Daring Cooks' Nut Butter & Taiwanese Cold Noodles

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This months' challenge was revealed 2 days before my flight back to Taiwan. When i found out that we had to make nut butters using food processors, i knew i had to act quickly and finish the challenge before i went back to TW where i would be lacking in all sorts of kitchen appliances. But with all the packing, moving, and world cup games going on, nut butter was the last thing on my mind. I wasn't reminded of my challenge until i got to unplugging the food processor cord from the wall... so with 30 minutes left before leaving for the airport, i quickly grounded some sliced almonds, packed it up, threw it in my check-in bag and said good-bye to my room!

So after a few days of rest, i finally dragged my lazy ass off the couch and made Taiwanese Cold Noodles (涼麵) with the Almond butter that flew back with me. I replaced the traditionally used oil noodles with no-carb, no-calorie Shirataki / Konjac noodles and topped it off with bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, eggs, and chicken breasts. This makes a very light and refreshing meal, perfect to combat the fiery summer heat of Taiwan. Thanks for the challenge, Margie & Natashya!

Homemade Nut Butters

• The process for making various types of nut butters is essentially the same. Pour nuts into bowl of food processor [picture 1]. Grind the nuts in the processor until they form a paste or butter. The nuts first turn into powdery or grainy bits [picture 2], then start to clump and pull away from the side of the bowl, and finally form a paste or butter [picture 3, 4]. The total time required depends on the fat and moisture content of the nuts; grinding time will vary from roughly 1 to 4 minutes (assuming a starting volume of 1 to 2 cups [240 to 480 ml] nuts). Processing times for a variety of nuts are described below.
• You may add oil as desired during grinding to make the nut butter smoother and creamier or to facilitate grinding. Add oil in small increments, by the teaspoon for oily nuts like cashews or by the tablespoon for dryer/harder nuts like almonds. You may use the corresponding nut oil or a neutral vegetable oil like canola.
• The inclusion of salt in the nut butters is optional and to taste. If you make nut butters from salted nuts, peanuts or cashews for example, you will not need additional salt. We recommend making unsalted nut butters for use in the challenge recipes (and other savory recipes) since the recipes call for salt or salty ingredients. You can then adjust the salt to taste. If you are making nut butter for use as a spread, you should add salt according to your preference.
• Roasting the nuts before making nut butters is optional according to your preference. To roast nuts in the oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4). Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and a shade darker in color. Allow nuts to cool before grinding. Roasted nuts will make butter with darker color than raw nuts.
• It’s helpful to keep in mind that the yield of nut butter is about half the original volume of nuts. If you start with 1 cup nuts, you’ll get about ½ cup nut butter.
• The consistency of nut butters varies from thin & soft (almost pourable) to very thick and hard depending on the fat content of the nut. Homemade nut butters will probably not be as smooth as commercial products.
• Homemade nut butters are more perishable than commercial products and should be stored in the refrigerator. The nut butters harden & thicken somewhat upon chilling.

Approximate Processing Times in Food Processor for Nut Butters:

• Almonds: form a thick butter in about 2 to 3 minutes for slivered almonds, or 3 to 4 minutes for whole almonds; the skin of whole almonds will leave dark flecks in the butter
• Cashews: form a smooth, spreadable butter after about 2 minutes of processing
• Hazelnuts: form a firm, thick, and grainy butter in about 2 to 3 minutes; to remove the skin from whole hazelnuts, roast in a 400 degree F oven (200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6) for about 5 minutes or till skins loosen, then rub hazelnuts in a clean dishtowel to remove some of the skin; the remaining skin will leave dark flecks in the butter
• Macadamias: form a soft and smooth butter in about 2 minutes
• Peanuts: form a thick, grainy butter in about 2 or 3 minutes
• Pecans: form a very soft, oily, pourable butter in 1 or 2 minutes; the skins give pecan butter a slightly tannic and bitter flavor
• Walnuts: form a very soft, oily, pourable butter in 1 or 2 minutes; the skins give walnut butter a slightly tannic and bitter flavor
• Pistachios: According to the Nut Butter Primer from Cooking Light, pistachio butter is dry and crumbly with a tendency to clump during processing; they recommend combining it with softened cream cheese for easy spreading and report a processing time of 3.5 to 4 minutes. Please note, we did not test pistachio butter.

Taiwanese Cold Noodles with Almond Dressing:

INGREDIENTS:

• For the ALMOND DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded garlic (making a paste)
• 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
• Water, adjust to desired consistency
  
  
• For the COLD NOODLES:
• Chinese egg noodles /oil noodles, cooked and drained
• Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• Fresh bean sprouts and Chinese chives, boiled and drained
• Fresh carrots, julienned
• Fresh cucumbers, julienned
• Pan-fried egg omelettes, sliced into thin strips.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients together in a large bow and mix until well blended. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or more almond butter. Set Aside.
2. Place the cooked noodles onto a plate and top with shredded chicken breasts, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, and egg. Drizzle with desired amount of almond dressing, gently toss and enjoy.

Taiwanese Cold Noodles

Ants Climbing a Tree (螞蟻上樹)

HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER!

