Spicy Beef Asian Noodles

I'm not exactly sure what to call this dish because it's kind of a butchered version of a dan dan mein (noodles) recipe that I found somewhere that I can't remember (ah, aging, ain't it grand?). That recipe isn't what I would consider classic Sichuan style but it's an acceptable version. But because I've substituted several of the ingredients, I don't feel calling this recipe dan dan mian completely true. So let's just stay with spicy beef noodles.


You can use any kind of Asian noodles, I just so happen to have some fresh packaged Chinese noodles on hand. I do like the thicker noodles in this dish. You can also substitute the sesame paste with peanut butter but I like the taste with sesame paste. The recipe below is for 1 person serving. I double everything when making it for the Mister and me. Also, we like it pretty hot so I usually add more of the chili sauce (the one with the rooster on front) than what the recipe calls for. Adjust heat to your liking.

Ingredients:
6 oz of Asian style noodles

Broth:
1 tablespoon sesame paste (or peanut butter)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp white or rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chili sauce (can substitute with chili oil)

Topping:
6 oz of ground beef (you can use ground pork but you'll have to call it Spicy Pork Noodles!)
2 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Szechuan soybean paste (or substitute with black bean paste)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped green onion
1 teaspoon salad oil (I use canola oil)
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (or chili oil)
1 teaspoon cornstarch and cold water, mixed

Directions:
In a wok or pan, heat oil on medium-high and cook meat until done. Add all the topping ingredients, stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add cornstarch slurry and cook for another minute to thicken.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.

In medium pot, add all the broth ingredients and bring to boil. Place the broth in a serving bowl. Add noodles. Add toppings to noodles. Serve hot.

Chopped Szechuan pickles and/or dried small shrimp, and chopped peanuts can also be added on top for an additional twist. Also a quick note that the taste will vary a bit between the Szechuan soybean paste and the black bean paste. The Szechuan soybean paste is on the sweeter side, sometimes used in zha jiang mein. I actually only use miso paste for my version (actually my Mom's version) of zha jiang mein. But that's another post.

Have a wonderful weekend! Now go and eat well.

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Vanilla-Vanilla Cupcakes

I've really become quite fond of making cupcakes. Well, and eating them too. They are quick to make and easy to eat. A cupcake a day keeps all your blues away (but not your waistline). My favorite is a yellow cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting, which is also my basic (foundation) yellow cupcake and frosting recipe. The recipes can be modified to make chocolate or several other types of flavors.

I dubed this my Vanilla-Vanilla Cupcakes (or Vanilla Squared Cupcakes) and used vanilla sugar in the batter. Vanilla sugar is easy to make if you have a vanilla bean. Combine the vanilla bean and sugar in a jar with a lid. Close lid and let sit for several days. Sugar will smell and taste (a bit) like vanilla. I try to keep some on hand for baking.

I kind of switch back and forth in the type of flour that I use, depending on the type of cake I want. If you prefer a slightly crumblier type of cake, use only all-purpose flour. If you like more of a cakier, pound cake like texture, substitute 1/2 cup of the flour with cake flour. The recipe below is for the latter. I really enjoy pound cake and find that this vanilla frosting goes very well with the cake. The vanilla frosting is sweet but not overly sweet like many of the ones out there. I have yet to try the recipe with all cake flour.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it)
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, softened (I like to use LAND O LAKES)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)

Vanilla Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, softened (I like to use LAND O LAKES)
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 pinch of table salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Note that I actually use 325 degrees because my muffin pan is the non-stick, darker kind. By turning down the oven temp and "maybe" extending the cooking time (just a wee bit) will prevent the cupcakes from getting a little too dark on the bottom and sides. Keep them light and tender!

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy, scraping bowl occasionally to ensure thorough mixing. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each one. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to slow and alternately add flour mixture and then the milk, mixing after each addition. I add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix, followed by half of the milk and mix, then anther 1/3 flour mixture and mix, then the remaining milk and mix, and finally the remaining flour mixture and mix just until everything is incorporated. (Did you get all that?) Don't over beat the batter or the cupcakes can get tough. Scraping down the sides of bowl down as needed will help. Remember, keep them light and tender!

Divide batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4th full. Bake until the cupcakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. This will be about 18-20 minutes. If baking at the lower temperature, I still recommend checking the cupcakes around 18 minutes but it usually takes 20 minutes in my oven in my pan.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and cool completely. You can use a butter knife to help get the cupcakes out of the pan. Cooling can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

Prepare the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling. Put the butter in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the butter is creamy and pale in color. This may take up to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well after each addition, scraping the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and salt. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, for about 1 minute.

Frost the cupcakes. I like to use an open flower tip to create various decorations just because I suck at frosting with a small offset spatula. I also don't mind too much on cleaning. I'm still practicing with other type of tips, too, just for the fun of it.

Frosted cupcakes can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Now go and eat well.

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French Bread (Baguettes)

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. To counter all that candy and chocolate, here's another bread recipe that I made this weekend. It's a simple French Bread recipe from Betsy Oppenneer's The Bread Book. Oppenneer called it French "style" because authentic French bread is made from French-milled flour that creates a lighter loaf. Whatever because these are light enough for me.


See all those holes? Pretty light. And the crust was just crusty enough but not as thick or hard on a tooth like rustic breads can be. Using a steam pan really does the trick to develop a beautiful crust and easy enough for a beginner home baker like me.


I made 4 loaves of baguettes on Saturday and there's only a half loaf left this morning. We had them plain with butter, toasted with butter, for breakfast with over easy eggs, toasted with Chopped Liver, toasted and grounded to make bread crumbs for meatloaf, and toasted for leftover meatloaf sandwiches. Mmm-mmm-mmm.

