Beef Chow Mein with Rice Noodles

The remains of some bargain topside beef went into this dish. Finely chopped, and added to chopped spring onion and chestnut mushrooms, all the ingredients were cooked in a small lidded pot with the juice from marinaded red peppers (Polish style, mainly vinegar), and a sachet of chow mein flavoured sauce from Aldi.

Cooked slowly for about twenty minutes, while the rice noodles were cooking. The noodles were dropped into boiling water, and then the heat was turned down. Cooked at a low heat under glass.

The noodles were decanted into a metal sieve, and sifted with a fork to ensure separation. Added to the serving plate, and dusted with some Sumak powder, which imparts a lemony flavour. The beef chow mein was added to the centre, and then the dish was served. Delicious!

Vegetable Chow Mein

A chow mein made with rice noodles, rather than the more customary egg noodles.

The vegetables were marinaded in the sauce (described in a moment). The vegetables were: chopped fine beans, red pepper, onion and bamboo shoots. Plus a clove of garlic, and a couple of topped finger chillies for heat.

The sauce I used was bought from Aldi, and is made from ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, extract from anchovies and soya, malt and barley extract, and a little wheat to act as a thickener. You could make something like this for yourself, with the first three ingredients, some soy sauce, and some cornflour as the thickening agent.

The vegetables were cooked for ten minutes in the chow mein sauce under glass. The rice noodles were fresh, and were stir-fried in a little sunflower oil until slightly crispy (about three and a half minutes at a high heat). The noodles were decanted onto a plate covered with a spiral of soy sauce, and the vegetables were spooned on top. Delicious and quick to make!