Chinese Tomato Stew with Potatoes
This simple vegetarian home recipe is similar to Italian pasta with stewed tomatoes. The wheat noodles, called guà miàn (挂面), are narrow and flat, similar to linguine or lo mein noodles. The tomato is stewed right in the pot, and instead of using butter the oil from the potatoes provides the fat. The pasta is cooked right in the broth made from the stewed tomato. The broth is seasoned with light soy sauce and oyster sauce. Tomatoes can be acidic, and sugar helps to reduce the acidity. Like western stewed tomatoes, a little sugar is used in this recipe too. Use it sparingly, as the goal is not a sweet sauce.
Equipment
- 1 wok
- 1 heat safe container for hot oil
- 1 wok spatula (or cooking chopsticks)
- 2 bowls (for diced potato and diced tomato)
Ingredients
- 1 medium tomato cubed
- 1 medium-sized potato cubed
- 100 g flat wheat noodles
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 g ketchup or tomato paste
- 3 ml light soy sauce
- 7 ml oyster sauce
- 3 ml sugar, white (granulated)
- 50 ml cooking oil
- 350 ml water
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables: 1 medium potato, 2 garlic cloves, on medium tomato. Measure 100 grams of Chinese guà miàn 挂面 flat wheat noodles (or Japanese somen). Add 50ml of oil to your wok and heat it to 150° C (300° F).
- Peel the potatoes. Cube the potato and the tomato into 1 cm (⅜ in) cubes. Mince the garlic cloves.
- When the oil is hot, add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry until golden brown.1 medium-sized potato
- Remove the potatoes and set aside.
- Pour off all but 20 ml of the oil (about 4 tsps) into a heat-proof container. Reduce the heat to low, and add the minced garlic stirring until fragrant (a few seconds). Quickly pour in the diced tomatoes (the hot oil will burn the minced garlic so add the tomatoes quickly to help take the heat out of the oil). Stir well to combine, then add the potatoes and ketchup.1 medium tomato, 2 cloves garlic, 15 g ketchup, 1 medium-sized potato
- Next, add 350ml (11 ¾ oz) of water and raise the flame to high. Season to taste with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar, stirring well to mix the flavors. (Sugar helps to take the acidity out of tomatoes, so add a little at a time and taste, repeating until satisfied.)3 ml light soy sauce , 7 ml oyster sauce, 350 ml water, 3 ml sugar, white (granulated)
- Once the broth is boiling, add the noodles. Cook over medium-low heat until the noodles are soft and the broth thickens, then turn off the heat.100 g flat wheat noodles
- Finish and serve.
Notes
- When seasoning, you can experiment with the flavor, you can add some salt in moderation. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce first, before adding salt, as both sauces have a salty taste.
- When the noodles are boiling and the broth starts to thicken, use chopsticks or a spatula to turn the noodles slightly to avoid sticking to the pan. If the broth is too thick, you can add some water in moderation.
- After frying the potatoes and pouring off the excess oil, reduce the heat under the wok and add the garlic, stirring quickly to keep it from burning in the hot oil. This only takes a few seconds for the garlic to release its fragrance, so add the tomatoes quickly to reduce the heat in the wok and keep the garlic from browning.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 10gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 266mgPotassium: 744mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 553IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!