Niu Rou Dan Dan Mian 牛肉擔擔麵 Beef Dan Dan Noodles

Too soon for another noodle dish with mince? Well certainly not here at the Tummies'!

Spring is here and the weather has been brilliant. Spending hours in the kitchen (after a 9 hour shift in a commercial kitchen) is out of the question, so a simple, quick and delicious one dish meal such as this Sichuan classic is a godsend.

The dish is named after the shoulder poles (dan dan, 擔擔) that once transported street vendors' stoves and everything else needed for business around the neighbourhood.

Unlike its equally popular cousin zha jiang mian (炸醬麵), this dish doesn't require slow simmering of the meat sauce, leaving one plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful spring days. But be warned, it is just as addictive!

There are numerous versions of this popular dish around but this is one I adapted from my favourite food writer and Sichuan cookery expert Fuchsia Dunlop's latest book, Every Grain Of Rice.

recipe adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Every Grain Of Rice
serve 10 as an one dish meal
you'll need;
3 tbs of cooking oil
15 dried chillies, snipped and seeds removed
5 tsp of Sichuan pepper
250 g of Sichuanese ya cai (see next photo and notes)
3 tbs of light soy
pinch of salt
Dried Chinese wheat flour noodles (allow 100g per serve)
chopped spring onions to serve
blanched bok choy or Asian greens of your choice to serve

for the sauce (individual serve) ;
1/4 tsp of ground roasted Sichuan pepper
2 tbs of sesame paste
3 tbs of light soy
2 tsp of dark soy
4 tbs of chilli oil with itd sediment

This is what Sichuanese ya cai looks like. A must have ingredient in another popular Sichuan dish - dry fried green beans. If unavailable, substitute with more commonly available Tianjin preserved vegetable instead.

Add cooking oil to a hot wok or pan and saute the dried chillies and Sichuan pepper for around 10 seconds over medium heat. Add ya cai and continue to saute until the oil is hot and fragrant.

Add mince to the pan and stir fry on high heat, breaking up large lumps as you go.

When the meat is lightly brown and a little crisp, splash in the soy. Mix well and season with a pinch of salt.

To prepare the sauce, simply place all sauce ingredients in individual bowl and mix well.

Cook noodles till al dente, drain, rinse and drain well.

Place noodles in the bowls with the sauce , top with some of the fried mince, (I also added some chopped spring onions and blanched bok choy for a bit of extra vibrancy), mix well and enjoy.

Phat Si Ew Neur ผัดซีอิ๊วเนื้อ Thai Soy Fried Rice Noodles With Beef

Another Sunday with a grand dinner plan but I knew my lavish Malaysian dinner plan was destined to fail after our second bottle of chablis at yum cha.

So instead of fish curry and tamarind prawns, we settled for a very simple stir fried noodles - phat si eww. This is Thai's answer to gon chao eu hor (乾炒牛河 fried rice noodles with beef), a simple one dish meal that is of Chinese origin that can be found all over the kingdom. You may of course replace the beef with pork, seafood or chicken, for my chicken version please click here.

P.S Obviously my Malaysian Monday post will be late again this week, but do send in your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com if you have been dishing up delicious Malaysian fares.

recipe per serve

you'll need;

200 g of fresh hor fun, mixed with a dash of soy

50 g of beef rump, marinated with dash of soy, oyster sauce and pepper

1 egg

3 stalks of kailan, sliced at an angle

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs of light soy

2 tbs of dark soy

pinch of sugar

Slice beef thinly across the grains and marinate with soy, oyster sauce and pepper.

Prepare the kailan and garlic.

In a smoking hot wok, char noodles mixed with soy with a little oil for a minute, carefully move the noodles around to char the other side. Don't be tempted to move them too much or you'll break them into pieces. Set aside.

Heat up the wok again and fry the marinated beef and chopped garlic with a little oil til lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

When the wok is hot again, add a little more oil and crack in the egg, allow the egg set a little before lightly scrambling it, add kailan and stir fry on high heat for a minute.

Return the beef and noodles to the wok and mix well. Add seasonings and stir fry on high heat for another minute or so.

Serve with some cut chillies with fish sauce.

Meatball And Spiced Tomato Relish Sub

If you are indeed having a grand final party today (or one for rugby union on Sunday) and are planning to make some cheese filled meatballs as suggested, I hope you are making a very large batch. They will be very popular and the chances are you might want to nibble on them once everyone has left the party. The other likely scenario is you waking up with a massive hangover and searching for food in a ..... mmmmm very messy kitchen!

In either case an easy and satisfying meal such as this delicious meatball sub is essential to give you the will to live through the day and the energy to clean up the mess left behind by your mates.

It can of course be enjoyed in a pristine environment without a hangover.... better still on a picnic rug in the nearest park if the weather permits!

