Anna's Kitchen - HO-FUN (Flat Rice Noodles) with BBQ Pork and Shrimps

Anna and I spent a weekend together for the fun adventure in making HO-FUN (Flat Rice Noodles) filled with Chinese BBQ Pork (CHASHU pork) and stir fried shrimps and scallions with dried shrimp.
To start out - two days before, Anna prepared lean pork tenderloins - marinated it in BBQ Chashu mix - and roasted them.
We both found the experience of making HO-FUN exhausting.  And we both had a good laugh.
There was stir-fried shrimps, chopped or julienne cut chasu pork,  diced scallions, rehydrated dried salty shrimps.  Three varieties of sauces - marinate sauces, dipping sauce, and the fancy XO sauce.
XO sauce consisted of fresh vegetable oils, finely shredded rehydrated scallops, fried red onions, rehydrated minced salty shrimps, minced hams, sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, diced chili pepper.
Making of flat rice noodles was really an experience - as many famous chef says - practices make it perfect.  The first three flat noodles steamed over flour cloth in a cake pan did not produce the rice noodle we wanted.  Quickly I thought of the need of slippery shiny surface - -flat plate and saran wrap.  It worked.
For HO-FUN, we purchased "Banh Cuon" flour at the local Asian market.  Anna also used one more flour that I have to follow up to find out the name of it later.
To prepare HO-FUN using "Banh Cuon" flour - follow the instruction on the back of the package - Add 750 ml of water to 400 g (the whole package) rice flour.
Mix the mixture well.  **It is very soupy.
Prepare a large flat plate covered with plastic wrap.
Pour 1/8 C to 1/4 C of batter over a plate covered with saran wrap--not too much - use first three or so as a tester to find out the preferred thickness of the flat noodles.  ** Preferably a flat plate
Then carefully - wearing a oven mitten - place the plate in the steamer (water is at full boil.)
Steam for 2 minutes.  **The flat rice noodle is Round shape because of the plate.
If you have a rectangular shaped 'container', then you will have a rectangular shaped flat noodle.
Prepare a clean 'slick' work surface brushed with vegetable oil.
Wearing a oven mitten, carefully remove the steamed flat noodle out of the steamer.  (The flat noodle should look translucent once cooked through - it should not look 'white'.)
Close the steamer lid quickly.  Place the plate on a heat safe surface to cool for a moment.
Prepare another plate with saran wrap and pour the mixture to steam another flat noodle.
Back to the cooked flat noodle:  hold both ends of the saran wrap of the cooked flat noodle and hold it up and with a quick motion, flip the wrap with flat noodle side down onto the oiled work surface.  Remove the saran wrap.  Prepare the plate covered with saran wrap.
Back to the flat noodle on the work surface:  Fill the flat rice noodle with saucey chashu pork.  It is then, rolled into a fat roll about 1-inch (depending on how much filling you are adding.) 
Place on a plate to serve.
If the filling has cooled off, then the rolled BBQ Pork HO-FUN and others should be placed back in the steamer to heat through before serving.
Variation:  Place in saute pan and brown a bit, then serve with dipping sauce or while in saute pan, add a bit of your favorite sauce or oyster sauce, heat through, then serve, with XO sauce, of course.

XO Sauce -
Ingredients:
Rehydrated 8 large dry scallop - Steamed for 1 hour, and shredded.
Rehydrated mini dried salty shrimp - 1 lb bag - use only 1/2 amount of shredded scallops
Minced cooked ham - 1/2 amount of shredded scallops
Fried Red Onions - 1/2 amount of shredded scallops
4 Tb peanut oil or vegetable oil + 1 C set aside
sugar
oyster sauce
soy sauce
diced chili pepper

Stove at high heat.  Heat wok (not with teflon-but the old fashion true wok) - till it start smoking.
Add 4 Tb of peanut oil.  Bring to smoke.
Add all ingredients into wok.  Stir fry continuously to reduce the liquid.   The mixture should look a bit caramelized.
When the liquid has evaporated enough, there should be only oil remaining (floating).
Taste - should be more on 'salty' side.  Add 1 more Tb of oil.  Heat through.  **There should be more oil than the stir fried mixture. Otherwise, add more oil.  Heat through.
Remove from heat.
Cool completely and store in clean mason jar.

