Cinnamon-Beef Noodles

This is not mine at all - it is from Cooking Light Magazine, Jan/Feb 2001 and is just so delicious!

Cinnamon-Beef Noodles

In this classic version of red-cooking, the meat is simmered in a soy sauce-based mixture for a long time until tender. Seasonings such as ginger, garlic, and cinnamon provide extra flavor. This method can be used to cook a variety of meats, including pork, lamb, chicken, and duck.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 cup beef mixture and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups rice wine or sake
• 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 cups hot cooked wide lo mein noodles or vermicelli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of the beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef. Return beef to pan; add water mixture, onions, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard ginger slices and cinnamon. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until wilted. Serve over noodles.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

403 (14% from fat)

Fat:

6.2g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.3g)

Protein:

30.5g

Carbohydrate:

50.4g

Fiber:

2.9g

Cholesterol:

44mg

Iron:

5.2mg

Sodium:

1080mg

Calcium:

80mg

Nina Simonds, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2001

Lo Mein

Olivia loves lo mein. This recipe is adapted from the Yan Can Cook by Martin Yan cookbook. It does not seem to have a lot of flavor to me, despite some additions that I made.

Lo Mein

1 1/4 pounds of pork loin, sliced in 2 by 1/4 inch pieces

5 T. Oyster sauce

2 tea. sesame oil

2 T. rice wine

black pepper

Combine all of the above and marinade 30-60 minutes (while preparing the other ingredients).

3 - 6 T. oil

1 large carrot, cut into match sticks

2 cans bamboo shoots, roughly chopped

5 cups chopped cabbage

1/2 ounce package dried woodear mushrooms, reconstituted according to package and chopped

4 cups fresh bean sprouts

2 cups snow peas, halved

1 and 1/2 packages of rice noodles (14 ounce packages) prepared according to package directions, rinsed then tossed with:

3 tea. sesame oil

2/3 cup light soy sauce (or more to taste)

1/3 cup oyster sauce

3 T. sugar

2 tea. sesame oil

fresh or ground ginger (optional)

2 tea. garlic

2/3 cup chicken broth

black pepper

After marinating the pork, and preparing all of the other ingredients, heat a wok on high and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove from wok and add carrots and snow peas. Stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the pork, bamboo shoots, cabbage and mushrooms. Heat all of it through - 5 - 7 minutes.

Combine the last eight ingredients (light soy sauce through black pepper) and add to the wok along with the bean sprouts. Heat to boiling and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and add the noodles. Cook until the noodles have absorbed most of the remaining moisture.

Notes: This makes a huge amount - at least 10-12 servings.