As with most basic yeast bread recipes, this one took time, a little more time than some. This particular recipe used cool water and longer than usual rising time to build more flavor and the airy texture that a good french loaf should have.

You might think 4 loaves is a lot but these are smaller than those you find at stores, only about 14" long each. But they keep well wrapped up and retoasts nicely.

I used a baguette pan for 3 of the loaves (because it only holds 3 loaves) and then 1 on a baking sheet. To my surprise, the one on the baking sheet crusted up better than the baguette pan's. The top crusts were pretty much the same, but it was the bottom crusts where the difference was. The pan produced almost a par-baked bottom. I think the reason is because the bottom of the pan is perforated and sat right above the steam pan. I ended up rebaking the loaves upside down for another 10 minutes on the baking sheet and it crisped up nicely. Kind of like the par-baked breads from the store, except that the loaves were completed cooked through and are much lighter and airy. And IMHO, much better tasting. Now I'm completely spoiled.

The other difference in using the baguette pan was that the loaves proofed into very nice rounder loaves, like what store bought baguettes looked. I liked the looks of the loaves but tastes were the same as the one baked on the baking sheet.

I think the next time I make these (and I will soon), I'll still use the baguette pan but will also add my pizza stone on the bottom to see if that helps with the bottom crust. I also think I will try preheating the oven at 450 degrees F instead of the recipe's 425 degrees. From everything that I've read, a higher temperature when first inserting the loaves is key to rise and crust formation.
I decided to use the stand mixer to do the initial mixing since that is much easier on the arm. I sort of followed Oppenneer's recommendations and I think I finally have it figured out. The recipe below is for initial mixing with a stand mixer. If you want to do this manually, you might want to read what I did with the basic white bread recipe.

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 oz) or 1 scant Tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 cups cool water (45-55 degrees F)
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
Cornmeal (if using baguette loaf pan)

Using a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), soften the yeast in the warm water.

Add salt to bowl. Use the paddle attachment for this step (NOT the dough hook). On medium speed (#4), add 3 1/2 cups of the flour, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time to prevent flour from getting everywhere. After the flour is incorporated, beat for 2 minutes. The dough will still be fairly sticky at this point but it's ready for kneading.

On a well-floured work surface, turn out the dough, using a dough scraper if needed. Flour your hands and the dough surface really well and start kneading. Add a little bit of flour as needed to prevent sticking, for 8 to 10 minutes. I ended up adding almost another cup of flour but how much will depend on each particular situation.

Use a dough scraper to scrape the dough if it sticks. The dough is ready when it's smooth, elastic, and you see blisters (small bubbles beneath the surface) on the surface.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball. Cover with a tightly woven kitchen towel or cover with plastic. Let rise in a cool place (about 60 degrees F) for about 3 hours or until triple in size. Since the house was on the comfortable side (about 73 degrees) that morning, I had to find a place where it was a bit cooler, I chose a spot on the floor tile, in the corner of the living room.

I checked on it after an hour and it seems to be rising a little bit faster than it suppose to. So I put the bowl on the top shelf of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to slow things down a bit. I then placed the bowl back in the corner on the tile floor for another hour. By then, it looked like it was ready to flow out of the bowl so I put the bowl back into the fridge for the remaining 30 minutes.
Prepare the baguette pans by oiling and sprinkling with corn meal. If using a baking sheet, oil the baking sheet, no corn meal.

Turn the dough out on a lightly oiled work surface. Divide the dough into quarters. Roll out each piece into an 8 x 10 oval and then fold it lengthwise in thirds. Flour the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Use the side of your hand to make a lengthwise crease down the center. Fold it in half and pinch the seams closed. Make sure you pinch the seams hard enough to keep it closed. Taper the ends a bit. This and the folding will help develop the skin on the dough that is crucial for good final crust formation.

Starting in the middle, use flat palms to gently roll the dough back and forth to form a even 14" cylinder. Try to make the cylinder about the same thickness its entire length. But if it's a bit off, don't worry about it. Close is good enough.

Repeat this with the remaining 3 pieces of dough. Put the loaves seam side down on the prepared pan or baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature for 40 minutes.

While the loaves are in their final proofing, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a shallow pan on the lower shelf of the oven. I used the bottom of an old roasting pan.

Shortly before baking, make diagonal slashes in the loaves, about 2" apart and about 1/4" deep. I like my slashes to be just a bit deeper, about 1/2". I think it's prettier that way. Use a sharp serrated knife.

Lightly (very lightly) brush the top of the loaves with cold water and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Brush with cold water again just before putting into the oven.

Heat up 2 cups of water, doesn't need to be boiling, just hot.

Place the loaves into the oven. Carefully and gently (but quickly) pour the hot water into the preheated pan on the bottom shelf (see warning below about steam). Be careful of the hot steam, keep your head back. Close the oven door immediately to trap the steam. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until they pull slightly from the pan and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
The internal temperature should be 200 degrees F.

Remove from pans immediately and cool on racks.

WARNING: I have read on a couple of bread sites that some home ovens have problems when using the steam method. Apparently some of the newer electric ovens are shutting off due to the extra steam. So please read your owner manuals and/or contact your oven manufacturer if you have any doubts before trying this or voiding your warranty. I have a very old basic oven with no electronic brain to screw up and found no ill-effect of the steam.

That's it. If this is too many loaves for you to eat, share it with friends and family. Receiving home baked items made with care and love is one of the nicest things in the world, IMO. Now go and eat well.

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