I cooked this dish for lunch yesterday. I prepared a whole package of noodles, a whole medium potato, and a bag of cowpeas plus meat. It is A LOT. So naturally, I asked Joe, “Do you think it is too much for two of us? Shall I not use the entire package of noodles?” Joe said, “What? NO!” I have only made this dish two times before, but the first time this dish appeared on our table, it had made to Joe’s top list of favorite dishes.
If the name of this dish makes no sense, it is probably because I made it up. I can not find a previous translation of this dish title, at least online. I have to admit though that I also do not own one copy of Chinese cookbook in English. I saw one huge Chinese cookbook published by Phaidon in a bookstore the other day and got quite excited, for I trust Phaidon. However I picked it up and flipped through, and it was disappointing. Too many recipes, not enough explanation and almost no picture. This cookbook was a large print and costs a fortune. I clearly judged the book by the cover and thought that it contains impeccable food photography. I also searched for Chinese cookbooks published in English in my local libraries and was disappointed again. My point is that I do not have many references. So, my dear readers, you have to bear with me now and in the future that it is likely I will translate Chinese dishes myself and introduce to you.
So let’s get back to the recipe. You might be wondering what the heck are cowpeas? I did not know its English name and googled it out. It is a common vegetable on Chinese dinner table. They look like french beans. Here is the wiki link for cowpea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpea. It is worth to mention that this dish originates from the Northern China. Generally speaking, southern Chinese eat rice as their main source of carb, while northern Chinese mainly eat food made of wheat. Why do we love this dish so much? Because it is one meal in a single wok, and it has such a strong punch of flavor.
I serve this noodle stew with a side sauce containing vinegar and garlic. I love adding the sauce into my bowl of noodles. The acidity from the vinegar cuts through any excess richness from the stew, together with the raw minced garlic, the sauce actually brings out more flavor of this dish. I feel I am such a Northerner when I eat like this. Background story: Northern Chinese and Southern Chinese have a different culture. They generally have distinctive features in appearances. There are also different sets of personality traits that are often associated with Northerners and Southerners. (Stereotypes of course but with a grain of truth) For example, Southern Chinese are petite compared to the Northerners; Southerners are often viewed stingy about money. Northerners are straightforward and forthright. While it is so easy to make friends with the Northerners quickly, they may be harder to deal with professionally because they tend to boast and promise too much in the first place. So the list of stereotypes goes on and on. In the food context, it is because raw garlic is too strong for Southerners’ palate. Not to mention the huge portion of this Northern dish may faint a Southern lady. 😛 Well, I am no delicate lady; in fact, I am viewed rather manly by Chinese standard. So I will dig in.
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Cowpeas Noodles Stew
A Northern Chinese noodle dish with cowpeas and pork stew.
Ingredients
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Piece Chili Pepper
- 1 Stem Young garlic leaves optional
- 200 grams Slices of Pork Preferably with some fat
- 1 Potato
- 250 grams Cowpeas
- 350 grams Fresh Noodles Thin or flat
- 1 tbsp Oil In principle any kind would do, but I do not suggest olive oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce Add in 2 tbsp first and taste while it is cooking and add gradually to your liking
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar for stew
- 2 tbsp Chinese vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar for side sauce
Instructions
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2. Heat wok at medium heat until it is hot and then add oil in. Add garlic and chili pepper first and fry for a bit. Then add garlic leaves, stir fry until the leaves are softened. Next, add potato slices and cowpeas in the wok and cook until potatoes turn somewhat translucent. Take all ingredients out of the wok.
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3. Add bit more oil in the wok and add pork slices in. Stir fry until pork slices are half cooked. Now dump all vegetabls cooked in last step back in the wok and mix well. Next, add light and dark soy sauces and water to just cover all the ingredients, put on the lid, and turn up the heat to high.
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Make a sauce by mixing vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and some garlic together. Serve this noodle stew in a big bowl and pair it with the sauce. When eat, spoon the vinegar sauce on the noodle and mix.