P.S more recipes using the meatballs and spiced tomato relish are coming up so please stay tuned.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
recipe per serve
you'll need;
1 mini baguette*
3 mozzarella filled meatballs, reheated in the microwave
a small handful of salad leaves
2 heaped tbs of spiced tomato relish
grated parmesan cheese
*I usually get mine freshly baked from my local Vietnamese bakery.

Make a cut lengthwise leaving the baguette attached, place some mix leaves into the cavity, follow by meatballs, spiced tomato relish and grate some parmesan cheese over. The whole exercise will only take less than 5 minutes.

This is equally delicious eaten sober, half drunk or with a nasty hangover!

Mozzarella Filled Meatballs

As promised, a quick post on what I did with the leftover seasoned mince from my spiced meatballs, chickpeas and vegetables soup..... It also gives me an excellent opportunity to further promote my spiced tomato relish.

This is a not only a fun item to serve at your next cocktail party (or your kid's birthday party?), it is also a quick way to whip up something delicious when your friend turns up with some cold beers on a sunny afternoon. 

I happened to have some mozzarella in my fridge (not quite the artisan type I'm afraid or there simply won't be any leftover in the first place) and thought it might be a good idea to make a stuffing out of it. A good idea it was and I had to make a second (larger) batch soon after, which was duly enjoyed in the warm spring sun with my beer bearing friend K.

I just remember both the footy and rugby union grand finals are to be staged this weekend. The traditional Aussie BBQ is out according the weather forecast, so why not have an indoor party with plenty of delicious finger food instead? Apart from these meatballs which are going to be a big hit with your friends, here are a few more suggestions if you are going to have a party;

1) stuffed chicken wings

2) boxing chicken

3) curry puffs

4) fried wontons and stuffed tofu puff

5) goat cheese filled arancini

6) Thai chicken cakes

7) spring rolls

8) sticky spiced wings

9) Japanese rice balls (onigiri)

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

makes about 15

oven preheated at 220 C (conventional)

you'll need;

~1.5 cups seasoned mince

mozzarella cheese or tasty cheese, cut into 1 cm cubes

a little oil for frying

spiced tomato relish to serve

Pick up a small amount of seasoned mince and form meatball the size slightly larger than a chestnut, wrap the mince around a cube of cheese.

Brown meatballs with a little oil until golden all over, transfer pan to the hot oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve the delicious cheese filled meatballs with some spiced tomato relish on the side.

The spiced tomato relish goes beautifully with the cheese filled meatballs...

Try not to tell your friends about the filling and allow them to discover the pleasant surprise themselves.

Spiced Meatballs, Chickpeas And Vegetables Soup

Dinner was meant to meatball salad again but I settled on something a little more hearty after the weather took a nasty turn. However the meatballs remained on the menu but they ended up swimming in a delicious tomato based soup rather than frolicking among tomatoes and salad leaves.

I added some cavolo nero towards the end of the cooking; to freshen up and to add colour to the dish, if you are unable to obtain cavolo nero, spinach, chard or dandelion greens are all good substitutes.

I made a rather large batch of seasoned mince as usual, way too much for what was required for this recipe. Halve the quantity of mince if you only want to be able to make enough meatballs for this recipe, otherwise I will share with you a few quirky dishes that I came up with using my leftover seasoned mince in the coming days.  At the meantime you can use the leftover mince for the following recipes found in this blog;

1) kebabs and warm beetroot salad with spiced yoghurt sauce

2) burger and chips

3) bunless burger

3) spaghetti with meatballs

4) baked kofta rolls with egg filling

5) kofta rools filled with spinach, almonds, pine nuts and raisin

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

serves 4 to 6 as a one dish meal

you'll need;

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 celery ribs, sliced

2 cups of crushed tomatoes

2.5 l of stock

1 can of chickpeas, drained

2 bay leaves
1 bunch of cavolo nero

salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to serve

for the meatballs;

1 kg of beef mince or mince of your choice

1 egg, lightly beated

3/4 cup of breadcrumbs, soaked with 1/2 cup of milk 

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks of parsley, chopped

1/2 tbs of coriander powder

1/2 tbs of allspice powder

1 tbs of cumin powder

1 tbs of smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

a little oil for frying

Prepare the vegetables and set aside. Feel free to add other seasonal vegetables of your choice

Place all ingredients for meatballs/kofta in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill until needed.

Shape seasoned mince into meatballs the size of a 20 cent coin, you'll need about 30 meatballs. Brown meatballs with a little oil until golden all over and set aside, they don't need to be cooked through.

In a large pot, saute garlic, onion, carrot and celery for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onion is soften. Add the can of crushed tomato and continue to cook on medium heat for a further 5 minutes.

Add stock, chickpeas, bay leaves and allow the content to come to a simmer, season with salt and pepper.

Add meatballs to the pot, cover and simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender and meatballs are soft and tender. Add cavolo nero and cook until wilted, check for seasonings.

Hearty but not too heavy... perfect for a mild spring night!

