That explains why Yee Mee Loo’s matchbooks sported David’s name.

Victor went to art school and became a masterful hair stylist -- not what his father expected.

chow mein, tomato beef, tomato beef chow mein, (fresh or thawed), or 5 ounces dried Chinese noodles, cut across the grain into strips about 3 inches long, 3/4 inch wide and a scant 1/4 inch thick, medium-large firm-ripe tomatoes (2 pounds total). Flip the noodles over with a confident sharp jerk of the skillet handle; or be safer and flip the noodles onto a plate or lid then slide them bake into the skillet. They traveled northward for days, with little to eat and drinking their own urine for hydration, Victor said. Vietnamese Food Any Day Cookbook Preview! Beginner’s Apple Tart Tatin + Recipe Video, How I Realized My Kitchen Island Dream without Spending a Fortune, Easy and Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk Bread Recipe + Video tips, What I Learned from Making Dairy-free Sweetened Condensed Milk, My Doubanjiang Chile Bean Paste Mega Guide. Once the noodles are cool, they are ready for panfrying. Mrs. Fong wasn’t a slouch in the kitchen. Slice beef about 1 inch long 1/2 inch wide and as thin as possible. Victor cut my then-boyfriend-now-husband’s hair at a Beverly Hills salon and soon, he became my hairstylist too. Eventually, it became a monthly occurrence at their home in Los Angeles Chinatown. The first time he came to America, officials sent him back to China so in the early 1920s, Mr. Fong embarked on a ship that delivered him as close to California as possible. And at some point, the elder Fong suffered and recovered from a gunshot wound. Drain the beef reserving the marinade. “My dad put in decades of work and had little at the end of it all. Sweet Chinese lap chong and spicy Mexican chorizo, Victor said. Required fields are marked *. “It’s not a nuanced dish. I followed his advice to develop this Chinese-American topping. Bon Appetit Best Cookbooks of Sp.

Your email address will not be published. Let boil for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. No soggy, ripe ones.”. Born in 1898 in southern China, Henry Fong wanted a better life. Before we hung up, he added, “Use firm-ripe tomatoes so they somewhat hold their shape. Yee died young at age 40, and his widow took over ownership of Yee Mee Loo. Unfortunately, none of them were documented. He was my gateway into the history of the Chinese-American experience in Los Angeles. Maybe he was womanizing? The savory, tangy sweet sauce is made in a pot and then the beef is added to it. When satisfied, raise the heat to a bubbly simmer then stir in the cornstarch slurry. small green bell pepper or 1 large Anaheim chiles, bruised with the flat side of a knife (optional), cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons broth. SF Chronicle Favorite Cookbooks Sweet and Sour Pork would be good on the noodles too. Yet he was very determined. NPR Best 2019 Cookbooks Stir the cornstarch, rice wine and sesame oil together in a bowl, then add the beef to it, ensuring that … Lower the heat and taste the sauce. Armed with cooking skills, Mr. Fong and a group of fellow Chinese immigrants (some of whom had traveled with him from Mazatlan) desired a restaurant of their own in Chinatown. Wish I was there to taste it!” Phew. The Fong family’s tomato beef chow mein recipe is nearly a braise atop a bed of crispy panfried noodles.

“I may have half brothers and sisters in Mazatlan,” Victor noted wryly.

The photo below shows the Fong family on the right; on the left sit the men who partnered with Henry Fong at Yee Mee Loo. ), a ton of delicious food being cooked up for Fong family parties. I’d driven by countless times, often stuck in traffic and sometimes pondering what living near the freeway was like. The first time around, I shied away from abundantly adding those ingredients and had to add more. Mix the salt, sugar and soy sauce together and mix well, then ad the beef and marinate for at least one hour, longer for more … Boil noodles according to package instructions until al dente. (Claudia and John Low later managed the restaurant until its closure.). Eater Best 10 Cookbooks for Beginners It was a famous restaurant and our family would have been wealthy,” Victor said. It’s not a typical stir-fry, and it’s wonderfully simple. Slide the finished noodle pancake out onto a large serving plate. He arrived in Mexico, settling in Mazatlan where he lived for eight years honing his skills as a sausage maker. Or, you may put them in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag and refrigerate them overnight; bring them to room temperature before panfrying. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat, for about 2 minutes.

"It was one of his proudest moments. Transfer to a large plate or baking dish. A tall cinder block wall separated it from cars whizzing by at 60 miles per hour.

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