Pork Chow Mein. One of my personal favorites. From Goodeats

Ingredients

* 1 Pound Lean pork tenderloin Cut Into Thin Strips
* 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
* 2 Tablespoons soy sauce + 2 Cups beef broth
* 2 Medium celery Stalks, Chopped
* 1/2 Cup Chopped onion
* 1 can mushrooms (4oz) Reserve juice
* 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
* 16 Oz. favorite vegetables - broccoli, bamboo shoots, carrots...whatever pleases you.
* 1 Tablespoon Brown gravy
* 3 Cups Chow Mien noodles

How to make it

* In a large skillet or Wok, brown lean pork strips in vegetable oil over medium heat. Once brown, add beef broth, soy sauce, celery and onion. bring heat to boiling.

Reduce to simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Mix reserved mushroom juice and cornstarch vigorously in sealed container. Blend into pork mixture. Now add mushrooms, Chinese vegetables and brown gravy. Bring heat to boil stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Serve over noodles or toss with noodles for 1 minute.

See a comprehensive list of Chinese vegetables, here:
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/asveglis.html

Chinese Food History - fact.

The importance of the kitchen in the king's palace is amply shown in the personnel roster recorded in Chou li. Out of the almost four thousand persons who had the responsibility of running the king's residential quarters, 2,271, or almost 60 percent, of them handled food and wine.

Completion of Chinese Orange Chicken and Beef - Part 3 of 3

Chinese Orange Beef and Chicken; Sauce - Part 2 of 3

Cooking Chinese Orange Beef and Chicken - Part 1 of 3

Chinese cooking equipment; featuring wok, spatula, strainer and cooking chopsticks.

The purpose of the chopsticks is to control and even distribute the cooking of the food. Chopsticks do not conduct heat since these particular one are made out of wood. The spoon or other metal conducts heat and makes it hot on your fingers and hands. This is the reason to use the chopsticks instead of a spoon.

Recipe for VIETNAMESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP

Ingredients

1 medium piece of fresh ginger
1 large onion
3 litres (12 cups) water
1 kg (2 lbs) beef bones
400 g (13 oz) beef brisket
pinch (1/8 oz) of salt
pepper

1 cup:
(8 oz) bean sprouts
(8oz) flat rice noodles
(8oz) raw beef strip loin, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup (2oz) baby leeks, finely cut
1/2 cup (2oz) Ngo Gai (saw-leaf herb) leaves, chopped
1/2 cup (2oz) coriander leaves, chopped

Garnish:
1 tbsp (1/2oz) chili sauce
3 tbsp (1 1/2oz) yellow bean sauce 2 small red chilies, sliced 2 limes, cut into wedges mint leaves
ngo gai leaves
coriander leaves

Instructions:

Grill ginger and onion until the skins are burnt.
In a deep pan, combine water, bones and beef brisket.
Bring to the boil, skimming frequently, to remove residue. Add salt, grilled ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon.

After 45 minutes, remove the tender cooked beef and slice it very finely. Drain soup into a separate container, adding salt and pepper to taste. Wash and drain bean sprouts. Quickly blanch rice noodles and bean sprouts in boiling water, to soften, but do not over cook.

Arrange in a a soup bowl. Top with sliced beef brisket, raw beef strip loin, sliced onion, chopped baby leeks, Ngo Gai and coriander leaves. Pour the boiling soup into the bowl and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

By that time the raw beef should be medium -cooked.
Serve with chili and yellow bean sauces, sliced chili, lime wedges, mint, Ngo Gai and coriander leaves.

Grilling the ginger and onion can be done either over an open flame or simply in a pan.

Chicken is a delicious alternative to beef.