Sauce for CHASHU (Cooked BBQ Pork) filling:
Prepare a bowl of cornstarch and water mixture.  2 Tb of cornstarch + 1/4 C water.  Set aside.
Using the same wok without washing - Preheat wok till it smokes. 
Remove wok from the heat.  Turn heat to medium low.
Add 2 Tb oil, 2 Tb oyster sauce, 1/2 Tb sugar to wok.
Return to heat and heat through.  **The mixture should be sizzling at this time after returning the wok back to the heat.
Add 2 tsp water into wok.  
Turn heat to medium high.
Stir up the cornstarch mixture and add 1 Tb cornstarch into wok.
Stir.   Visually check for thickness.  It should look thicker than soupy.
Done.  Remove from heat and pour over chopped CHASHU pork.  Set aside.
Fill the flat rice noodle and serve.

Stir Fried Shrimps:
Prepare 1 lb cleaned, devined, shelled large shrimps - patted dried,
1 egg white - slightly beaten
2 tsp cornstarch
Pinch of sale and white pepper
1/2 C Oil

1 Tb diced fresh organic scallions (from garden  :-)  )
1 Tb water
1 Tb Soy Sauce
1/2 Tb Sugar
1 Tb wine
1Tb cornstarch + 1 Tb water


Step 1:  Mix shrimps  with 2 tsp cornstarch and beaten egg white (from 1 egg)
pinch of salt and white pepper
 1/2 C oil

Heat wok to smoke.  Add oil.  Bring to smoke.
High heat - -Add shrimps.  Stir fry 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.
Drain oil out of wok and keep about 1 Tb of oil in the wok.

Step 2:  Return the same wok back on the stove - high heat.
Add all the rest of the ingredients into wok.
Add stir-fried shrimp.  Stir to mix all well.
Cook 30 sec to heat through.  Remove from heat.  Set Aside.

Fill the flat rice noodle and serve.

Dipping Sauce - Heat all together over high heat and set aside.
Pour over filled flat rice noodle to serve.

1/2 C water
2 Tb oyster Sauce
1/2 Tb Sugar
pinch black pepper
pinch of salt to taste

Cut each flat noodles into desirable size - using kitchen scissors is much easier - Serve with dipping sauce and homemade XO sauce.

 

So what did Anna and I learned after 10 hours of cooking?  we both looked at each other and had a good laugh.  We both agreed that there are many "kung fu" involved in making this dim sum.  At home, we know and use the best ingredients and control the taste.  But "let's dine at the Dim Sum house, the next time."  And we give the Dim Sum Chef the full 10+ points for turning those wonderful steaming HO-FUN at the dim sum house.

Dishdash - my Restaurant Adventure

Totally forgot about this first path to my "Becoming a Chef" experience of 'eating out' and finding out what is going on out there in the restaurant world.  What is it about the restaurant that people like about, the menu? the service? the price? the atmosphere?   I think it's always a good sign that after you visited the restaurant that you say to yourself that you would like to come back again for more or would like to try making that dish at home or when you find yourself wanting to share the dining experience at such and such restaurant.   I recall my co-workers and I used to have a monthly lunch adventures to ethnic restaurants in the Bay Area - Persian, Turkish, African, Asian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.  So, I thought why not try Dishdash - Mid-Easter/Mediterrean dish.   I ordered the Mashwi - Prawns and seabass marinated in a lemon-cumin sauce, charbroiled, served with seasoned grilled vegetables and rice.  The prawns are enormous size, tender, and fresh.  The sauces really danced around in my mouth... what is 'danced around'... the tanginess of the lemon really worked together with the spices and brought the flavor of the giant charbroiled prawns that I love and want to get to the next prawns. There was just the right amount of rice to clean the sauces off the plate.... I know, I have a long way to learn to described what I like about what I am eating.  So this is my photo journal of such experience. (To view larger image click on the photos.)

