SRC: Asian Steak and Noodle Salad

Guess what! Today is my Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  I love being part of the this group.  My biggest struggle is picking what I want to make.  So far, all the blogs I've been secretly admiring have had amazing recipe choices.  
This month my new found love was The Chefanies. A blog from a combination of two Stephanies.  Not only is their blog name clever, but their use of trying to incorporate only seasonal ingredients is fantastic.  I wish I lived in a warmer climate and had access to fresh grown produce... but, that is not the case here in Northern Idaho.  
I was craving salad something fierce and instantly was drawn to their recipe for Asian Steak and Noodle Salad.  Hubby said this marinade is "Amazing."  I have to agree with him.  I made a few minor adjustments; no cucumber and I had to make my own substitute for fish sauce.  I love this book I have, its called; 
Substituting Ingredients, 4E: The A to Z Kitchen Reference. It is my go to book for whenever I lack a certain ingredient. Those who are familiar to my blog know that this happens to me quite frequently!
Secret Recipe Club is the brain child of Amanda, of Amanda's Cooking blog. Check out the web site... it has grown to four reveal days now!

Asian Steak & Noodle Salad
Serves 2
Adapted from Epicurious
INGREDIENTS

For steak marinade
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (see note)
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ( I just crushed with the palm of my hand. It was just for flavor anyway!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 lb flank steak

For salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (2 medium)
1/2 cucumber, chopped (I omitted)
Handfull of cherry tomatoes (I used tomato I had on hand)
1 pack Ramen Noodles (instructions didn't state, but I just used noodles and not seasoning package)
1 medium Granny Smith apples
2 cup Mixed Greens

DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients of Marinade. Marinate the steak for an hour.
Grill Steak until cooked through. About 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside.
Cook Ramen Noodles until tender and set aside.
Combine lime juice, water, sugar, fish sauce, red pepper flakes and olive oil to make a dressing.
Mix Salad Ingredients together and add dressing.
Layer ingredients with Ramen on the bottom, then the salad mixture followed by the steak.
Notes: To make your own Asian Fish Sauce substitute, 1 part Anchovy to 4 parts soy sauce.

the daring kitchen: Moo shu pork

Its time for the Daring Cooks Challenge and one, I must confess, I was not thrilled with. Cooked cabbage and I are not friends. I don't like the smell nor do I care for the taste. Also, bamboo shoots are just plain icky. I'm totally blessed to have my mom living with us and it is times like these that I am especially thankful for her being here since she loves cooked cabbage and bamboo shoots! I halved the recipe of the Moo Shu Pork and made the recipe the traditional way. I made another batch not cooking the vegetable ingredients and leaving out the bamboo shoots. For the second batch I used the vegetables raw and just wrapped them in the pancake. Mom said the traditional way was delicious and both hubby and I loved the second method!'

Blog-checking lines: The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

Thin Pancakes:
Makes 24-30 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes' standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups (960 ml) (560 gm) (19¾ oz) all purpose flour
About 1½ cup (300ml) (10 fl oz) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting

Directions:
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.
Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.

I used my tortilla press for the next step... I pressed, rotated, pressed again, rotated and pressed for a third time.

Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Moo Shu Pork:
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes
Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried black fungus   I used canned mushrooms since I had that on hand
½ lb (450 gm) pork loin or butt
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), thinly cut, I used regular cabbage
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice wine
A few drops sesame oil
12 thin pancakes to serve

Directions:
Soak the fungus in warm water for 10-15 minutes, rinse and drain. Discard any hard stalks, then thinly shred.
Thinly cut the pork, bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage into matchstick-sized shreds.
Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
Heat about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a preheated wok and scramble the eggs until set, but not too hard. Remove and keep to one side.
Heat the remaining oil. Stir-fry the shredded pork for about 1 minute or until the color changes. Add the fungus, bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining salt, soy sauce and wine. Blend well and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add the scrambled eggs, stirring to break them into small bits. Add the sesame oil and blend well.
To serve: place about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot Moo Shu in the center of a warm pancake, rolling it into a parcel with the bottom end turned up to prevent the contents from falling out. Eat with your fingers.

Hoisin Sauce:
(source: http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13249/hoisin-sauce.html)
Ingredients

4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey OR molasses
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seed oil
20 drops (¼ teaspoon) Chinese style hot sauce (optional, depending on how hot you want your hoisin sauce)
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

Directions:
Simply mix all of the ingredients together by hand using a sturdy spoon.
At first it does not appear like it will mix, but keep at it just a bit longer and your sauce will come together.