Recipe - Peking Style Noodles With Bean Sauce And Mixed

8 ounce Noodles
(34 cups after cooking)
6 ounce Plain pressed tofu
One half cup Green soybeans
(frozen or fresh) OR
2 ounce Baby corn spears
One half cup Bamboo shoot, minced finely
2 ounce Cucumber
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
3 tablespoon Chinese bean sauce; OR
4 tablespoon Dark miso
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 One half cup Water
1 One half tablespoon Soy sauce
One half teaspoon Sugar
2 One half tablespoon Cornstarch; dissolved in...
3 tablespoon Water
One half teaspoon Sesame oil

If you are cooking the noodles first, drain them, remove to a bowl or
serving platter, and toss with One half tablespoon sesame oil to prevent
sticking (do not rinse in cold water as this reduces flavor).

Crumble the pressed tofu coarsely to yield 1One half cups.

Parboil green soybeans till almost tender yet still firm (10 minutes for
frozen). If using fresh baby corn spears, steam or parboil till tender; if
canned, rinse with boiling water. Rinse green soybeans or corn in cold
water and chop finely. You should have about One half cup baby corn.

It is not necessary to peel or seed the hothouse (English) or Oriental
cucumber. Regular cucumber should be pared and seeded, but leave a few
narrow strips of skin for color and texture. Julienne finely to yield 1/2
cup.

If you are using miso, dissolve it in One fourth cup warm water.

Put 3 tablespoons oil into a preheated pan over high. When the oil is hot,
reduce heat to mediumhigh. Add garlic and stirfry a few seconds to
release aroma. Add pressed tofu and bean sauce or miso. Stirfry briefly to
mix. Add 1One half cups water, 1 tablepsoon soy sauce, and One half teaspoon sugar.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the boil is reached. Gradually stir in
cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, another minute or so until the
consistency is like a light gravy, not too thick. Test for salt, and add an
extra tablespoon soy sauce if needed. (at this point, if you like, you can
heat noodles and/or green soybeans, baby corn, and bamboo shoot by
combining with the sauce until just mixed.) Add One half teaspoon sesame oil.
Remove from the stove. Pour sauce over noodles, and top with garnish in
separate arrangement (garnish with just the cucumber if you have added
soybeans or baby corn and bamboo shoot to the sauce). Toss before serving.

* Source: The Fragrant Vegetable, by Martin Sidham * Typed for you by Karen
Mintzias

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini