4 HOMEMADE Chinese Takeout Dishes That Beat the Restaurants'

hello from Seoul let me guess you're probably thinking like Aaron making an Asian noodle dish at home is daunting no you could not be more wrong it's simple easy and delicious so stop worrying and follow my lead you won't regret it today we're gonna be making lo mein one of the most popular Chinese takeouts here some of you might ask Aaron isn't it chow mein? yes they look quite similar but lo mein is a bit more saucy so if you prefer more of a saucy style this is it for this you will need some noodles, beef, carrot, onion, baby bok choy, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and ginger actually for lo mein you can use any vegetables you like so if you don't have one or two from the list don't worry about it just use what you have that's not gonna be a problem first let's talk about the beef today I'm gonna be using flank steak but it could also use other cuts as well what you don't have beef but chicken that's okay just go for it no problem at all anyways cut 300 grams of beef into nice bite-sized pieces what the beef in your fridge is a little bit tough then be sure to cut against the grain otherwise you will see your wife chew it all day long like chewing gum yes that's right this simple technique will save your ass from your hangry bird at home now let's marinate our beef but don't worry about it it's not gonna take an hour or something it's gonna be a super simple marinade to the beef add half a tablespoon of soy sauce, a quarter teaspoon of white pepper, a pinch of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, half a tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and give it a good massage here some of you might ask Aaron I don't have Shaoxing wine what should I do don't worry about it you can substitute with other cooking wines it's a small amount so anything will work fine in this recipe once the beef is well coated give it some privacy in the fridge for about 5 to 10 minutes that's it so simple right now let's prep our vegetables first cut 60 grams of carrot into thin matchsticks what you're not confident with your knife skills like Claire that's okay you can use a julienne peeler since that's much easier and faster you'll be more satisfied next slice half an onion not too thin not too thick again romaine is a bit saucy noodle so if the onion is too thin you can't get too mushy at the end so about a quarter inch thick would be perfect and then take two baby bok choy cut off the ends and cut them into small pieces obviously the leaves cook a lot faster than the stem so I recommend cutting the stem a little bit thinner than the leaves trust me this little detail will give you a better result and then thinly slice some bell pepper I'm gonna use about a third what you don't want to use about pepper come on if you want to show off your cooking skills or you want to make this for your date then you shouldn't do that trust me this bad boy will take a regular romaine to the next level finally it's time for our love green onions just cut them into long strips honestly I think you can still make a delicious romaine without this bad boy but as I always say you'll be like more green onion more delicious right so be super generous with this don't worry I'm not addicted and then finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and a small knob of ginger what you have someone who hates eating chunky ginger like Claire then use a grater you have one life to live once that's done let's move on to the sauce in a small container and a half a cup of water half a tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder 2 tablespoons of soy sauce half a tablespoon of dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine a quarter teaspoon of white pepper 1 tablespoon of cornstarch a pinch of MSG which is optional and give you the good mix that's it couldn't be any easier right now let's talk about the noodles get yourself some egg noodles and cook according to the package instructions but as you can see these are too thin and I don't think it can give us that authentic vibe sorry guys I couldn't find that thick egg noodles here in Korea so I'm gonna use this frozen Chinese wheat noodles but don't worry about it you'll be able to find them more easily at your local Asian market anyways when the noodles are cooked take them out give them a quick rinse and set them aside all right everything is all set let's get cooking in a wok or pan one tablespoon of oil and heat it over high heat once it gets nice and hot add your marinated beef and cook for about two to three minutes once your beef is cooked remove from the wok and set it aside now place the same wok over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of oil once it's heated add the garlic ginger and saute for 30 seconds once you can smell that beautiful aroma add the carrot onion baby bok choy bell pepper green onions and stir-fry them all together for about one to two minutes when the veggies soften up a little bit reduce the heat to medium add your drained noodles and give it a good stir for about one minute and then add the beef back in and pour the sauce we made now all we gotta do is give it a good stir for about two to three minutes or until the sauce gets thickened unlike chow mein we're not gonna stir-fry we're just gonna mix and stir these noodles and this is the key difference from chow mein I know you have amazing wok skills that you want to show off but not today not today my friend once they are nice and coated turn the heat off and then to that add one teaspoon of a toasted sesame oil and give it a final mix that's it couldn't be any easier right all right let's put some noodles on a serving plate and sprinkle some green onions on top how does it look it looks absolutely delicious right all right let's score our taste tester Claire it's a lot I'm super hungry let's give it a try wow saucy and delicious I just love this sound makes me so crazy cheers wow the sauce is so rich and so good it's so moist and so delicious it's so good the sauce is like a corn starch and the sauce makes the noodles thick it balances the flavor of the sauce and prevents it from separating it's great it's just so delicious so good the sauce is dense and the noodles are unique I have a craving for this it's so good let me have some more ok It's the same taste that I used to eat in the U.S. It's so delicious. I'm so excited right now. The meat is so shiny that it melts in my mouth when I chew it. It's big, but it's not tough at all and it's so delicious. Bell pepper and bok choy are still crunchy and delicious. I feel so good. When I ordered it at a restaurant, it felt like I was eating with it. It's like eating with other main dishes. It's like eating with vegetables and meat. I don't have any regrets. I don't have any regrets even if I don't eat a lot. I think this is the charm of home cooking. It's fun to use good ingredients and make them more delicious. So many people are missing out on the best beef and broccoli. Do you know why? Because you never think of making it at home but always get takeout. But it's not your fault. I blame you, Panda. Don't shoot me, Panda. Anyways, if you don't want to miss out on the chance anymore, you really need this. A lot of people are saying, Aaron, cooking Asian food at home is intimidating. No, that's not true at all. As I always say, if you have some right ingredients and a little bit of technique, that's a piece of cake. You don't buy it? Then let me prove it with this beef and broccoli. For this, you will need beef, broccoli, garlic, ginger, and some green onions. That's it. What? You want it to be fancier so you can show off on Instagram? Then go get some leftover carrot from your fridge. Trust me. This little bad boy will make an enormous difference. First, let's prep our beef. Today, I'm going to be using flank steak because it's commonly used for this kind of beef stir-fry. But it looks a little different, right? Because in Korea, it was very hard to get that big chunk of steak. Everything was cut into strips for Korean barbecue. Yes, everybody here is crazy about Korean barbecue. But don't worry about it. All you gotta do is cut 500 grams of beef into nice bite-sized pieces. But make sure to cut against the grain. Otherwise, it's gonna be too chewy. And besides this flank steak, you could also use any cut of beef. So just use what you have. That's the best. Now, let's marinate our beef. So simple, right? While this guy is having a great vacation in the fridge, let's prep some of the other ingredients. First, smash 4 cloves of garlic and finely chop them. I'm just using 4 garlic cloves. But if you're a garlic lover just like Koreans, sorry about the Italians, but it's so true. We eat more garlic than you guys. But I still love you, so don't worry about it. Anyways, if you're a big fan of garlic, add as much as you want. Maybe that could be more delicious. Next, grate a small knob of ginger. We're gonna need about 2 teaspoons. Of course, you could just thinly slice it with a knife. But this way, it will release a lot more flavor to our aromatic oil. So I highly recommend grating it. Once that's done, thinly slice some green onions. As always, we're gonna use the white parts to stir-fry and the green parts for garnish. So please keep them separately like this. This time, cut 40 grams of carrot into bite-size pieces. Like I said earlier, the carrot is totally optional. But it's gonna add a nice pop of color to your dark beef and broccoli. So if today is a special day or you wanna impress your family or friends, please make sure to use some. Trust me. That's gonna take it to the next level. Look at this. It's beautiful, right? Next, broccoli. Take one broccoli and cut it into nice bite-size pieces. You're gonna need about 250 grams or 9 ounces without the stem. Also, even though it's beef and broccoli, you could also use other green vegetables such as broccolini or asparagus. So try in many different ways. Trust me. Everything will be fantastic. Now, let's make the sauce. In a small container, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, half a teaspoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, 5 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and give it a good stir. That's it. So simple, right? But if you wanna make it more tasty, then bring out our secret weapon. S.G.G. And add a pinch of that. But it's totally optional. All right. Everything is all set. Let's get cooking. Bring a pot of water to a boil with a little bit of salt and blanch your broccoli for about 1 minute. Here, you don't have to cook it all the way through because we're gonna cook it one more time in the pan. What? You think it's kind of a hassle so you don't wanna blanch it? Then there's another option. Microwave. But it's your choice. Once that's done, shock them in some ice water. It's gonna help keep that vibrant green color. Remember, green always makes your dish look fancy. Now it's time for the beef. In a large wok or pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat it over high heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add your beef and spread it out and let it sear for about 1 minute. Once the beef is nicely browned on the bottom, flip and sear on the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes. What? Your beef is too thick so you worry about your beef being undercooked? Don't worry about it. Just cook a little bit longer. But it doesn't have to be cooked through because just like broccoli, we're gonna stir-fry it with the sauce later. Once it's cooked, remove it from the wok and set it aside. Now, to the same wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it over medium heat. Once it's heated, add your garlic, ginger, white parts of the green onions, and saute for about 1 minute. Here, make sure you keep stirring it and let all the flavors infuse because this beautiful aromatic oil is a secret weapon for this recipe. Once your kitchen is filled with the beautiful aroma, increase the heat to medium-high, add in your carrot, broccoli, and quickly stir-fry for another 1 minute. After that, increase the heat to high, add your beef back in, and toast it around for 1 more minute. And then, once they're nicely coated with oil, add your sauce and give it a good stir for about 1 to 2 minutes. When the sauce gets thickened and everything looks nice and shiny, turn the heat off and add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, some green onions, and give it a final mix. That's it. So simple, right? Now, all you have left is transfer it to a serving plate. Couldn't be any easier, right? All right, let's call our taste tester. Claire? Woo-hoo! Beef and broccoli? Such a simple dish with simple ingredients. But there's a saying, simple is the best. So, this is gonna be awesome, right? Let's give it a try. Whoa! Look at this. Who can resist this? So shiny and glossy. Mmm, I love it! Mmm! I'm so happy right now. Cheers! Mmm. Wow. Mmm. You know what? It's extremely tender and soft. Oh, my God. It's crazy. It's so tender, It just melts in your mouth. And the sauce goes really well with it. It's not just soy sauce or oyster sauce. It's a sauce with ginger and garlic. It's so delicious. Mmm. I just love it. So many good things here. Since it's beef and broccoli, I'm gonna eat broccoli, too. Otherwise, I'll be sad. I'm gonna try this bad boy. Cheers! Mmm. At first, I thought broccoli was too big. But it's not too small, so it keeps the crunchy texture in my mouth. It's more delicious. It's salty and has a deep flavor. It tastes like rice. Mmm. Finally, I can eat it with rice. It's a good vibe, right? Okay. Cheers! Mmm. Wow, the meat is so tender. It's so delicious. Mmm. I was a little nervous to eat it, but I put it in my mouth and ate it. The texture in my mouth is so good. The broccoli is crunchy. The beef is so tender. And the rice goes well with it. It's a perfect combination. You have to eat it with rice. Hehe. I didn't say it. You might be a little disappointed. The carrots are so pretty. I think it's good. Hehe. I just love this kind of balanced meal. Like you get some protein, you get some green, and you get some starchy. But you know what? You can make it even more balanced. Like how? Aaron, bring some beer. Yay. Everybody's waiting for you. Yay. See? It's perfect. Cheers! This is it. Hope you guys enjoy it. Sorry, kids. Soda for you. Yes, we already done Mongolian beef. And you loved it. So now it's time to conquer this Beijing beef. If you've ever been to Panda Express, I'm pretty sure it was not easy for you to pass this bad boy. Yeah, that fried beef toasted in a sweet and sour sauce is amazing, right? But we're not recreating the Panda's Beijing beef. As always, it's gonna be way better. I guarantee. For this, you will need some beef, onion, black pepper, garlic, and ginger. So simple, right? Not only that, the cooking steps are amazingly simple. So if you try once or twice, you will be able to make this just with one hand. Oh, you will. First, get yourself 500 grams of beef and cut that into quarter-inch thick slices. Normally, it is made with flank steak. But I decided to get a little fancy, so I brought this strip loin. Sorry, guys. I'm kidding. It was sold out, so I had to pay more. Dang it. Anyways, the point is, you can use any kind of steak you have. So just use what you have. That's the best. Once you're done slicing, put that in a mixing bowl. And add half a tablespoon of soy sauce, one tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, half a teaspoon of white pepper, and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Now all you gotta do is give it a good massage and cast a spell like, be delicious, be delicious. And that's all you need. All right. While the beef is having a great vacation in the fridge, let's start with our love, green onion. Nah, I'm kidding. I wish I could use this bad boy, but sadly, he was not invited to the party today. Of course, it would be much tastier with green onion. But let's keep it simple, like Panda style. First, smash seven cloves of garlic and finely chop them. I know I always say this, but when chopping your garlic, if you smash it like this, it will release a lot more flavor and make it more fragrant. So if you haven't tried it yet, now is the time. Once you've done that, grate a small knob of ginger. About two teaspoons would be perfect. This time, cut half an onion into nice bite-sized pieces. And then the same thing goes for the bell pepper. I'm just using one red bell pepper like Pandas, but if you have yellow, orange, or green in the fridge, bring them all. That's gonna be more beautiful and even more nutritious. Now let's move on to the sauce. In a small container, add half a tablespoon of soy sauce, two and a half tablespoons of oyster sauce, half a teaspoon of dark soy sauce, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and one tablespoon of Chinese black vinegar. What? You don't have these? Don't worry about it. Just use white vinegar or whatever you have in your pantry. No problem at all. Keep adding one tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, two tablespoons of ketchup, one and a half tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of sambal, seven tablespoons of water, one tablespoon of cornstarch, and give it a good mix. That's it. What? You wanna magically make it tastier? Well, it's been a while since I called this name, but it's time to shout out. But it's totally optional. All right, let's take out the beef from the fridge. And to that, add one egg white and give it a good massage. And then, lightly coat it with some cornstarch. That's it. It's so simple and easy, right? There's no reason not to try this at home. Finally, it's cooking time. Fill your wok or pot with enough oil and heat it to 180 degrees Celsius or 355 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches the temperature, carefully add in your beef pieces and fry for about two to three minutes or until light golden brown. It can be chewy or tough if you overcook it. So remember, light golden brown. Okay? But here, some of you might say, Aaron, I hate deep frying. What should I do? Then, you can try shallow frying. What? You don't like that either? Then, just pan fry. Still gonna be good. All right, when the beef is done, pull them out and let them drain on a wire rack. And repeat this process with your remaining beef. All right, everything is ready to go. Let's put them all together. In a large wok or pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, and stir them around for about one to two minutes. Once the onion starts soften, pour the sauce we made and give it a good stir for about 30 seconds. When the sauce gets thickened, add the beef and toast them around until they are nicely coated. All right, let's turn the heat off and serve it on a plate. But you know what? Eating this beautiful Beijing beef without rice is a kind of crime. Yeah, we need some carbs, right? So let me go get another plate and put it with some rice. How does it look? This is what we're looking for, right? All right, let's call our taste tester. Claire? Ooh! The red wine looks really good. You always say that green makes food look fancy, but for me, the red color is the color that stimulates my appetite. It looks good. I'm hungry. Is it just me? Let's give it a try. All right. Cheers! You know how I love a mouthful of food? It's so good in my mouth. But even though the beef is big, it's not tough at all. It's moist and delicious. And you know the garlic that I mentioned earlier? The chunks of garlic are quite big, so when you chew them, the juice of the garlic bursts out and brings out the flavor. Wow, it's good. And the sauce. I've only seen it in color, so I thought it might be spicy, but it's not that spicy. It's a bit sour and sweet. It's sweet and sour. Yeah. It's sour and sweet. It's good. Mmm. It's a taste that everyone will like. Mmm. It's so good. This time, I'll try the bell pepper. Even though the beef is big, it's not tough at all. It's so good. Wow, it's amazing. Cheers! Mmm. Oh, it's so good. This time, let's try it with rice. I can't miss the rice. Let's try it. Cheers! I chewed my tongue. Oh, your tongue. You should eat this too. Mmm. It's good. I think I'm going to cry. Mmm, it's good. It's really good. Yes, we've done lots of great tofu dishes. So now, you don't hate tofu anymore. But with this recipe, I'm pretty sure you're going to be the biggest fan of tofu. Trust me, that will happen to you. Today, we're going to be making tofu and broccoli. What? You think it's going to be boring or flavorless because of tofu? Don't worry about it. You're going to be surprised because it's packed full of umami. Plus, it doesn't taste greasy or heavy like other Chinese takeouts. So you want to eat it every day. For this, you will need some tofu, broccoli, green onion, garlic, and ginger. That's it. But if you want to make it more beautiful, get yourself some red chilies or bell peppers. Trust me, it will add a nice pop of color to your dish. Alright, let's prep our tofu first. For this recipe, I'm going to be using 520 grams of firm tofu. And we can use it as it is. But if you don't mind putting a little bit more effort and love, cover it with some paper towels and put anything heavy on top and just leave it for like 30 minutes. This will help dry out the moisture and give you a better texture. But 30 minutes? We don't have that much time. Our hungry birds at home are losing their patience. So let's just cut it into cubes and pat them dry with paper towels. Once that's done, season it with some salt and pepper. That's it. So simple, right? What? You wanna dry out the moisture even more to get the best result? Then bring a hair dryer. But if you get caught by your wife or mom, you could die. Seriously, I almost died last year. So if that happens, I'm not responsible. Next, broccoli. Take one or two broccoli and cut it into bite-sized pieces. You're gonna need about 250 grams or 9 ounces without the stem. For information, besides this broccoli, you could also use other green vegetables like broccolini, asparagus, or green beans. So just use what you have. Everything will be fantastic. This time, let's prep our love, green onion. Thinly slice two or three green onions and separate the whites and greens. The whites are gonna be stir-fried for our aromatic oil and the greens are gonna be used for garnish. Next, smash five cloves of garlic and finely chop them. And then, finely chop a small knob of ginger. About two teaspoons would be enough. By any chance, if you have a family member who hates ginger, so you're not sure what to do, don't worry about it. It's optional. But don't skip it just because I said so because it's their business. You're the one who hates ginger. This time, thinly slice one red chili. This is mainly for color, so if you don't have it, you can skip it. No problem at all. Now, let's move on to the sauce. In a small container, add one tablespoon of soy sauce, two tablespoons of oyster sauce, half a teaspoon of dark soy sauce, one tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, one teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, half a cup of water, one tablespoon of cornstarch, a pinch of MSG, which is totally optional, and give it a good mix. Nothing complicated, right? All right. Everything is ready to go. Let's get cooking. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add a little bit of salt and broccoli and blanch it for one minute. Once that's done, shock them in some ice water. What? This sounds like a hassle, but if you skip this step, you might see that beautiful, vibrant green color next year or in your next life. Remember, green always makes your dish look fancier and better. All right. Let's get back to our tofu. Add half a cup of cornstarch or potato starch to a tray and place your tofu cubes and toast them around so that they are nicely coated. What? This sounds like too much work for you? Then, you can just skip this step and pan fry with some oil, but this little detail will not only give you that crispy texture, but it's also gonna help absorb more of the sauce. So when you bite into it, trust me, you'll be much more flavorful. So if it's your first time to try, please follow my lead. You won't regret it. Now, in a large pan, add three tablespoons of oil and heat it over medium heat. Once it gets nice and hot, add in your tofu one by one and fry for about six to seven minutes or until light golden brown. For information, they tend to stick together, so make sure to do this in two batches. Alright, the tofu is done. Remove from the pan and set it aside. And then, to the same pan, add one tablespoon of oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once it's heated, add the green onions, garlic, ginger, and satay for about one minute. All the good flavors from our aromatics will take it to the next level. Now, it's time to add in our sauce. But make sure to give it a quick stir before you pour it in. After one minute or once the sauce has thickened, throw in our tofu, broccoli, and toast them around until everything is nice and coated. Alright, let's turn the heat off and add half a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and give it a final mix. That's it! So simple, right? Alright, it's time to assemble. Let's put some rice in a serving bowl and add a generous amount of tofu and broccoli. And then, just in time for a beautiful presentation, let's sprinkle on some green onions, red chili, and toasted sesame seeds. Alright, it's done. Let's call our taste tester. Claire? Woo! Tofu and broccoli? Looks super yummy. I can't wait to try! Let's give it a go! Wow, the smell is so unique. It smells like American Chinese food. Beef and broccoli or romaine. It's somewhere in there. Wow, Let's check out this tofu first. The main star of the show. Cheers! This time, let's try the second main star. Broccoli! Hehehe It's so pretty and cute, isn't it? Cheers! Mmm Wow Mmm It's so good, but what's surprising is that the sauce is so rich Mmm Don't get me wrong. Both of them are great. This is the time I've been waiting for. Let's try with the rice. Wow, see? It's gonna be the perfect bite. Go, go, go! In Korea, the broccoli is crunchy and the tofu is chewy and soft on the side. It's so good. Mmm Wow It's so good. If you have kids who don't like tofu or broccoli, make this for them. Just like I said, they're not gonna say they don't like tofu and broccoli anymore. Trust me. This is perfect. So good. Hehehe