mah jong mien (aka peanut butter noodles)

a light meal that is rich in flavour

I have no idea why this is called Mah Jong Mien in Taiwan, as it has nothing to do with the game of tiles, but it has been a staple go to meal growing up in our household.  My mom is the queen of putting together a healthy home cooked meal in minutes from items found in her pantry and fridge, and this peanut butter noodle dish is just one of those.  I think we ate this as kids weekly - and still do whenever we are home to visit.  My mom's version is even simpler - she mixes peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and garlic together in a bowl until smooth then tosses it with the noodles and vegetables.  It's super easy and tasty.  Below is my take on our family staple.

what you need:

for the peanut sauce

• 2 heaping tbsp natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 green onions
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp white pepper 

for the noodles

• 4 servings of any dry asian noodle, you can even use pasta (e.g. linguine)
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• a small bunch broccolini (or broccoli) 

what to do:

1. Start by getting your sauce ready.  Thinly slice ginger and roughly chop garlic.  Cut off bottom white part of green onions (about 2 inches) and slice lengthwise.  Get the rest of the ingredients for the sauce measured and ready on hand.
2. In a small sauce pan on medium, heat up grapeseed and sesame oil.  Add ginger, garlic, and onions.  Sauté for about 1 min, then deglaze with the water.  Add soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, and white pepper.  Stir until peanut butter dissolves, and reduce heat down to a simmer.  Allow it to reduce to about half.

   

   garlic, onions, and ginger sautéing

   

   reducing sauce

3. Get a large pot of water on the stove on high heat to cook the noodles.
4. While waiting for the pot to boil, clean and prepare vegetables.  Peel and grate the carrots, and slice broccoli into long slim pieces.  Slice remaining green onion on a bias and roughly tear cilantro.  
   
5. Once the water is boiling, add noodles.  Depending on what kind of noodles you are using, your cooking time will vary.  Whatever your package indicates, set your timer for 1 minute shy of it's cooking time.  This is because you want to put the vegetables in with the noodles to cook for 1 minute.  
   
6. Drain noodles and vegetables, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
7. Return noodles and vegetables to pot and pour reduced peanut sauce over noodles and toss.  You may need to add a little bit of the cooking liquid if the noodles seem too dry.  Toss in some of your cilantro and green onions, but reserve a small amount for garnish.
8. Transfer noodles to serving platter and top with cilantro and green onion for garnish.  Serve with your favourite hot sauce if desired - we used sriracha.  Enjoy!

with sriracha

"mi-fen" shiitake rice noodles

tangy worcestershire is the key to this dish

This dish is one of our family favourites.  Whenever my mom hosts dinner or attends a potluck party, it's a safe bet that she will be making this dish.  Everyone fights for leftovers, if there are any!  I made it yesterday for the first time for my cousin and aunt in-laws; they loved it so much they had seconds and thirds.  It can be served hot, at room temperature, and even cold, making it an easy meal to pack on a picnic, for lunch, or to bring to a potluck.  It's also great because you only need one pan:) easy clean up. It can be easily made vegetarian by omitting the meat.

what you need:
*serves about 6

• 1 12 oz package rice noodles ("rice sticks" made in Taiwan best - found in asian food markets)
• 1 large red or yellow onion
• 1 large crown of broccoli
• 2 carrots
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/3 lb or so of ground pork
• worcestershire sauce
• soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• canola oil
• fresh cilantro, small bunch
• 2 green onions
• white pepper
• 2 dried red chilies *optional*
• 1 cup chicken stock or water

what to do:

1. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 15 minutes, until softened.  Use scissors to roughly cut the noodles (difficult to serve if noodles are too long).
2. Re-hydrate shiitake mushrooms by immersing them into a small bowl of hot boiled water.
3. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil.  
4. Prepare your vegetables - cut onion into thin long slices, julienne carrots, and cut broccoli into small, bite size pieces.  Roughly chop cilantro and green onions, set aside.  
5. Blanch broccoli and carrots in boiling water for about 2 minutes, until broccoli is bright green.  Remove from hot water immediately and rinse quickly with cold water.  Set aside.
6. Once shiitake mushrooms are softened, remove from water and slice thinly.
7. In a large non-stick pan, heat 2 tbsp oil on medium heat.  Add onions and shiitake mushrooms, allow to caramelize slowly, then add 1-2 tsp or so of white pepper, 1 tsp sugar and the red chilies (crushed gently for more spice, or leave whole for milder taste).                                                                                      Push the mushrooms and onions to one side of the pan where there is less heat once they are golden brown, and add the ground pork, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon.  Add about 8 dashes of worcestershire sauce and 1 tbsp soy sauce, then stir, allowing the meat to brown slightly.  Once browned mix meat and onions/shiitake together.
8. Add the broccoli and carrots to the pan.  Drain the noodles and add to the pan.  
9. Add a few more dashes of worcestershire and soy sauce.  Mix gently and add chicken stock or water.  Continue to mix while noodles cook and soak up the liquid, for about 10 minutes.  If it appears too dry and the noodles are not cooked yet, add a little bit more stock or water.  The noodles will look slightly more translucent than white when cooked.  Taste the noodles - and add soy sauce or more worcestershire sauce as required.  
10. Turn off heat - mix in green onions and cilantro, and garnish with both on top before serving.  Enjoy!