Wow, i can't believe we're already on to the Tiger year! Sheesh, time sure does fly... To me, this only means that i'll be leaping onto my 3rd round of Rabbit year very very soon (24 years old: that's when my mom gave birth to my brother, eeek!). So anyways, it's been 5 years since I've properly spent my CNY. By properly, i mean: visiting the whole family tree, screaming baby cousins, hot pots, new year snacks, fireworks, and of course, Hong Baos (red envolopes). And even with a short description of my own CNY experience, i'm sure you can probably figure what a big deal CNY is for us. It's the equivalent of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years added together. We've got tons of food like Thanksgiving, family reunions and gifts [aka money] like Christmas, and countdowns + fireworks like New years. It's an all-in-one celebration, really-- appropriately reflecting the cheapo, 怕麻煩 (hassle-phobic), yet generous Asian spirit, hahaha. Oh, how i miss it!

So this brings me to today's recipe: Ants Climbing a Tree. In simple food terms, it's cellophane noodles cooked with ground pork. People thought the tangled meat between the noddles looked like ants on a tree bark, so that's how it got its fancy name. This recipe is so easy that, seriously, nothing can go wrong. All you need is a jar of black bean sauce and you've got yourself an instant magic-maker. So for those who still haven't set up a Chinese New Year menu yet, i'm sure this will make a lovely addition to your dinner table. Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Ants Climbing a Tree (螞蟻上樹)

from Eupho Cafe

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 150 grams dried cellophane noodles (aka bean thread noodles, glass noodles, crystal noodles, Chinese vermicelli) (4 portions)
• 400 grams ground pork
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• Red chilis, minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce (豆辦醬)
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons spring onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak the cellophane noodles in warm water until soft, about 10 minutes. Cut the noodles in half or quarters with a pair of scissors for shorter length [picture 1]. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat, then add the ground pork and stir-fry until it has changed color and nearly cooked.
3. Add in the ginger, garlic, red chilis (optional), and black bean sauce [picture 2]. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the water, soy sauce, and sugar. Cook until it comes to a boil [picture 3].
5. Once the sauce is boiling, add in the noodles and turn down the heat to low [picture 4]. Continue to stir-fry until all the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles. The noodles should look thick, clear, and glossy.
6. Add in the spring onions and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and give it a good toss.
7. Garnish with more spring onions right before serving.

Ants Climbing a Tree (螞蟻上樹)

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

I heart Maangchi! For any Korean food lover whom (who/whom? i never know how to use them properly) wishes to recreate one of your favorite Korean dishes, Maangchi's website is the place to go. Not only does she have great authentic recipes, but she also provides a video tutorial for every dish. And oh~ how i love her videos! She takes you through each step carefully and yet still captures the essence of Asian-ism with her blind (but accurate) measurements. It's quite a contrast from western cooking where everything is meticulously measured out beforehand. The truth is (okay, i'm speaking in general here), Asians never use measuring cups or spoons when cooking, it just comes naturally! If you don't believe me, just ask the mom of your closest Asian friend, she'll know what i'm talkin' about!

So here's Maangchi's recipe for Jajangmyeon (a.k.a Korean black bean noodles). For those who watch Korean TV dramas should be no stranger to Jajangmyeon-- it's the #1 takeout/delivery food on every show! There's always that scene where the flawless pretty boys (or girls) dive into a bowl of black goo followed by loud, slurping noises. LOOK: i even found this on the 1st page of google images just by searching for "jajangmyeon", LOL. Anyways, the thing about Jajangmyeon is, unless it's with close friends or family, I highly recommend NOT eating this infront of anyone you're trying to impress (i.e. first dates). But who knows, that guy/girl might just fall for your sloppy slurps and tarred mouth. And if they do, it will surely be true love ;)

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

from Maangchi at maangchi.com

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound (220 grams) pork belly
• 7 tablespoons black bean paste
• 1 cup Asian radish, cut into half inch cubes
• 1 cup sweet potatoes or plain potatoes, cut into half inch cubes
• 1 cup zucchini, cut into half inch cubes
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 3 cups water
• 2 - 3 tablespoons potato starch powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cucumber sliced into thin strips, for garnish
• One bunch egg noodles

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the of pork into ½ inch (1cm) cubes. Leave the skin on.
2. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to a heated wok. When that’s hot, add the pork and stir fry it until it looks crispy.When the pork is well cooked and the color turns golden brown, drain all the hot fat and set the pork aside. Leave it in the wok for later use [picture 2].
   
   
3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tbs of vegetable oil. When that’s hot, add 7 tbs of black bean paste and stir fry for 1 minute [picture 3, 4].
4. Remove the extra oil and set the black bean paste aside.
   
