Cantonese Beef Chow Mein

Fri, 9 April 2021

Chef Kwanghi Chan's Cantonese Beef Chow Mein

Ingredients
1/2 LB flank steak or any kind of steak
1/2 a green & yellow pepper sliced
1/2 onion sliced
1/2 package chow mein noodles
4-5 tablespoons oil
2 slices of ginger

Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup water (to mix with corn starch)
3-4 tablespoons oyster sauce (start with 3 tablespoons, and add more if you prefer it more salty)

Beef Marinade
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine
1 tablespoon water
condiments (optional)

Instructions:
Cut the beef against the grain into thin slices and put it in a bowl.
Add the ‘Beef Marinade’ ingredients into the bowl or a zip bag and mix well and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature. In a sieve or strainer run hot water through the noodles for a few seconds.

To make the sauce, combine 1/4 cup of cold water and corn starch and mix until the corn starch has dissolved well with no clumps.
Add in the oyster sauce and mix until the sauce is smooth. Add in the maple syrup and the rest of the 3/4 cup of water and mix well.

In a wok or frying pan, set the heat at medium to medium-high. Add 4 tablespoons of oil to the pan and wait for the oil to become really hot.

Add in the noodles and let them ‘pan fry’ untouched for 1 minute, flipping once every minute for around 5-8 minutes. Our goal is to get the noodles dried and crispy. Remove from the pan and spread it out on a serving plate

Putting it Together:
Set the stove to medium, to medium high heat again and add a tablespoon of oil.

When the oil is hot, add in the slices of ginger and roast it until it is brown.

Add in the beef and fry it for 2-3 minutes until the beef is cooked. It’s okay to have the beef medium rare for this dish.

Add in the onions and green peppers and toss it with the beef for about 2-3 minutes (we don’t want to overcook the veggies).

Give the sauce a quick stir (corn starch likes to settle at the bottom).
Push aside the veggies and beef on the pan and pour in the sauce.

Once the sauce gets enough heat, it will start to thicken, keep stirring with your spatula until it thickens and starts to bubble.

You will know the sauce is done when it becomes a darker colour, translucent and thick.

Toss the meat and veggies over the sauce and coat everything with the sauce and cook it for about 1 minute.

Pour everything over the plate of noodles, and serve.