Saucy Sesame Udon Noodles

I'm not sure what possessed me to make Chinese BBQ pork as well as making hand rolled noodles tonight, especially when we had a meeting at 7:30PM but I obviously thought I had 5 hands to get everything done. The BBQ pork was fine since all I had to do was pop it into the oven but the noodles took longer than I thought, especially when I was trying to cut them into even strands (I'll post about that in a couple of days). We left for the meeting at 7:30 and didn't get home until 10:00PM so we didn't even get to eat until 10:30PM! By that time I wasn't even hungry but I'm glad that I had a bowl of these noodles because they are really tasty! Grab a bib because this bad boy will leave sauce all over your face (don't even try to fight it!). I like to use Tombee's favourite t-shirt for this, especially when I'm not too pleased with him that day ;). Anyhow, I pretty much threw in stuff I had in my fridge but you can throw in anything you have on hand or want to get rid off. I used frozen udon noodles instead of the vacuum-sealed packages and they were out of this world! Chewy, slippery smooth, and tender, these noodles sucked up the sauce and were the star of the dish. Disclaimer: do not make this on a first, second or third date hoping to impress because sauce on your face and on your clothes is not hot.




Studded with goodies and slathered with delicious sauce

Saucy Sesame Udon Noodles

Ingredients
3 packages frozen udon
1 tablespoon oil
Chinese BBQ Pork (recipe follows)
1 cup sliced napa cabbage
1 cup sliced asparagus
1/2 cup frozen edamame beans
handful of shrimp

Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-4 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you want)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons hot bean sauce (or garlic chili sauce)
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Bring pot of water to boil and add udon noodles and cook until udon is warm. Drain.
3. Heat oil in pan and add napa cabbage and asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes until napa cabbage is wilted and asparagus turns bright green.
4. Add a tablespoon of water, cover pan for a minute and then add shrimp and stir fry until shrimp turns pink and asparagus is tender.
5. Add edamame beans, then add a tablespoon of the sauce mixture and stir until everything in pan is coated.
6. Transfer udon noodles to large bowl or pan, then add cooked bbq pork and vegetable mixture. Stir to incorporate everything together.
7. Add sauce mixture, half at a time until noodles are well coated. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.


What did I tell you? Not a single morsel left in the bowl!

Chinese BBQ Pork from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients
1lb pork butt (cut into 4 pieces)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons oil

Char Siu (BBQ Pork) Sauce:

3 tablespoons maltose
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon Chinese rose wine
3 dashes white pepper powder
3 drops red coloring (optional)
1.5 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions
1. Add all ingredients for the sauce in a sauce pan, heat it up and stir-well until mixture is well blended and is slightly thickened and sticky. Let cool.
2. Pierce the pork butt in a few places with a sharp knife or the tines of a fork. Marinate the pork butt pieces with 2/3 of the sauce and the chopped garlic overnight. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into the remaining sauce. Keep in the fridge.
3. When you're ready to cook the pork, preheat the oven to 375 degree F.
4. Place a cooling rack onto a baking sheet, then place the pork onto the rack. Bake the pork for 15 minutes, basting with the marinade still in the bowl that the pork was marinated in. Turn and cook for 10 more minutes, basting once more. Check for doneness.
5. Remove tray from oven and let pork sit for 10 minutes until juices have settled. Slice the char siu into slices and pour the reserved sauce over and mix together until all the pieces are coated in the sauce.
6. Add to sesame udon noodles or eat with rice.


Saucy meat on saucy noodles...it doesn't getter better than this kids