Homemade Noodle in Pork Broth and Chili Oil

中文菜谱：猪骨汤面

As an Asian, I love having noodles.  And I love making them at home from scratch too. 

For pork broth：

4 pounds pork back bones
5 quarts water
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 large piece of ginger root, smashed
2 star anises
2 to 3 tablespoons rice cooking wine
4 to 5 dried chili peppers , cut into small pieces
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pot
2 to 3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
2 to 3 pieces of dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

For homemade noodle：

250 g bread flour
a pinch of salt
90 g water

Directions：

Wrap star anises, dried peppers, black peppercorns, dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, black cardamom pot, bay leaves and cloves with a piece of coffee filter paper and tie it up.

Pork back bones are different from neck bones because they are from different parts.  I prefer back bones and leg bones when making pork broth. 

Fill two pots with water.  Heat both of them over high heat.  Add back bones to one pot.  When it comes to boil, transfer the bones to the other pot along with spice bag, rice cooking wine and ginger root.  Discard the water where the bones were previously cooked.

Cover the pot with lid.  Reduce the heat to simmer for 3 to 4 hours.  I use a 5.75 quart Staub cast iron pot which is super great for making stew and broth.

Add ground white pepper, sugar and salt to taste.  Cook for another 15 and 20 minutes.

Add flour and salt to Philips pasta maker

I love thin noodles, so I always use Tagliatelle Pasta Disc

Cover with its lid.  Start the machine and slowly add water on top.

It will automatically knead the dough and squeeze the thin noodles out. 

There is a trick here for better textured noodle/pasta.  You can replace the water with egg + water mixture.  Or you can pause the machine for a few minutes after it kneads the dough so that the flour and water in dough can combine better.

Cook the noodle in boiling water for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Doesn’t it look good already?

I prepare diced bamboo shoots, soft boiled egg, chili oil, chopped pickled daikon, chopped peanuts and chopped green onion as toppings.

Soft boiled egg is my new favorite as noodle topping

Add pork broth and toppings to the noodle.  A bowl of freshly homemade noodle in pork broth and chili oil coming right up! O(∩_∩)O~

Bon Appétit!

Venison Ravioli

中文：鹿肉RAVIOLI

A friend of mine loves to hunt and I get some amazing game meat from her now and then.  How wonderful is that? O(∩_∩)O~ 

I made spicy venison chili and spicy skewed venison before.  So I decide to make some Asian fusion style venison ravioli this time.

 Deep fried ravioli go really great with grated parmesan cheese and hot sauce.

I deep fry half of the ravioli and boil the other half.  That is how we always eat them back home in southern China.

Dough ingredients：

2 cups semolina flour
2/3 to 3/4 cup liquid (egg + water)
salt
egg wash (to glue dough sheets together)
 

For the fillings：

1 pound ground venison
1 large egg
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 to 2 tablespoon rice cooking wine
4 to 5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 to 4 teaspoons corn starch
3 to 4 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
finely grated ginger
chicken stock (preferably homemade)
salt to taste

Directions：

Add semolina flour, egg, water and salt to a bowl.  Mix with hands until all ingredients come together.  Transfer to a well dusted large wooden board and knead until the dough becomes stretchy and elastic. 

Cover with greased plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Now let’s start with venison fillings.

Add venison, egg, onion, oyster sauce, rice cooking wine, soy sauce, corn starch, sesame oil, ground white pepper, sugar, ginger and salt to a medium/ large bowl.  With a pair of chopsticks in one hand, bowl in the other, whisk towards one direction like crazy.  Yes, that is right; whisk like crazy and the chopsticks are the best tool for the job here.

Gradually add chicken stock while whisking.  Add no more than a couple tablespoons each time.  Keep whisking and the meat will absorb any extra liquid.  Add chicken stock to the meat is a well known trick to make fillings juicy and tender in China.

With a large rolling pin , roll the dough into a large thin dough sheet and then run it through Kitchenaid pasta attachment several times until the sheet becomes smooth.  For the final time, dial the thickness to 5.

