Bean Paste Beef Noodles (牛肉粿條)

Love the sauce, and the tenderness of the beef. I used to watch my dad as he patiently sliced the beef thinly.

“Always cut against the grain!” He would tell me, and freeze it till it is half-frozen makes it easier.  These days, I don’t really have to freeze it to cut the beef that thin.

I also used to watch my mom wash her unsold chickens with baking soda to ‘refresh’ them. She believed it was not good to eat meat washed in soda.  But honestly, we know that every single stall does this to their prawns, chicken, beef, pork etc etc to give them the right ‘bite’ (口感).  So if you are tenderizing beef at home this way, take control and remember to rinse the beef really well before marinading.

Lastly, my dad used to say never marinade beef with salt or the meat will toughen. I have no clue why, but I have never done that, since there are many ways to marinade beef.

We  love this dish at Geylang, Lorong 9, and still eat there once a while. One time some twenty five years ago, after the server has put down the dish,  we all bowed to say grace, but when we opened our eyes, we were shocked to find the whole plate missing.

Turned out he had delivered the plate to the wrong table and took it back when we were not looking. We joked that God took the plate. So from then on, every time we eat at this store, we always lay our hands on the plate when we give thanks.