authentic chinese

sometimes the chinese in me rears its head and i have to eat something authentic. well, my version of authentic chinese. does being chinese automatically make every chinese dish i cook authentic? chow mein is one of those dishes that i could eat my weight in. tonight i'm pairing it with a maggie version of kalbi steak- which has been marinating overnight in the fridge. the chow mein is quick and filling, includes lots of vegetables, and uses the same sauce that i made to marinate the steaks in.

for the sauce-

soy sauce- i only use kikoman because everything else tastes wrong
hoisin sauce
sesame oil
honey
brown sugar
1 stalk of green onion, finely chopped- i use kitchen shears
garlic powder
ground ginger
ground black pepper
sesame seeds

combine 3 parts soy sauce to 1 part hoisin sauce. add about 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. start with a 1/2 teaspoon each of the garlic powder, ground ginger, and black pepper. add the green onion and mix everything together. taste and re-season if necessary. the sauce should taste balanced, with equal notes of salt, sweet, and savory. remember to make enough for the steaks and noodles!

for the steak-

place steak in a large freezer bag and cover it in sauce. marinade overnight.
preheat oven to 350⁰F. when ready to cook, remove from marinade, drain off excess liquid, and let it come to room temperature. heat a large nonstick skillet on high. when the pan is smoking, sear both sides of the steak. put steak onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until the insides are pink and the juices run clear. remove from oven and let the steak sit covered, on the baking sheet, for about 10 minutes before serving. slice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

for the noodles-

1 package of chow mein noodles
a bag of carrot coleslaw- you could just shred carrots, but this is where my lazy kicks in
a dinner plate full of cabbage, sliced in half moons
half a red onion, finely sliced in half moons
1 stalk of green onion, finely chopped
four eggs
salt, pepper, garlic powder, granulated sugar

prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. drain and pour into serving dish. coat the noodles with some of the sauce and set aside.

beat eggs with salt, pepper, and the green onions.

in a nonstick wok, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil. add the onions and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and about 1/2 tsp of white sugar. once the onions are caramelized, add the eggs and scramble. add the carrots and cabbage. season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. saute until the veggies are soft and add some sauce. cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat. pour over the noodles and toss to combine. before serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

you can make the chow mein ahead of time. if you are, reserve some sauce to pour over the combined noodles and vegetables when you reheat them.

thanks for reading! feel free to comment below if you have questions!

until next post- maggie