04/16/08

パントーリ焼きそば (Pantry yakisoba)                               Yields 3 portions

1/2 c.        soy sauce
3/4 c.        Kirin Ichiban
2 T.           corn syrup
1 1/2 T.    dark molasses
1/2 t.        dry mustard
1/2 t.        cayenne pepper, ground
2 lb.          some sort of beef cut (i.e. not ground)
2 ea.         carrots, washed and sliced thinly
1/2           onion, julienne
3 pkt         instant ramen, sans seasoning
oil for frying

In a large-ish mixing bowl, combine soy, corn syrup, molasses, mustard, cayenne and Kirin. Set aside.

Using your sharpest knife, cut your beef into very thin strips (like what you'd get on the fajita plate down at El Loco Taco Paco or whatever your local Mexijoint is). Add beef to sauce and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

If your ramen packets say to boil the noodles for three minutes, boil them for two and shock them cold in ice water. Set them aside.

Heat a large skillet or (preferably) wok over high heat until that bitch is SMOKIN'. Add carrots and stir-fry for about two minutes, then add the onions. Continue frying for one more minute. Drain marinade from beef, add beef to the pan and fry for two more minutes. Finally, add noodles and 1/2 c. of the marinade. Cook until sauce is thick and noodles are heated through.

Get out your chopsticks, ladies...it's eatin' time.

 

Note from GG:  This recipe comes courtesy of my mom's house, which has the most random stuff in its larder. You can find baking powder that's probably older than I am, spices and herbs that have long since turned to dryer lint...and corn syrup. I'm not sure if Mom has ever used corn syrup for anything ever, but it's there. Anyway, this all came together from stuff that was just lying around. And yes, my mom's cool because she still eats ramen.

Unfortunately, I always write my recipes to "industry" standards, most specifically in the area of heat.  Neither I nor my mom nor really anybody I know has a range that can kick out the BTUs necessary to make proper yakisoba/stirfry.  As such, you're going to wind up with a bit more saucy product than I really would want.  You're supposed to be frying the noodles, but for the majority of you, you're probably going to wind up just braising the stuff.  No matter how hot you get your pan/wok, electric range tops simply can't recover fast enough when you add ingredients.  It's a shame.  For those of you with gas burners, I hate you.

Another way I've seen yakisoba made was by deep-frying the noodles until crisp, and then pouring the sauce mixture over top.  In the case of my recipe, that could work, but you'll probably want to add twice the marinade, plus about two tablespoons of corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce.  Anyone who actually tries this out, please email me.

If you're impatient and want your food NOW, this recipe should still work, but the tougher cuts of beef may not tenderize very much. That's why we marinate! Tough meat + marination = soft(er) meat.  Also, I wouldn't recommend any other beer besides Kirin for this recipe since it has a very specific fragrance to it. (If I were a food snob, I'd say "bouquet.") Also, the combination of the Kirin and the mustard powder (mine was from the Dollar Store, BTW) made the sauce smell like it had wasabi in it. Yum.

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