Dust ravioli mold with some flour

Place one layer of dough sheet on top the mold.  Gently press the pasta sheet into the depressions of the mold.  Spoon venison fillings into pasta pockets; brush the pasta edge with egg wash. 

Cover with another layer of pasta sheet.  Gently press down with fingers to get rid of extra air that might have been trapped in the pockets.

With a dual wheel pastry cutter , roll and cut between pasta pockets.

Deep fry them until golden brown.

Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

I love dipping them into hot sauce.

Venison is very lean.  But it can be very tender and juicy too.

Actually I only deep fry half of the ravioli.  I boil the other half, and serve them with chicken stock, chili oil sauce, sesame oil, chopped green onion, chopped pickled daikon and crushed toasted peanuts, just the way we like back home in Southern China.

It is absolutely perfect for breakfast and lunch. O(∩_∩)O~

Spinach Noodles

中文： 菠菜面条

Spinach is a popular choice when it comes to natural colorful noodles.  I love using spinach in my noodles or spaghettis.  The color is always vibrant and beautiful.  And the best part is that there is food coloring involved!  It is totally natural. O(∩_∩)O~  

Ingredients：

2 cups bread flour
1/2  to 2/3 cup spinach puree*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oil

*for spinach puree:
1 bag frozen spinach (12 oz), thawed
1 to 1 1/2 cups of water

Directions：

In a vitamix, add thawed spinach and water.  Blend at high speed until the spinach juice is really smooth.  I use vitamix because it does such a good job.  It is fine to use a regular blender too.  Just blend it a little longer. 

Measure the needed amount spinach puree.  Divide the rest into 3 to 4 Ziploc bags and freeze.  When you want to make spinach noodles again, just take out 1 bag and thaw.  How convenient is that! 

In a medium bowl, whisk together bread flour, spinach puree, oil and salt.  When everything starts to come together, knead with hands until the dough is smooth.

The dough might a little firm to knead.  That is ok. 

Wrap it up with plastic wrap.  Allow it to rest for a couple hours, or overnight.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough as flat as you can.

And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 3.

I also make egg noodle dough sheets.  Don’t they look pretty already?

Remove the roller, and put on the spaghetti cutter .

Run the thin dough sheet through pasta cutter.

They are getting prettier.

Now you have freshly homemade spinach noodles!  You can cook them right away; or you can just freeze them for later use like I do.

Savory Chinese Crepe

中文： Crepe版煎饼果子

Savory Chinese crepes are widely popular in mainland China.  They are usually sold by food trucks or food vendors.  One crepe can be done in a couple minutes from start to finish.  It is tasty and cooked really fast so that it is a lot of people’s breakfast or late night snack food on the go.

The traditional authentic version of savory Chinese crepe batter calls for mung bean flour and a few other secret ingredients like beef broth.  I substitute with French crepe batter.  It is equally delicious if not better. And it is simpler and easier O(∩_∩)O~

Crepe ingredients (makes 8 to 9):

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crispy thin crackers (make 14 to 16):

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crepe seasoning and toppings：

Crispy thin crackers
eggs
chopped cilantro
chopped green onion
sweet bean sauce
fermented tofu sauce
sriracha chili sauce
white sesame seeds

Directions：

Just like cooking French crepe, you will need a large cast iron skillet and a crepe spreader.  I use a 12 inches cast iron skillet which is perfect for making crepes. I found it in a local cookware store years ago.  What a pity they don’t make them the same way anymore.

My crepe spreader is custom made just for me!  (Yes, my husband made it.)

I start with making crispy thin crackers.  You can use wonton wrapper instead.  After being deep fried, wonton wrapper taste great too.

Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Gradually add water while whisking with a wooden spoon.  When everything starts to come together, knead with hands for a couple minutes; and then transfer to a well-dust wooden board; and knead until the dough ball is smooth and elastic.

Wrap with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Flatten the ball of dough with a large rolling pin.  And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 5.

Cut the dough sheet into 5 by 3 inches pieces.  Make a couple cuts in the middle of each piece to prevent puffing during deep frying process.

