Staff Supper last Sunday, I made Beijing La Mien with peanut butter chili oil, soft boiled eggs, and spicy cumin beef mince. This is the 4th time I've made this dish and something I'd call my signature noodle dish. Still some ways to go to perfect it, but for now I've nailed the main components of the noodle and sauce.
Plating has some ways to go as well as accompanying sides for this dish, but I guess that'll come with more and more practice.
The chili oil is made from scratch with a fairly lengthy process. It has 3 separate stages, the 1st being a dry roast of over 15 different spices. The 2nd is an aroma oil that starts with vegetables like onions, garlic, ginger, and spring onions gently poaching in oil.
The oil is then strained and the vegetables discarded which moves on to the next stage of soaking the dry roasted spices in the aroma oil.
Its soaked for a minimum of 2 days or up to 14 days then it's strained again and brought up to a boil then the hot oil is poured on to a combination of Chili flakes and Korean chili flakes, together with sesame seeds, black vinegar, and brown sugar.
Its the left to soak for another 2 days or kept for months in a mason jar.
I cooked some mince beef as well with the chili oil and cumin powder, a soft boiled egg, and the noodles to pair with the chili oil that's mixed with soy sauce and peanut butter.
Super delicious to end a busy day at the shop.
