Thursday, January 27, 2011

Comfort Chinese Food - Yes, it does exist!

To my many fans out there (hahaha); I'm back!!!! This one's for you Mary! And Tiff :-P

This dreadful weather has given me a serious case of cabin fever this winter.  So many neglected cute outfits hanging in my closet and fabulous boots hidden away in boxes because it's just too freakin' cold to get dressed to go out.  All of the nights spent eating in has gotten me to really try some new dishes.  Not just any dish, but comfort Chinese food.  Yes, just like southern people have their fried chicken and collard greens, we have our thousand year old egg and pork congee (don't worry, it's not really a thousand years old), white rice with char siu (barbecued pork) and soy sauce (highly suggest Maggi or Golden Mountain, non of that Kikkoman crap from Stop and Shop), a big bowl of noodles with homemade wontons (not your frozen LingLing dumplings from Costco), oh the list just goes on and on... But tonight's specialty is beef ho fun with the saltiness of the oyster sauce, the tenderness of the beef, the soft consistency of the ho fun (noodles), and the crunchiness of the bean sprouts.

I actually looked up a few recipes online to make sure I knew what I was doing.  I guess everyone has their own version of it, so I actually decided to just cook on the fly.  Since I've grown up eating this dish at many restaurants in Chinatown, I knew the flavors that I had to achieve.  It's actually really simple, the ingredients consist of: minced garlic, sliced onions, bean sprouts, sliced beef, fresh ho fun, oyster sauce, sesame oil (just a touch), and some fresh ground black pepper.  Oh, and also, I decided to cook this dish without oil - instead I used chicken stock (trying to be healthy here).  It turned out fantastic!  Just as good as Wing Wong's in Chinatown, minus the grease.  Top if off with some Sriracha sauce and a VERY comforting meal on a cold winter night.