Deep fried in vegetable oil until both sides are golden brown.  Remember, wonton wrapper is a good substitute here if you don’t want to make everything from scratch.

Drain and cool them

You can store any extra crispy crackers in a sealed ziploc bag and they should last for about a week at room temperature.

Here are the sweet bean sauce, fermented tofu sauce and siracha chili sauce needed in this recipe.

Mix flour, milk, egg and salt in a blender until the batter is smooth.

Heat the cast iron skillet over medium low heat.

Spray the pan with oil and then wipe it with paper towel.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons batter.

Spread it thinly and evenly with crepe spreader.

I am behind the camera.  So it means my husband is cooking! O(∩_∩)O~

Add an egg

Spread it too

Top with white sesame seeds, chopped green onion and cilantro.

Flip the whole crepe with a spatula.

Brush with fermented tofu sauce.  I like to use silicone brushes because I can just toss them into the dish washer when I am done.  How convenient is that!

Brush with sweet bean sauce. There is no rule of how much of what should be added.  You can add the seasoning just to your own taste.

Add siracha chili sauce

Add a crispy cracker to the center

Fold from one side

And then the other side

Fold one more time in the middle

Now you have a savory Chinese crepe! bon appetit!

And I made this one O(∩_∩)O~

Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Shank and Tendon

中文： 清汤牛肉牛筋面

I enjoy making all kinds of soup from scratch at home.  They are great right off the stove.  Sometimes I use them as the soup base for Asian hot pot.  Most times I use them to use noodle soup and rice noodle soup.

The picture above is beef rice noodle soup.  And the picture below is beef noodle soup.  Can you tell the difference? O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients for beef soup:

2 to 3 pounds of beef shank
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of beef tendon
2 to 3 star anises
2 to 3 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 small piece of ginger root, smashed with knife
4 to 5 dried chili peppers , cut into small pieces
8 to 10 black peppercorns
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pot
2 to 3 cloves
1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 to 3 pieces of dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4teaspoon ground white pepper
chopped cilantro
a few drops of sesame oil
chili oil sauce
water for stewing
salt to taste

Ingredients for noodle：

1 cup of bread flour
1/4 cup of water
a pinch of salt

Directions：

Soak both beef tendon and shank in cold water for at least an hour.  Change the water twice in between.

Here are the spices for beef soup: star anises, dried peppers, black peppercorns, dried rhizome/ dried ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, black cardamom pot, bay leaves and cloves.  Wrap them with a piece of coffee filter paper.

Tie it up

In a 5.75 quart Staub cast iron pot, add water, beef tendon and shank, rice cooking wine, spice bag and ginger root.

Heat the cast iron pot over high heat.  When the soup comes to boil, remove the white gray bubbles on the top with a spoon.

Cover with lid and reduce to simmer for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Beef tendon might need longer time to cook.

In the last 15 minutes cooking, add salt, sugar and ground white pepper to taste.

Now we have a pot of wonderful beef soup.

When the soup is being stewed, I make the noodle.

In a medium bowl, add bread flour, water and salt.  Whisk with a pair of chopsticks or a wood spoon.  When everything starts to come together, transfer the dough to a dusted wooden board. 

Knead with hands until the dough is smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Flatten the ball of dough with a large rolling pin.  And then feed it through the pasta roller for KitchenAid stand mixer for several times.  At the one last time, set the thickness to 3.

Remove the roller, and put on the spaghetti cutter. 

Run the thin dough sheet through pasta cutter.

I do enjoy this moment.

What to do next is pretty easy and simple because most of the hard work is done by now.

Cook the fresh noodle in a large pot of boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds.  Drain well and add it a medium bowl, along with beef soup, sliced beef shank and tendon, a couple teaspoons of chili oil sauce, chopped cilantro and sesame oil.

The beef tendon and shank are sliced hot so they are kind of impossible to slice thinly.

The next morning, I made another bowl of beef rice noodle soup exactly the same way.  I allow the beef shank and tenon to completely chill in the refrigerator before slicing them.  Now they look much better in the soup. O(∩_∩)O~

Time to enjoy!