Saifun Noodles
The Chinese community in the Dominican Republic forms one of the largest Chinese communities in Latin America. Although no official census has been made, there are estimates of approximately 50,000 people of Chinese origin living in the country. A large influx of Chinese came during the American occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1916 to 1924, when ethnic Chinese came over to take part in the rapid economic expansion that resulted from the occupation.
So my great grandfather, came from Canton, and let us of course some family recipes. And my grandmother’s favorite is Saifun noodles Stir-fry, they are known as: Mung Bean Threads, Cellophane Noodles, Bean Threads, glass noodles, cellophane (bean thread) noodles. Their appearance is translucent white when they are dry and transparent if when boiled. They are flavorless and will absorb whatever they are served with. So whenever we want to do a meal for her, we tend to do Chinese.
The other day surfing through the net searching for the origin of this family recipe! what a surprise! I was looking for “Saifun noodles” and you know what ?? Saifun was the name of the brand! hahaha well I found not one but several recipes, and I will try to do my best to make it similar to my Grandma’s.
Very similar to the glass noodles are the rice Vermicelli, that is in fact the ones I found in the market, the vermicelli are not as sticky as the glass noodles.
So for my Grandma’s recipe you will need:
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 2)
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 green pepper finely sliced
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 4 2-ounce bundles bean thread noodles or rice vermicelli noodles
- 1/3 pound thinly sliced rib-eye steak
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 cup carrots grated
- 6 scallions white parts chopped
- 1 cup of snap peas
- 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
- 1.5 cup of Soybean Sprouts
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make a marinade by combining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 tablespoon of ginger. Marinate the chicken and the beef for at least 30 minutes if not 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Soak the saifun noodles in hot water for 15 minutes until they are clear, then drain. Reserve.
- In a wok or big heavy pot on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and once is hot, add half of the drained pieces of chicken and beef. Cook 3 or 4 minutes until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken to a bowl and keep warm. Repeat the same operation with the second half of chicken and beef then remove.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pot and then cook the vegetables garlic, green pepper, shallots, soybean sprouts, spinach, snap peas and carrots). Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are done.
- Then, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, noodles and chicken to the vegetables, mix it well for 2 minutes, add all the chopped cilantro, then remove from heat and serve!
La comunidad china en la República Dominicana constituye una de las mayores comunidades chinas en América Latina. Aunque ningún censo oficial se ha hecho, hay estimaciones de aproximadamente 50.000 personas de origen chino que viven en el país. Una gran afluencia de China se produjo durante la ocupación estadounidense de la República Dominicana en 1916 para 1924, cuando los chinos étnicos vinieron a participar en la rápida expansión económica que resultó de la ocupación.
Así que mi bisabuelo, vino de Cantón, y por supuesto, nos dejó algunas recetas de familia, la favorita de mi abuela son los fideos Saifun, se les conoce como: fideo celofán de frijol, fideos de frijol, Hilos de vidrio, fideos celofán (hilos) de frijol. Su apariencia es de color blanco traslúcido cuando están secos y transparente cuando se hierven. No tienen ningún sabor, pero absorberán cualquier sabor con los que se cocinen. Así que cada vez que queremos hacer una comida para ella, tendemos a hacer comida China.
El otro día navegando por la red, buscando el origen de esta receta de la familia, que sorpresa! Yo estaba buscando “fideos Saifun” y saben qué ?? Saifun era el nombre de la marca! jajaja así que encontré no una, sino varias recetas, y voy a tratar de hacer esta lo mejor posible para que sea similar a mi abuela.
Muy similar a los fideos de cristal son los fideos de arroz finos (vermicelli), que son, de hecho, los que encontré en el mercado, muy similares pero no son tan pegajosos como los fideos de cristal.
