Since the tender age of solid food, chow fun holds top dish.
With wide noodles, a simple assortment of vegetables, and decipherable sauce—unequivocally Chow Fun.
When made or ordered, these eyes seek, scanning for make or break black beans.
Ahhh, with salty fermented black beans, all is right in the world of chow fun.
What’s your favorite dish? My family enjoys Chinese get togethers and Dim Sum gatherings. Tradition runs rampant but the truth is, because of meat and/or too oily centric dishes, this party pooper barely eats, so we rarely partake.
What to do? Make our own! Because we control the oil, seasoning, and sauce—this chow fun’s:
❋ Fresh
❋ Flavorful
❋ Perfectly spiced
❋ Momma approved
The Noodles
If you have an asian market in the vicinity, I’d say a trip is worthwhile. Fresh thick noodles make chow fun. Plus gathering a good bottle of oyster, thick soy, shaoxing wine, those tasty black beans, and wandering a nice market is a fun experience. These bottles last long and stretch cross cultural recipes too.
If unable to make an asian market, I’ve linked items used below and see they’re accessible online and in stores other than asian markets. We use dried stick noodles when unable to make a trip to Reno but are extra careful, as they tend to break more than fresh.
Let’s Make
First add two tablespoons black beans to a flat bottom bowl.
Then, add two tablespoons water. Let stand 5-10 minutes, then smash leaving most beans whole.
- While black beans soak, make the supreme sauce.
- Then, stir fry garlic and ginger for thirty seconds.
- Add vegetables, with the exception of shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and mung/black beans. Stir fry until three minutes before desired tenderness.
- To the vegetables, add the sauce to coat. Add mung and black beans, noodles, then drizzle with sesame oil. Oooh!
- Where’s your fork or chopsticks? Taste! Season to your liking.
- Share with the one you love or enjoy by yourself.
- Refrigerate and dream about flavors settling overnight. Like Christmas morning, have leftovers for breakfast. Or tell me it’s a mom and me thing only.
Substitute for Fermented Black Beans and Shoaxing Wine?
Black bean sauce is different than fermented black beans, so alters the carefully crafted taste. For that reason, I advise against but understand if you like. If you choose, I suggest adding slow and towards the end.
Dry sherry or rice wine can be used in place of shoaxing wine.
Dear WordPress:
Have I done something to upset you? Why all the space between? With all might, I tried to bring pictures and words together, coming close to deleting the entire process. Let’s try to work this out before our next post, okay. I’m not one to push hurt under a rug, so air I will.
In spite of the distance,
I still love you,
Jen
P.S. I can’t say chow fun without this.
Sue's Vegetable Chow Fun
Ingredients:
- 450 grams fresh noodles, room temperature - or 200 grams/7 oz. dried stick noodles
- 2 Tablespoons fermented black beans - soaked in 2 Tablespoons water, then smash lightly
Sauce
- 2½ Tablespoons shaoxing wine - or rice wine, dry sherry
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 Tablespoons thick or dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
- ¼-½ teaspoon white pepper
Wok
- 2-3 Tablespoons peanut oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic - coarse chopped or minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - minced
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 cups broccoli - cut into small pieces
- 1 large bell pepper - cut into ½" pieces
- 1 medium zucchini - halve, then cut into quarters
- 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms - sliced
- 1/2 can bamboo shoots
- 1-2 cups mung bean sprouts
- drizzle sesame oil
Garnish
- green onions - sliced on a bias
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine oyster sauce, thick or dark soy, light soy, shaoxing wine, sugar, and white pepper. Set aside.
- In an even smaller flat bottom bowl, add 2 tablespoons fermented black beans with 2 tablespoons water. Let stand 5-10 minutes. While cooking, smash lightly with a small fork, leave many beans whole.
- If using dried, prepare noodles according to package directions and drain thoroughly. Add 1-teaspoon light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil to the noodles. Toss and set aside.If using fresh, cut or separate. If the noodles are still cold—place in warm water, then strain until ready for use.
- Heat a wok over medium-high. Starting midway up the wok, stream 1-2 Tablespoons peanut oil around, coating half to the bottom. Once glistening, add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add an additional tablespoon oil. Once heated, add onion, broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini. Stir-fry until 3 minutes before desired vegetable tenderness. Add shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots, stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes.
- Stir, then add the sauce. Coat the vegetables. To best avoid breakage—slowly add the drained noodles. Use tongs and a spatula to pull the vegetables from wok bottom to top. Gently coat and combine noodles with vegetables. Add mung and black beans, drizzle with sesame oil and mix again.
- Season to taste, then garnish with green onions. We hope you LOVE!
Notes
- Thick soy, fermented black beans, and shaoxing wine can be found with a fun and worthwhile trip to an Asian Market.
- Want to make Sue's Vegetable Chow Fun ahead—prep vegetables and sauce in advance.
