Chow mein experiment

[robert@fm]

Tesco currently have beef strips (which they are flogging as stir-fry beef) on sale, so I decided to do myself a beef chow mein (using courgetti as the noodles, without which it wouldn't be a chow mein, and Amoy Chow Mein Sauce (which I think is 25.4g carbs per packet) as the seasoning).

I don't think it worked properly; the beef at first turned an unappetising grey on frying, until I splashed a bit of soy sauce into the wok whereafter it turned brown, and the courgetti just disappeared into the mix. Maybe I should have fried it separately, to help it keep its shape and identity, before I added it to the wok?

Also, the beef was too tough and chewy for my liking; I would probably have been better off using it in a casserole rather than a stir-fry. I think that next time I use my new wok, I'll use chicken.

 

[KookyCat]

Courgetti, needs literally seconds in the Wok Robert, I cook the veg or meat and sauce, empty that out then quickly toss the courgetti in the wok until hot, pour the sauce back in and then serve immediately. Alternatively a quick dip in a pan of boiling water works well too just to get it hot, but you have to pull it out before any hint of transparency. My favourite sauce is soy, fresh ginger, garlic and a bit of honey or maple syrup, yum! Hope it goes better for you next time around 🙂

 

[AlisonM]

Try marinating the beef next time Robert, use the soy sauce to do it - give it a couple of hours with a good coating of soy (maybe some grated ginger too) over it. And as Kooky says, leave the courgetti to the last second and literally stir them into the mix right before you serve. You might find a tougher veg such as carrot would work better for this though.

 

[Lynn Davies]

First time I did the cougetti I over cooked it and was left with the rind and some mush in the bottom of the wok.

It is literally only a minute that it needs to be in the wok. Should be a little less coiled but still able to hold its shape.