Cookbook Challenge #3: Sweet and Spicy Beef Noodles

I'm not sure why I decided that the cookbook challenge recipes had to be all new - there are definitely some favorites that I'd like to post, but it feels like cheating. Or maybe it's just my way of justifying a leap back into some cookbooks that I usually find a bit intimidating. Anything by Ming Tsai, for example.

Seriously. How can you resist this man?

I blame Ming for my love of cooking shows. I developed a major celebrity crush after I discovered East Meets West; he's handsome, charming, intelligent, AND a good cook. He told little stories about his family. He was self-deprecating. He made amazing and beautiful food, and then he invited you to sit down and dine with him and talked about his beverage pairings. I was instantly smitten. And once I discovered that he was also an engineer.....! Well, then.

This particular cookbook showed up during the Cookbook Club of the Month era, and it's probably the only one I never considered sending back. I read it cover to cover (yes, I'm a fangirl) and dreamed about having the culinary skills required to pull off *any* of these recipes. It's a bit intimidating. But the few items I've made from it have been outstanding. so I decided to tackle a weeknight recipe, something that Ming (yes. we're on a first-name basis) calls his equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs. I think it's more of an Asian riff on bolognese, a rich, unctuous sauce full of meat that was a fantastic reason to use the GF hoisin sauce I found recently. I can see adding this to the weeknight rotation, or making a big batch and freezing it for a hectic night when I need dinner on the table in 15 minutes - the amount of time it takes to soak rice noodles and chop a few fresh veggies to top it.

From Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking by Ming Tsai

Sweet and Spicy Beef Noodles 

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 Thai bird chiles, finely chopped (we skipped these and opted to add Sriracha to the final dish, in deference to John's general pickiness)
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red onion, finely diced
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 pound ground beef (not too lean)
1/2 cup Shaoxing rice wine
1  cup chicken stock
1 pound rice noodles
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 cups mung bean sprouts 

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the chiles (if using), garlic, ginger, beans, and onion and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the meat and cook until it browns, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and stock. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick and saucy, about 45 minutes.

Soak the rice noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain well and toss with the sauce. Pass the vegetables and sprouts on the side to garnish.