When you hear the word "visionary," Irma Rombauer is probably not the first person to come to mind. But when Rombauer touted pasta as a "nutritious, inexpensive, and quick meal" in the original Joy of Cooking more than 60 years ago, little did she know what an intrinsic part of America's family menus it would become. This beautiful volume is a welcome reminder that with a little TLC, pasta for dinner can mean so much more than spaghetti and red sauce from a jar. The recipes are adapted from the ...
A home-style dish with a noodle "cake" that is golden and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, It is best made with fresh Chinese egg noodles. Once you peel and devein the shrimp, you can halve them lengthwise for a lighter presentation.
Servings: 4
BEFORE COOKING:
In a large pot, bring to a rolling boil:
4 to 4 1/2 quarts water
Add:
1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles
Cook until softened. Drain. Stir together well in a medium bowl:
1 teaspoon light or dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir in:
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Cut across the grain to make very thin 2 x 1-inch slices (more easily done if the meat is partially frozen):
8 ounces flank steak
Toss in the soy mixture and let marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir together well in another medium bowl:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Peel and devein:
8 ounces large shrimp
Toss in the cornstarch mixture and let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
Place on a large plate:
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup small bok choy leaves
1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
Stir together well in a small bowl:
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons light or dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Stir together well in a cup, leaving the mixing spoon in for later:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cool water
Have ready:
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
TO COOK:
Heat a wok or a round-bottomed pan over high heat. When hot, pour in:
1/2 cup peanut oil
Swirl around the wok until hot. Add the noodles, heaping them together loosely in a flat mound in the round bottom of the wok. Cook without disturbing until the bottom turns golden brown and the "cake" has become firm. With a slotted spoon or spatula, gently lift the noodle cake out. Invert it onto a serving platter. Keep warm in a 175 degree F oven.
Heat a clean wok or large skillet over high heat. When hot, pour in:
3 tablespoons peanut oil
Swirl around the wok until very hot but not smoking. Add the beef, quickly stirring and flipping in the oil to separate the slices, and cook lightly. Drain in a sieve or colander. Reheat the wok over high heat. When hot, pour in:
3 tablespoons peanut oil
Swirl until very hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring vigorously, until translucent, 30 to 4S seconds. Drain in a sieve or colander.
Reheat the wok over high heat. When hot, pour in:
1/4 cup peanut oil
Swirl until very hot but not smoking. Add the mushrooms, bok choy, and bamboo shoots. Stir and toss vigorously until the vegetables are well coated with oil, about 45 seconds.
Add the chicken stock mixture. Stir occasionally until the mixture boils gently.
Add the beef and shrimp. Stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture. Pour slowly into the sauce while stirring. Stir until the mixture is thickened and the contents are glazed and shiny.
Stir in the reserved sesame oil. Pour on top of the noodle "cake." Sprinkle with:
