Beef Chow Fun

This is one my favorite Chinese dishes. It's made with fresh rice noodles so be sure to check out my post about how to make those.

The dominant flavor of this dish comes from the fermented black beans. Interestingly, fermented black beans are actually soybeans, which have been dried and fermented with salt. You may also find other spices added such as chili's or ginger. You can find fermented black beans in your Asian markets in the dry foods section. I used my mortar and pestle to smash the beans.

• 8 ounces of lean steak, sirloin, flank whatever you like
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 pound fresh rice noodles
• 3-4 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine, or sake
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, smashed into a paste
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 3 tablespoons canola oil

Cut the beef into thin strips and transfer to a bowl. Add the cornstarch, dark soy, and sesame oil. Stir to coat and set aside to marinate.

Smash the white sections of the green onions and add to a bowl with the ginger and garlic. Save the green parts of the scallions to add to the dish near the end of cooking.

In a small bowl, combine the white pepper, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce and water. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil and add the ginger/garlic mixture. Stir fry about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Push to the side of the pan and add the marinated beef. Spread out into a thin layer and allow to sear, without moving, for about a minute. Add the smashed black beans, and stir the garlic/ginger mixture back in. Stir fry about 30 seconds, until the beef is just barely done. Transfer to a plate.

Reheat the pan over high heat, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the rice noodles, spreading them out in the pan. Leave them, without stirring, for about a minute to sear. If you stir them too much, they will break into smaller pieces. Add the bean sprouts and stir fry together with the noodles for about 1 minute, until the bean sprouts have softened.

Return the beef and any juices to the pan. Stir in the green onion sections and the oyster/soy mixture. Stir fry the entire mixture together for at least one minute. This dish really benefits with some time for all the flavors to combine, and to make sure the noodles are fully cooked.