Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Satay Beef, Enoki Mushroom and Vermicelli Pot
沙嗲金菇肥牛粉絲煲
Recipe overview
Satay Beef, Enoki Mushroom and Vermicelli Pot is a richly flavoured Hong Kong home-style clay pot dish that does not take long to cook. Satay sauce, onion, minced garlic and chicken stock make a savoury, slightly sweet sauce with a nutty aroma. Enoki mushrooms and mung bean vermicelli absorb the sauce well, while thinly sliced beef stays tender when added near the end. The key for beginners is to soak the vermicelli only until it bends and to add the beef back at the final stage, so the noodles do not turn mushy and the beef does not overcook. At the end, the noodles should be soft but not clumped, the enoki fully cooked, and the beef brown, fully cooked and still tender. Satay sauce formulas vary, so check labels for peanuts, soy, sesame and other allergens before use.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 400 g Hotpot beef slices (Choose thinly sliced beef; thaw in the refrigerator in advance; blot excess blood and thawing liquid before cooking)
- 200 g Enoki mushrooms (Trim off the root end, separate into small bundles, rinse quickly and drain)
- 100 g Mung bean vermicelli (Soak in room-temperature water for about 10 minutes until bendable but still slightly firm in the centre; drain and cut shorter with kitchen scissors)
- 1, about 180 g Onion (Peel and cut into strips about 1 cm wide)
- 3 cloves Garlic (Peel and mince finely)
- 10 g Ginger (Peel and cut into fine shreds)
- 2 stalks Spring onions (Cut the white parts into short sections for stir-frying; shred the green parts for finishing)
- 450 ml Unsalted chicken stock (Used to cook the vermicelli and form the satay sauce; reduce salty seasonings if using salted stock)
- as needed Water (Only for soaking vermicelli and quickly rinsing enoki; not added directly to the pot)
Beef coating
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (for coating the beef)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (Use only enough to lightly coat the beef surface)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- a pinch white pepper (Omit for a child-friendly version)
Satay sauce mixture
- 2 tablespoons satay sauce (Check labels for peanuts, soy, sesame, shrimp or other allergens before use; saltiness and heat vary by brand)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (for the sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Oil for stir-frying
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil
02
Tools
- Clay pot
- heavy-bottomed pot or deep frying pan; wooden spoon or spatula; lid; large bowl; small bowl; sieve; measuring cup; knife; chopping board; tablespoon; teaspoon; chopsticks; kitchen paper; food tongs; kitchen scissors; serving mat or heatproof trivet
- spatula
- wooden spoon
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- strainer
- measuring cup
- knife
- cutting board
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- tongs
- kitchen scissors
- trivet
03
Steps
Step 1
Thaw and blot the beef
Separate the refrigerated thawed beef slices one by one and check for any remaining ice. Press the surface lightly with kitchen paper to absorb blood and thawing liquid. Do not leave the beef at room temperature for too long or thaw it with hot water, as this damages the texture.
Step 2
Coat the beef
Put the blotted beef slices in a large bowl. Add light soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil and a pinch of white pepper. Toss gently with chopsticks so each slice has only a thin coating. Rest for about 10 minutes. Do not stir hard or press the beef into a lump.
Step 3
Soak and cut the vermicelli
Put the mung bean vermicelli in a large bowl and add enough room-temperature water. Soak for about 10 minutes. When the noodles can bend but are still slightly firm in the centre, drain them and cut into about 15 cm lengths with kitchen scissors. Do not use hot water or soak until fully soft.
Step 4
Prepare the enoki
Cut about 2 cm from the firm root end of the enoki mushrooms, then separate them into small bundles. Rinse quickly under running water, place in a sieve and shake off moisture gently. Do not soak for a long time or tear them into very thin strands.
Step 5
Cut the aromatics
Peel the onion and cut it into strips about 1 cm wide. Mince the garlic and shred the ginger. Cut the spring onion whites into short sections and the greens into fine shreds. Keep everything separate so the ingredients can be added in the correct order.
Step 6
Mix the satay sauce
In a small bowl, combine satay sauce, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and sugar. Take 3 tablespoons from the measured chicken stock and add it gradually while stirring, turning the satay sauce into a smooth thick mixture. Do not add all the stock at once, or the sauce may clump.
