Beef & Broccolini Chow Mac with Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste)

I wasn’t kidding when I said I make chow mac a lot at home on my facebook page. My weekend in Sydney (partly to attend the Nuffnang Blogopolis) has threw me out of my grocery shopping routine and meal planning for the week. Oh yes, I have started to meal plan! Are you proud of me?

Anyway, my beloved told me how much he missed my cooking when I was away. Whilst it was flattering,  I had my suspicion that he was sicked of fixing his own meal. Of course, I can never get him to admit to that. 😉

So this was what I’ve made after a quick trip to the supermarket right after work today. Yes, it was another variation of chow mac.  A meaty and spicy one this time.

(Please note I already bought the Gochujang aka Korean hot bean paste some time ago from an online Asian grocery store.)

{This is how the Korean hot bean paste looks like. You can read more about it on wikipedia. My Korean housemate back in my university days used to add this paste in her stir fry with ground beef. I remember reading about a squid recipe with this paste in Ms Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen cookbook. I’ve tried it with fish which I may share some time in the future. A versatile ingredient if you like a kick in the tastebuds.}

Beef & Broccolini Chow Mac with Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste)

(Feed 2 -3 people)

What you’ll need:-

• 250g uncooked/8.8 ounces uncooked San Remo macaroni
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 250g/8.8 ounces lean ground beef
• 1.5 tbsp Korean hot bean paste (gochujang) – if your spicy tolerance is low and you are new to this paste, start with a teaspoon.
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Kikkoman light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• A bundle of baby broccolini (about 25 stalks), cut in 3 sections
• Cooking oil

(1) Mix ground beef with 1 tsp of light soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp (or 1 tsp for newbies) of Korean hot pepper paste. Set aside. (2) Cook macaroni according to the packet instruction. Drained. (3) While the macaroni is cooking, mix 1 tbsp of the hot pepper paste with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a small bowl. Stir until resembles ketchup consistency. Set aside. – See Note 1 (4) Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a stir fry pan. When the oil is hot, add garlic. (5) When the garlic starts to sizzle and becomes aromatic, add marinated ground beef and saute over high heat. (6) When the beef is almost cooked (i.e. 90%, there’s some speckles of pink in the beef), add broccolini and saute until they turn bright green and feel slightly soften(whichever comes first). (7) Switch the heat to low, add the cooked macaroni and  hot pepper sauce mixture into the pan. Stir until well combine. Then turn the heat to high and saute for a minute or until well heated through. Serve immediately.

Note 1 – I  emphasise that 1.5 tbsps of hot pepper paste in this dish can be QUITE SPICY. If you’re new to the hot pepper paste, I’d suggest you add 1 tsp first to marinate the beef and DO NOT add hot pepper paste in Step #3.  When you reach Step #7,  taste test the macaroni and beef after you stir everything together and see if you like the dish to be spicier. If yes, increase the quantity of the hot bean paste with a little of hot water and mix into the macaroni.

As I have mentioned above, I got mine online from here (Australia only). If your Coles (the bigger ones) has a full aisle dedicated to Asian stuff, you may find one there as well (maybe different brand though). I’ve came across it in Coles, Bathurst, NSW – the one on Wiliam Street.