   
5. Reheat the crispy pork in your wok over high heat, and add 1 tbs of olive oil.
6. Add radish and sweet potato (or potato) and saute them for 2 minutes.
7. Then add zucchini and onion and saute them for another 2 minutes [picture 5].
8. Add 3 cups of water until all the ingredients are submerged, and close the lid and boil it for 15-20 minutes [picture 6].
9. Open the lid of the wok and skim off the foam from the surface. Add the fried black bean paste from the small skillet and stir it up [picture 7]. To check if ingredients are cooked or not, try a sample potato chunk. It should be cooked, not raw.
10. Mix 2-3 tbs potato starch powder (or corn starch) and 2 tbs water and add it into the boiling soup and stir it [picture 8]. then the soup ill turn into a sticky sauce.
11. Add 1 tbs sugar to the sauce and stir it.
    
    
12. Boil water in a big pot, add the noodles and close the lid. Cook for a few minutes according to the direction on the package [picture 9].
13. Try one sample noodle to check if it’s cooked properly or not. It should be soft and not stiff at all. If it’s cooked, drain the noodles and place them on a large plate or bowl.
14. Reheat the jjajang sauce and spread over the noodles.
15. Garnish with cucumber strips and serve it with kimchi or yellow pickled radish.

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Oh no, I'm late for the challenge....AGAIN. And to make things worse, I only got to complete half of October challenge :( I really wanted to make the dessert wontons but I just didn't have time to get wrappers from the Asian grocery store which is a bit far from my dorm. On top of that, we've got a lot of clinical rotations this school year... which means i have finals EVERY Friday. Seriously... forget Mondays, Thursdays are the real beeches of the week! Gahhh, I hope they don't kick me out of the Daring kitchen with this half-ass post... I tried :'( But despite my tardy post, I really enjoyed making/eating this month's challenge! The recipe was straight-forward and simple... and there's nothing I love more than noodle soups! JLo especially loved it cuz 1) it reminded him of the vietnamese food he used to have in the states and 2) cuz there were chicken breasts! LOL, JLo got me so sick of them since that's all he would eat for his work-out diet. This was the first time in MONTHS since I had chicken breasts in my fridge... but the soup still turned out delicious even for a hater like me. Can't wait for next month's challenge, yayyy!

I posted up the simplified Chicken Pho recipe below but used Jaden's original Chicken Pho recipe which can be found on her website.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)

from Jaden of The Steamy Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Chicken Pho Broth:
• 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
• 1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
• ½ onion
• 1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
• 1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce
  
  
• 1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)
  
  
• Accompaniments:
• 2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off (couldn't find bean sprouts at the grocery store so I went with spinach instead)
• Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
• ½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
• ½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
• Sriracha chili sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning [picture 2].
2. In a large pot, add all the chicken broth ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil [picture 4].
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
4. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers [picture 6], discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
5. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids [picture 5].
6. Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package [picture 7].
7. Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
8. Have the accompaniments spread out on the table [picture 8]. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

I must be the worst blog keeper everrrr... either that or I just severely lack in stress-management skills :( The school year's almost over and that means more tests are coming up. I'm currently stressing over the Pathology NBMEs we're having in a 2 weeks... sigh, keeping up with school is one thing, but having to memorize the morphology and mechanisms of all the diseases taught throughout the past 2 years sounds nearly impossible right now. And with so many little quizzes here and there, i just can't find the right time to start studying for the NBMEs, ARGHHHHHHHHHHH. But anyways, here's a wayyyyy overdue blog post for Taiwanese beef noodles that has been requested by Aisha about... a month ago O_o. You can probably find ten thousand different ways to make beef noodles online, but here's a simple throw-it-all-in-a-pot recipe from my mom. She scribbled the steps onto my recipe book the year i left for college and it has never failed me since. So enjoy this post as i probably won't be updating in a while, tata!

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
from MamaC
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kilogram beef (ones with tendon are the best choice)
• Water, enough to cover the beef
  
• 7 slices of ginger
  
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• Red chili peppers, chopped (to taste)
  
• 1 Chinese spice pouch (or 1-2 tablespoon 5 spice powder)
  
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup soy sauce (to taste)
  
• 3 - 4 tablespoon black bean sauce (to taste)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced (optional)
• 1 medium white radish (daikon), diced into 1 inch cubes
• 2 medium carrots, diced into 1 inch cubes [i was too lazy to dice mine]
  
• Chinese noodles
• Spring onions, chopped (for garnish)
• Bok choy, cooked (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the beef and cut them into pieces or slices [picture 1].
2. Blanch the beef in boiling water for about 3 - 5 minutes, strain, and wash off the dirty foam from the beef [picture 2].
3. Bring water, ginger, garlic, red chili peppers, and spice pouch/five-spice (do not open the pouch!!) to a boil [picture 3].
4. Add in the beef, soy sauce, black bean sauce, and brown sugar [picture 4].
5. Bring the soup to a boil. Turn down to low heat and let is simmer, covered, for 30 minutes - 1 hour [picture 5].
6. After simmering, add in the tomatoes (optional), white radish, and carrots [picture 6, 7]. Continue simmering, covered, for another 30 minutes - 1 hour. Make sure the vegetables are cooked through. Season to taste with salt or other condiments.
   
7. Boil and strain the noodles [picture 8]. Serve with Beef soup, bok choy (optional), and garnish with chopped spring onions.
   

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup