AP – The Shanghainese dish called cong you ban mian combines wheat noodles with fried scallions, the flavourful oil they fry in and salty-savoury soya sauce. A lot of deep, bold flavour is wrested from a handful of ingredients for a filling and satisfying weeknight-friendly meal.
In this recipe from our cookbook Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year, we cut the scallions into thin strips before cooking, allowing them to crisp evenly and quickly while flavouring the cooking oil. Once fried, they integrate nicely with the noodles rather than fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Ground beef is cooked in the scallion-infused oil until browned, then simmered with soyaa sauce and sugar to create a savoury-sweet sauce. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan so no flavour is left behind. Don’t stir the scallions or beef too frequently; this slows down the browning and crisping process.
Dried Asian wheat noodles about the size of thin spaghetti work well in this recipe; non-instant dried ramen is a good choice, as are thin lo mein noodles.
A sprinkle of thinly sliced fresh chilies, though not traditional, balances the richness of the dish and adds a welcome kick of heat.
SCALLION NOODLES WITH GROUND BEEF
Ingredients
– Two bunches scallions
– 10 ounces dried Asian wheat noodles
– One-third cup neutral oil
– Eight ounces ground beef
– One-third cup soya sauce
– Three tablespoons white sugar
– Kosher salt
– One or two chillis, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds (optional)
Directions
In a large pot, bring four quarts water to a boil. While the water heats, cut the scallions into two to three-inch lengths, then slice lengthwise into thin strips, reserving the whites and greens separately.
To the boiling water, add the noodles, then cook until tender. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool to the touch; set aside.
In a large skillet over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, five to seven minutes. Add about half of the scallion greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned and beginning to crisp, another five to eight minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add the beef to the oil remaining in pan and cook over medium, stirring to break the meat into small pieces, until the meat is well-browned and crisp, seven to 10 minutes.
Stir in the soya sauce and sugar, then bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.
Reduce to low and add the noodles and fried scallions. Cook, tossing to combine, until the noodles are heated through, about one minute. Remove from the heat, then taste and season with salt. Toss in the remaining scallion greens. Divide among individual bowls and top with fresh chili (if using). – Christopher Kimball
