions and sauce ingredients to the wok, and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish, and serve immediately.