Step 7
Quickly sear the beef until partly cooked
Heat a heavy-bottomed pot or deep pan over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Cook the beef in two batches, stir-frying each batch for about 30 to 40 seconds until mostly changed from red to light brown but still slightly pink. Remove immediately. Do not cook it fully at this stage.
Step 8
Stir-fry onion, ginger and garlic
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon cooking oil to the same pot. Add onion, ginger and spring onion whites and stir-fry over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the onion softens slightly. Add minced garlic and stir-fry for about 20 seconds, just until fragrant. Do not brown the garlic.
Step 9
Fry the satay sauce gently
Lower the heat, pour in the prepared thick satay mixture, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds so it coats the onion evenly and releases aroma. Do not let it stick or burn. If the pot looks too dry, add 1 tablespoon of the measured chicken stock.
Step 10
Add chicken stock, vermicelli and enoki
Pour in the remaining chicken stock and bring it just to a boil over medium-high heat. Spread the drained vermicelli evenly into the liquid, then arrange the enoki bundles on top. Press gently into the sauce with a wooden spoon without vigorous stirring. Cover, reduce to medium-low heat and cook for about 3 minutes.
Step 11
Return the beef and cook through
Open the lid, gently loosen the vermicelli with chopsticks and check that a little sauce remains at the bottom. Scatter the partly cooked beef over the enoki and vermicelli and fold it lightly into the sauce. Cover and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the beef is fully brown with no visible raw meat, then turn off the heat immediately.
Step 12
Check the noodles and serve
Open the lid and scatter over the shredded spring onion greens. Lift a small amount of vermicelli with chopsticks to check it is soft and springy, not broken down or clumped into a hard mass. The enoki should be fully cooked, the beef still tender, and a little rich satay sauce should remain at the bottom. If too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons hot chicken stock and gently loosen before serving in the pot.
Common mistakes
- Cooking beef before it is fully thawed: Ice lowers the pot temperature, makes the beef release water and prevents quick searing. Thaw the beef fully in the refrigerator and blot dry.
- Putting all the beef in at once: Piled beef steams instead of sears and can clump together. Cook in two quick batches until partly cooked, then remove.
- Cooking the beef fully at the start: The beef will be heated again later, so cooking it fully early makes it dry and tough. First cook it only until mostly changed colour.
- Soaking vermicelli in hot water until fully soft: It still needs to absorb satay stock later, so over-soaked noodles turn mushy. Use room-temperature water and stop when bendable but still slightly firm.
- Not cutting the vermicelli shorter: Long noodles tangle into one mass and are hard to mix or serve. Drain and cut to a practical length with clean kitchen scissors.
- Not trimming the enoki root end: The firm base can be dirty and remains tough after cooking. Cut it away, then separate into small bundles.
- Not loosening the satay sauce first: Thick sauce added directly to the pot can clump or stick. Mix it with a little chicken stock first.
- Burning satay sauce over high heat: Satay sauce contains oil, sugar and spices, which can turn bitter if fried too hard. Lower the heat and stir constantly.
- Not keeping enough sauce while cooking noodles: Vermicelli absorbs liquid quickly, and too little sauce causes sticking and hard clumps. Check the pot and add a little hot chicken stock if needed.
- Cooking the returned beef too long: Thin beef slices cook very quickly. Once fully brown, turn off the heat at once.
- Using salted chicken stock without adjusting seasoning: Satay sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and stock can make the dish too salty. Use unsalted stock when possible and taste the satay sauce first.
- Keeping the finished pot warm for too long: Vermicelli keeps absorbing sauce and becomes dry, while beef overcooks from residual heat. Serve immediately.
Tips
Choose thin hotpot beef slices because they cook quickly. Thaw beef in the refrigerator, not overnight at room temperature. Satay sauce formulas vary, so check labels for peanuts, soy, sesame, shrimp and other allergens before use. For children, choose a non-spicy satay sauce and omit white pepper. Soak vermicelli only until bendable; do not make it fully transparent and soft in advance. Separate enoki into small bundles only; do not tear every strand apart. Prepare all ingredients before heating the pot because the beef cooking stage is short. Stir-fry beef in batches and cook it only partly the first time. Use medium-low heat while cooking the vermicelli so the sauce does not evaporate too quickly. If the bottom is too dry, add only a little hot chicken stock, not cold water. Leave a little flowing sauce when turning off the heat because the noodles keep absorbing liquid. This dish is best cooked near the end of meal preparation and should not be kept warm for long.
