Beef and Black Bean on Rice Noodles 豉椒牛河

Ingredients

• 900 g Fresh flat rice noodles
• 454 g Flank steak (sliced)
• ½ Medium onion (cut into wedges)
• ½ Green pepper (cut into triangles)
• ½ Red pepper (cut into triangles)
• 4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
• 2 stalks Green onions (cut 10 cm long)
• 12 g Fermented black beans
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp Oil ( for frying rice noodles)
• 2 tbsp Oil (for frying beef)
• 1 tbsp Oil (for frying other ingredients)
• 4 tsp Corn starch (for slurry)
• 2 tbsp Water (for slurry)
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp White pepper powder
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Corn starch
• ¼ tsp Baking soda
• 3 tbsp Water
• 2 tsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Black bean and garlic sauce
• 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 cups Water

Steps

1. 1

   Slice flank steak to approx. 4mm thick pieces (Step 2 is optional. It is for making the beef more soft and tender, similar to the ones at Cantonese restaurants)

2. 2

   Soak sliced beef in water for 5 minutes and then drain water and squeeze out excess water from the beef. Let it dry in a colander or use a paper towel to dry the beef as much as possible. Squeeze out as much fluids as possible.

3. 3

   Once the beef is dry to the touch, add 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch and ¼ tsp baking soda. Mix together with your hands, stir in one direction, and squeezing the meat so that it absorbs the marinade

4. 4

   Now add the water to the beef one tbsp at a time. Again squeezing and stirring to help the meat absorb the water until 3 tbsp of water has been added

5. 5

   Add 2 tsp oil to the meat to seal in the water and marinade. Stir to mix. Set aside for 1 hour Don’t worry if some of the water separates from the meat after an hour. Simply drain the water

6. 6

   Loosen and separate each noodle from each other If you are using packaged rice noodles, follow the instructions on the packaging to prepare the noodles for frying. Set aside

7. 7

   Wash and cut green pepper, red pepper, onion and green onions

8. 8

   Separate the white part of the green onions and put it with the cut onions. Set aside

9. 9

   Chop garlic and wash black beans. Set aside

10. 10

    Combine 2 tbsp black bean and garlic sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce and 2 tsp sugar. Mix well and set aside

11. 11

    Prepare 2 cups water and set aside

12. 12

    When the beef is finished marinating, heat a wok to high heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Use medium high if high heat is not appropriate for your cookware. This step is to heat up the noodles. They will not be cooked again

13. 13

    Add the rice noodles to the wok. Toss and stir until the noodles are hot. It will take approx. 1 to 1 ½ minutes on high heat Heating the noodles too long will cause them to break apart

14. 14

    Remove the noodles from the wok and spread them out on a large serving plate. Set aside

15. 15

    Add 2 tbsp oil to the wok.

16. 16

    Mix the beef to loosen it up. If there is excess water, discard it

17. 17

    Add the beef (at room temperature) into the wok. Spread it out and don’t disturb it for 20 seconds or until you start seeing some browning If you start to see fluids pool on the bottom of the wok, your wok was probably not hot enough when you added the beef or the beef was not at room temperature. Try to remove the fluids from the wok

18. 18

    Flip the beef over and let it fry for 10 seconds and then stir fry until beef is around 70% cooked which will take around 20 seconds. Remove the beef, place on a plate so that they’re not stacked on each other and set aside

19. 19

    Add 1 tbsp of oil to the wok. Add garlic and black beans. Stir fry until aromatic

20. 20

    Add onions and the whites of the green onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds or until aromatic

21. 21

    Add peppers and stir fry for another 30 seconds

22. 22

    Make a well in the centre of the wok, add the sauce mixture. Stir fry the sauce for 10 seconds and then mix the sauce with the onions and peppers

23. 23

    Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine to the edge of the wok to allow it to trickle down. Continue to stir fry

24. 24

    Add 2 cups of water into the wok and cover with a lid

25. 25

    Make a slurry with 4 tsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and set aside

26. 26

    When the sauce boils, add the slurry. Mix until the sauce is thick

27. 27

    Add the beef and the green parts of the green onion into the sauce. Mix well

28. 28

    Cook until the sauce starts to simmer

29. 29

    Pour all the contents onto the rice noodles

30. 30

    Serve