Para la receta de mi abuela van a necesitar:
Ingredients
- 1,5 libras sin piel pechugas de pollo sin hueso (aproximadamente 2)
- 1/3 libra de carne de res rib-eye en rodajas finas
- 2 cebollas blancas cortadas en rodajas finas
- 1/2 taza de Aceite vegetal
- 1 pimiento verde cortado en rodajas finas
- 2 dientes de ajo majados
- 1 cucharada de jengibre fresco rallado
- 4 2 onzas paquetes fideos hilo frijol o fideos vermicelli de arroz
- 2 tazas espinacas
- 1 taza de zanahorias ralladas
- 6 cebolletas partes blancas picadas
- 1 taza de guisantes
- 1 manojo de cilantro picado
- 1.5 taza de brotes de soja
- 1 taza de brocoli divido en pedazos pequeños
- salsa de soja
- aceite de sésamo
- Sal y pimienta al gusto
Instructions
- Hacer un adobo combinando 2 cucharadas de salsa de soja, 1 cucharada de aceite de sésamo, 1 diente de ajo picado y 1 cucharada de jengibre. Marinar el pollo y la carne de res, durante al menos 30 minutos si no 2 horas en el refrigerador.
- Remojar los fideos Saifun en agua caliente durante 15 minutos hasta que estén claro y escurrir. Reserva.
- En un wok o gran olla de fondo espeso a fuego alto, agregue 2 cucharadas de aceite y una vez que está caliente, agregue la mitad de las piezas de pollo y res drenados. Cocine 3 o 4 minutos hasta que estén cocidos. Retire la carne a un plato y mantenga caliente. Repite la misma operación con la segunda mitad de la carne y también reservar.
- Agregue el 1 cucharada restante de aceite a la misma olla y luego cocinar el ajo, pimiento verde, la cebolla, brotes de soja, espinacas, guisantes y zanahorias). Cocine a fuego alto, revolviendo de vez en cuando durante unos 5 minutos hasta que esté cocidas pero aun un poco crujientes.
- A continuación, agregue las 2 cucharadas restantes de salsa de soja, fideos y carne a las verduras, mezclar bien durante 2 minutos, agregar todo el cilantro picado, y retirar del fuego y servir!
Notes
Feliz día de las madres! A mi Abuela Marina, a mi mamá y a mi hermana Odile! Ejemplo de sacrificio y amor incondicional para toda la familia!
Mami, yo, Abuela Marina y mi hermana Odile
Sean felices cocinando! Feliz día de las madres a todas las Dominicanas y Francesas celebrando hoy su día
8 thoughts on “Saifun Noodles”
I love any asian noodle dish, and this is no exception! Yum! Happy mother’s day, girlie! Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s recipe! 🙂
Hey Girl, thanks! we had a blast yesterday! and she did enjoy her noodles! 🙂
You already know how much I love mung bean thread noodles but I’ve always prepared them in a Thai style. Thanks so much for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe and teaching me another way to make my favorite noodle! Love the sweet family pic too. Y’all are so beautiful 🙂
Ohh Karrie! (blushing) thanks you are so sweet.. that was for my little brother’s wedding on 2010, so a while back! 🙂 I am also a lover of the mung bean thread noodles and I adore this recipe..Hope you do get the chance to try it! XOXO
Such a delicious meal you’ve got here, Gaila! That may sound ridiculous, but my favourite ingredient in any Asian kind of noodles is sesame oil (and seeds as well). They work beautifully, in my book. Indeed, I’ve added once some tahini which introduced an incredible creamy texture!
Hey Ben! I do love sesame oil and seeds as well, I tend to use them in all of my Asian dishes! I just have used Tahini in Lebanese or Turkish cuisine! great tip…XOXOXO
Beautiful picture of your family! I had no idea the Chinese community was so big in the Dominican Republic, thanks for sharing. Your grandma-inspired noodles look so tempting. We love noodles here in our house so your recipe is now on my to-do list. Yum!
Hey Georgina!! thank you very much! how about you do this noodles and you bring cozinhas as an appetizer? or maybe pao de queijo ?? I have been wanting to do them for a while! 🙂