Receta Spicy Pork Noodles with Bok Choy...Gluten Free!
Maxim's Palace Hong Kong as I've never seen it...
empty!I
love dim sum, the tapas of China. I will never forget Andrew and my visit to one of the
world’s most famous dim sum palaces, the strangely named Maxim’s Palace in Hong
Kong. And if you think it’s an odd name
for a completely Chinese restaurant, you will likely find it equally surprising
that the place takes up the entire second floor of Hong Kong’s City Hall. There, in a vast space that resembles a
western-style hotel ballroom complete with chandeliers, legions of Chinese
ladies push cart after cart of dim sum through a maze of tables for 12. The place is perennially packed, takes no
reservations and requires a level of patience which quickly escalates the
longer the wait. We went there on a
Sunday at noon. You might have been able
to convince me that every family in Hong Kong was there, so massive were the
crowds and so long was the wait. But
the dim sum were sublime, the best I’d ever tasted. I’ve wondered if I could ever re-create some
of the dishes there. So I was delighted
to see that David Tanis had taken up the challenge. In his New York Times column, David came up
with a recipe for one particular dim sum for which I have a special
fondness. It’s the spicy pork-filled
dumpling full of garlic, ginger and chiles.
And he did so without having to fill endless wanton wrappers to enjoy
the flavors of this very satisfying dish.
Chef David TanisWhat
Chef Tanis did was to take the essence of the meat filling with its savory pork
and tons of ginger to which he added silky bok choy. He didn't make it into a dumpling at all. Instead he added rice noodles to substitute for the
wantons. These noodles, often found in
Pad Thai, added texture to the dish and, for all those concerned about it, made
the recipe gluten free. It’s a very
flexible recipe so if you’d care to swap out the ground pork for ground turkey
or chicken, be his guest. You could also
use kale or Napa cabbage in lieu of the bok choy. I keep a fairly good-sized Asian Pantry as I
love to stir-fry. But if yours doesn’t extend to Chinese Black Vinegar, which
is sprinkled over the sliced ginger, Chef Tanis says you can either leave it
out or substitute balsamic vinegar which, although sweeter, will have a similar
caramel notes to play off the ginger.
It takes all of 45 minutes to put together, probably not for the busiest
night of the week but perfect when you can spare an extra 15 minutes or
so. Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Spicy Pork Noodles with Bok Choy from David Tanis in
the New York Times.
Serves 4. Takes 45 minutes to make. Get all ingredients prepped before you start
cooking.
12
- ounces baby bok choy (3 or 4 small heads)
- 1 ounce ginger root (1 fat
- 2-inch-thick knob)
- 8 ounces rice noodles, the ¼
- inch wide size is best
- 2 tablespoons peanut or
- safflower oil
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2
- tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- vinegar
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced
- scallions
- 3 garlic cloves, finely
- chopped
- 1 fresh Thai or habanero
- chile, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame
- seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil,
- more for drizzling
- Cilantro or torn basil, for
- serving
- Black vinegar, for serving
Trim
bok choy and separate dark green tops from white stems; leave tops whole and
thinly slice stems.
2.
Peel ginger and finely chop half of it. Slice remaining
ginger into thin matchsticks.
Bring
a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to
package instructions. Drain and run under cool water; drain again.
Heat
1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and
cook, breaking up with a fork, until golden and cooked through, about 10
minutes. Season with salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon rice
wine vinegar. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl.
Add
remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Stir in half the scallions, the finely
chopped ginger, the garlic and the chile. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6.
Add bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook until bok choy is almost tender,
about 2 minutes. Toss in leaves and return pork to skillet.
Toss
noodles, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar into
the pan. Cook until just warmed through.
Transfer
to a large bowl and toss with remaining scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and
herbs.
9.
In a small bowl, combine ginger matchsticks with just enough black
vinegar to cover. Serve ginger mixture alongside noodles as a garnish.