Bouchon Bistro - my Restaurant Adventure

After test frying a few batches of Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe by Chef Thomas Keller,  I decided to go to the true source to compare mine with - at Ad Hoc Restaurant (Chef Thomas Keller's) in Yountville, California.  It was a beautiful sunny day, a perfect day to drive out to Napa country.  I made it there in a good time - arrived at 3 pm.  Ad Hoc Restaurant is not open till 5 pm.  Of course, I strolled down the street and reached Bouchon Bakery (Again! yes!).  I was right, they have fresh Croissants and more baguettes and epi baguettes and a few other pastry and breads that were sold out at noon time already when I came the last time.   Well, I couldn't just look.  I bought 4 Croissants, two Chocolate Bouchons, 1 baguette, 1 epi baguette, 1 lemon tart (even though I already had it the last time - it is soooo good - I got to have it!), 1 pistachio macaron, 1 raspberry macaron.  $30.25 worth.
Then, I was really really hungry, as I have nothing to eat since morning for this visit's purpose to dine at the Ad Hoc.  I changed my mind and bravery stepped into Bouchon.  (Why bravery?  because I don't normally step into any restaurant without my friend's or family's recommendation.  I don't like the risk.)  I seated first at the bar, but felt awkward with all the breads and pastries, etc.  So I changed to the table.   I was surprised that I got the table.  According to www.opentable.com, there are nothing available for reservation today.  As far as my eyes can see, there are many open tables at that moment. 

They serve the epi baguette with butter and I think it was wasabi mustard.  Cool.  I love bread.
I ordered Salade de Champignons - Roasted wild mushrooms, pickled radishes, young lettuces, Dungeoness crab glacage. $14.    I don't remember seeing the lettuces in my plate.  I was not quite sure if the creamy egg mixture at the bottom of my plate had crab pieces... glacage.  Not much distinction. Mushrooms tasted fresh.  If you spoon the cream glacage and pickled radishes slices 'together'  and mushrooms at its end, then, voila, the tanginess of pickled radish slices brought out the mushroom flavors.   I never had 'roasted' mushrooms before, but I did not find that "Wow! that's what roasted mushroom taste like" kind of feeling.   I think if they are drizzled with some sort of -- just even a bit of butter with tangy, concentrated lemon / lime 'something' would brought out their natural wild flavor. Or if the glacage had a bit more kick instead of tasting like .... bland scrambled eggs... that was my thought at the first bite.  I didn't seem to have the feeling of "that's what crab glacage taste like" of impression... had to think about it after each bite --where is the Dungeoness crab glacage taste? too bad.  But I ate it all. 

Then, main - Plat Principaux - Steak Frites - 10-oz pan-seared prime flatiron, caramelized shallots, maitre d'hotel butter, French fries.  For some reason, the menu brought me back the memory about the steak I ate at the French athletic club in Saigon, South Viet-Nam.  My friend is one of the 'elite' families and had access to resorts and what not.  For fun, both of us ordered the steak with french fries.  So I ordered Steak Frites - medium well.  It is covered with caramelized shallots and very tasty butter.  The meat is tender, not over salted like ... Sizzler's.  I was contemplating to ask for the steak sauce, but I held back to let my palate just enjoy its natural taste. (I knew I should not had eaten those spicy food two days in a row - it has weakened my taste buds.)  As I cut in, it started to turn pink and pinker - it turned out to be medium.  They were more than happy to cook it again for me.  I was surprised, when they brought it back that it was on a clean plate.  And as for the half eaten steak, it looked like a brand new steak.  French fries were fresh, too. 
Then, I ordered Profiteroles with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce to end the dining.  I thought it's one profiterole with ... but it's enough to serve three people.  But, I ate the whole thing.  (Shouldn't have, though, but can't doggy bag ice-cream home.)  The Bouchon Bistro is a relaxing casual place - as named "Bistro" with jazz or music from the 60's or even 40's. I am not good at recognizing music, but I like to listen to music while I eat, so that's a plus.  The guests at the bar are talking to other guests and laughing and exchanging news and day's events.... friendly.  I am glad I stepped in.  After the dinner, on my way back to the car, I stopped by at the Ad Hoc Restaurant to check it out.  It has wood furniture theme.... don't depend on my description. ... I don't know anything about interior design nor can I give good description, but they are dark walnut color furniture.  As you step in, a few feet behind the hostess' podium, there is a long family size table for ..10 on left side.  The bar is to the right with about 10 seats. . . that's where I would have been sitting if I had arrived at 5 pm.  It was a fully booked evening (according to the hostess when I called or www.opentable.com), but I would not have minded sitting at the bar.  There are smaller tables all around the main dining area.  They are playing the similar jazz music as at Bouchon Bistro.  I asked the hostess about the Buttermilk Fried Chicken because I noticed the menu they posted on Monday is what they are serving today on Thursday which means what they post on Monday is the menu for the whole week.  I thought they change it every day, but it's not so (?)  They serve the buttermilk fried chickens every other Mondays and the next one is on November 15th.   I think I will let my body rest a while before I return, however.  My body is just not used to all these 'fine' dining.  Back to YOGA...