HONG SHAO NIU ROU MIAN (TAIWANESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP)

Ingredients

spice bag made of 
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 dried orange peels • 8 star anise • 1 stick cinnamon • 1.5 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns • 1 Tsp fennel seeds • 1/2 Tsp cumin seeds • 1 Tsp cloves)
5 pounds beef shank, cut 1/2 inch slices
8 scallions, plus 2 more finely chopped
12 baby bok choy2 packages fresh thick noodles (家常粗麵條）
4 ginger, 1″ thick slices
5 cloves garlic
3 red (thai)chilies
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large (plum) tomatoes, quartered 
1 large white turnip or daikon radish, 1 inch (same size as carrots)
1/2 cup Shaohsing Rice Cooking Wine
1 cup  Taiwanese soy sauce (台灣金蘭醬油） 
2 tablespoons fermented bean paste (台灣岡山豆瓣醬）Fermented Chili Bean Curd (Chunk) with Sesame Oil 
2 apples for sweetness (optional)
2 pieces of bay leaves
1 - 2 large carrot, 1 inch (same size as turnip)
1 piece rock sugar, about 2 tablespoons
or 1/2 cup light soy sauce and 1/2 cup dark soy sauce 

1 tablespoon spicy fermented bean paste (台灣岡山辣豆瓣醬）Dou Ban Jiang or Sichuan Pixian Boad Bean Paste with Red Chili Oil
6 cups water

Wash the Chinese greens, finely chop 2 scallions and set aside.
In a large pot, boil beef shanks for about 7 minutes, pour shanks through a strainer and discard the water. Wash shanks thoroughly.
In the same large pot, heat oil over high heat, brown the aromatics: ginger pieces, scallions, whole garlic cloves, red chilies, star anise, cinnamon stick and licorice, about 5 minutes. Then add in bean pastes and saute until your kitchen is filled with the aroma, about 3 minutes.
Deglaze the pot with rice wine and soy sauce. Add the beef shanks, carrot, tomatoes, turnip, rock sugar and water. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Spoon out the beef shanks and let cool. Slice, against the grain, to 1.5″ thick slices. Put the shanks back into the broth and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour or until meat is tender but not falling apart. Strain the broth, discard ginger pieces, garlic, tomato skins, carrot and turnip.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the fresh noodles until al dente. In the same pot, blanch Chinese greens for about 10 seconds and strain.
In a deep soup bowl, place cooked noodles on the bottom, ladle in beef broth, beef stock (if you want to go through the trouble: char beef bones and aromatics, slowly simmer for hours to yield an intense beef stock) and beef slices. Top with Chinese greens, chopped scallions and serve immediately.

Homemade Pho Recipe! Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

https://youtu.be/TdrSbhPJLbs


Ingredients: 5 lbs beef soup bones 1.5 lbs boneless beef shank 1 lb slice beef eye round 2 pho spice packets (we used Pho Hoa brand) ginger whole onion green onions star anises rock candy salt 1-2 lbs of rice stick noodles Additional garnishes/condiments that you can include: chopped up cilantro onion and green onion culantro basil bean sprouts lime pepper hoison sauce siracha sauce fish sauce black pepper

Clean and remove impurities from bone and meat.

1. Boil water. Add bone, meat, salt. Boil water for 8 - 10 minutes.

2. Dump water out. Rinse bone and meat with cold water to get rid of impurities.

Make beef broth (using a crockpot or pressure cooker)

Crockpot directions:

1. Add bones and meat into crockpot. Add enough water to cover everything.

2. Turn heat setting to high. Once it boils, turn heat settling to low and cook at least 8 hours.

3. Skim excess oil floating on top of broth.

4. Remove bones and meat from broth.

5. Pour liquid from crockpot into stock pot. Do not pour in the settlements at the bottom of the crockpot.

6. Add enough hot water to double the stock.

7. Bring to boil.

Pressure Cooker:

1. Add bones and meat into crockpot. Add enough water to cover everything.

2. Pressure cook for 1 hour.

3. Skim excess oil floating on top of broth.

4. Remove bones and meat from broth.

5. Pour liquid from crockpot into stock pot. Do not pour in the settlements at the bottom of the crockpot.

6. Add enough hot water to double the stock.

7. Bring to boil.

Season Broth

1. Add the following ingredients to the pot.

• 2 pho spice packets (we used Pho Hoa brand), 
• 3-5 inches of ginger,
• 1 whole onion,
• 1 bunch of whole green onions,
• 10 -12 star anises (in coffee filter)

2. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

3. Remove everything from the broth.

4. Add salt and rock candy to your preference.

Sweet Potato Souffle with Topping

Ingredients:
3 c. sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 stick margarine
1/2 c. sweet milk (whole milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased baking dish. Cover with topping.

Topping:
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped nuts
1/3 c. flour
1/3 stick melted margarine

Mix thoroughly and sprinkle over souffle. Bake for about 35 minutes at 350.

Beef Jerky (Sien Savanh) Lao Style

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef flank steak (thinly sliced into long strips)
3 cloves Garlic (grounded)
1 tbsp Ginger (chopped and then grounded)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Sesame seed
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
5 cups Vegetable oil

Method
1. Put the beef strips in a large bowl
2. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame seed, sugar, salt, and black pepper
3. Mix well and marinate for at least two hours
4. Then put the beef strips on a tray and dry in the sun for an entire day, turning the strips occasionally to make sure both sides are dried
5. When the beef strips are dried to your preference, then heat the oil over medium heat and deep fry the beef strips until lightly crispy to crispy (according to your preference)
6. Drain and serve with warm kao neel and jeo maak len

"Salsa" with Eggplant Lao Style (Jeow Mak Keua)

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 Japanese eggplants or 1 regular eggplant
1 chili, fresh
3/4 tsp. salt
3 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. soy sauce

Prick eggplants with knife and roast over open fire or coals along with garlic, chili, and green onions until all are nicely browned and blistered, but not burnt. Combine with salt, soy sauce, and cilantro and pound or process until combined. Serve with sticky rice.

Chili Paste (Jeow Bong)

Also jaew bong, jow bang, jeow bang

Jeows or dips are found accompanying sticky rice at every meal in Laos. This special chili paste is indigenous to the ancient city of Luang Prabang. We've removed the usual dried water buffalo skin in this recipe. Serve with sticky rice and fried khai pene, a Mekong river weed.

1/4 cup galangal powder
1/2 cup chili powder
2 lbs. garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar

Place chopped garlic on a pan and dry in sun for 1 day. Fry garlic in oil until brown and crispy. Drain. Pound garlic into a paste and combine with other ingredients, stirring until mixture is smooth. Place mixture in saucepan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until a paste has formed. Place in refrigerator covered for 2 days to mature.

"Salsa" with Tomato Lao Style (Jeow Mak Len)

4 cloves garlic
pinch salt
1 chili, fresh
8 medium tomatoes, grilled over an open flame until the skin is blistered and blackened
1/2 TB oil
5 green onions
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
squeeze of lime juice
pinch sugar

In mortar or processor, combine garlic, chili, and salt. Add tomatoes and blend. Fry chopped green onion in oil in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato mixture to pan and cook until tomatoes break down and become liquidy. Add cilantro, soy, lime juice, and sugar and stir to combine.