Keang Massaman Neur แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ Massaman Curry With Beef

The wind is blowing at 100km/h as I type and I must confess I am loving this crazy weather! It is the perfect excuse for staying in; to catch up with my reading, to compose new posts for the coming week and to make comforting slow cooking dishes such as this.

Kaeng massaman (or musmun means muslim in Thai) or Thai Muslim curry has to be the best known and the most loved Thai curry outside of the land of a thousand smiles. Being placed at the top spot of the world's 50 most delicious foods by CNNGo last year shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to many.

This stew like curry is richly infused with coconut cream and heavily spiced with dried spices not commonly seen in other kaeng or Thai curries except for kaeng kari (Thai Indian curry), another very aromatic and rich curry from the Muslim south. Both are heavily influenced by the cuisine of India and Persia (present day Iran), a legacy of the inclusiveness of the cosmopolitan Ayutthya period and a testament to the willingness of the Thais to incorporate foreign ingredients into their cuisine from way back (a poem written during the reign of King Rama ll some 200 years ago mentioned this classic dish when chili and spices were first introduced to the Thais).The similarity doesn't just end there; root vegetables (such as potato, sweet potato and yam) play an important supporting role in both dishes and the refreshing cucumber salad (achart) often accompanied these rich curries.

I prefer to use gravy beef (or shin beef) but other cheaper, tougher cuts such as chuck/blade, brisket or oxtail can be used instead, do not attempt to use rump or more expensive cuts as you will end up with tough, fibrous dry meat. Do leave some of the tendons on as they will cook down to sheer deliciousness.

This is by far the most complex and elaborate kaeng to prepare especially if you decide to make your own curry paste as well. However don't be put off by the tasks ahead as your hard work will be rewarded accordingly.

P.S I have previously posted a version using turkey (see kaeng massaman gai ngwong), duck will work equally well but do adjust the cooking time accordingly.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 6 to 8 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
1.5 kg of gravy beef (meat from the shin)*,  cut into chunks, blanched and refreshed
2.5 cups of coconut milk (Ayam brand)
6 shallots, roasted and peeled
1 cup of peanuts, boiled until tender, drained well
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large brown onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups of coconut cream (Ayam brand)
3 heaped tbs of massaman curry paste, homemade or shop bought
3 bay leaves
3 brown cardamom, dry roasted
4 cloves, dry roasted
1.5 (round) pieces of palm sugar, crushed
5 tbs of fish sauce
1/4 cup of tamarind concentrate
1/2 tbs of grated mace
6 kamquat, sliced with seeds removed (optional)

Blanch beef chunks for about two minutes, refresh under cold water. Bring the coconut milk to a boil, add beef and simmer until the beef is tender. The coconut milk will split during the process, scoop it out and set aside for frying the curry paste later.

To grill the shallots - place shallots on a grill over the stove top and grill until the outside is blacken and the flesh is soft. Allow to cool before peeling.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the coconut cream together with coconut oil from step number 1 and cook on medium heat until oil starts to split.

Add curry paste and fry in the oily mixture over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Return beef to the pan and fry in the curry paste for a minute.

Add the coconut milk (from stage 1), bay leaves and cardamom and bring it to a simmer. Season with palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind concentrate.

Add potatoes and onion and coconut cream and simmer until potato is tender. Add sliced kumquat and check for seasonings.

Garnish with chili and coriander and serve as part of a Thai meal. A refreshing cucumber relish (achart) is often served together with this rich curry.

Dry Tossed Thick Mung Bean Noodles With Spicy Beef Mince

Who says leftover has to be boring? Here's a good example for you.

I was dying for a big bowl of noodles or carbs of any kind after another of my run. I was delighted to find the remaining thick mung bean noodles and some leftover beef mince from my carbless dinner the previous night...... well yes! the not so silly diet is still on and bunless burger was on the menu again.

I marinated the beef briefly and made a dressing using hoisin sauce and sichuan chili oil (both are staples at the tummies') as a base. The cucumber strips add freshness and the crunch element to that of the chewiness of the noodles and the partly crisped up tender mince, making this a texture haven in a bowl.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
recipe per serve
you'll need;
150 g of beef or pork mince
1/2 tbs soy
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
dash of white pepper
1 tbs of corn flour
2 bundles of mung bean noodles, cooked till al dente
half a lebanese cucumber, cut into long strips
chopped spring onions

for the dressing;
2 tbs of hoisin sauce
1 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of dark soy
dash of sesame oil
dash of white pepper
1 tbs of Sichuan chili oil with sediments

Marinate beef mince with soy, sesame oil, pepper and corn flour. Prepare cucumber and spring onion and mix the dressing.

Brown the marinated beef mince with a little oil and set aside.

Cook noodles until al dente, drain well and mix well with the awaiting dressing.

Top noodles with beef mince, cucumber strips, sliced chili, spring onion and fried garlic.

Mix everything up and enjoy.