You're sort of both right; shyam is... well, there are so many variations that the claim can be made that it's more of a state of mind than a dish, but it has certain constants, one of which is noodles - ideally, and some hardcore purists would say exclusively, flat fettucine-ish noodles exactly twelve and three-quarters inches long by one-third inch wide, made from unbleached khalt flour, though in a pinch anything from soba to ramen to good old spaghetti will do. There's always a flavorful sauce of some kind - again, the really hardcore types insist that it contain a certain proportion of various Salusian spices - and usually a meat (purist choice: belgad). So it's definitely a noodle dish and it's comparable to a curry. You'll sometimes see human authorities refer to it as "Salusian yakisoba", but that doesn't really do justice to the subtle complexities of flavor that are possible.

As we've seen, the method of preparation involves a wok-like pan; there's a combination of searing and stewing involved, so temperature control is important. It's traditionally done over an open flame, the aforementioned temperature control achieved by varying the distance the pan is from the fire, but it takes a good eye and a lot of experience to get it right doing it that way. Eating it in the proper style can also be tricky, as doing so involves a tool that resembles a miniature oil filter wrench and is highly dependent on the cook having gotten the viscosity of the sauce right.

The variations are infinite, and there's tremendous debate and argument on the various foodie bulletin boards and whatnot as to just where and how a dish crosses the line that separate shyam from something else. It can be found in any setting from fine dining to street-side food stands, in the latter case often sold in stiff waxed paper cones (the cone shape makes it easier to get in there with a plastic disposable hoop, which are usualy too flimsy for the traditional twist method).

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

If I ever do that, I'll take pictures and notes and let you know. Like some kind of crazy super-fan that wants to make my own lembas.

Yes, do - I'd be very interested to know how it goes, since I'm somewhat of a mad scientist in the kitchen myself... :)

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>

Seconded.

-- Bob
-------------------
My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We kill only out of personal spite.

No clue if this is anything like it's supposed to be (mostly because it seems to exist entirely in Gryph's brain, but I decided that, what the hell, I'd give it a shot. So, here's what I tried, and how it turned out:

Noodles:
I made these from scratch. Lump a coupleathree cups of flour into a heap on a surface, and then dip all the way down to the surface in the middle. Beat two eggs, and pour into that dip. stir the egg into the flour, and knead the resulting dough. Don't worry if all the flour isn't picked up. Pass through a pasta machine until it's the desired thickness, adding flour as required (I went with 7 on my machine, maybe 3mm or so) cut into strips exactly 12.75" long by 1/3" wide. (this is, btw, a pain in the ass, as my pasta machine's auto cutters are in 1/16th increments, so I had to cut them by hand.)

Sauce:
Toss into mortar and grind:
5-7 corns allspice
5 or so blackpepper corns.
0-3 dried chilies (by taste, I went with three)
6ish coriander seeds (the big round ones)
1/2teaspoon cumin
2 cardamom pods
kosher salt, a good healthy pinch.

toss this mix into the bottom of a dry wok over medium heat, just until the aromas start being obvious. Pour in 1/4 cup sesame oil and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. wisk or stir with spoon until it's a good emulsion.

Crank your heat up.
Toss in half a pound of belgad^Wbeef sliced thinly* in once it starts to bubble a bit, stir the bejeesus out of it, and toss it to coat the meat in the saucey goodness. Lob in some veggies, also sliced for stirfry. I used carrots, onion, bok choy and some shredded cabbage I had left over from making cole slaw, but whatever. Keep stirring and tossing until everything is coated and the meat is cooked.

Reduce heat.

pour in some liquid. I used half a newcastle and a quart or so of vegetable stock had lying about. Bring to a simmer, still stirring frequently, for five to seven minutes, making sure to scrape off any sticky bits from the bottom. At this point, realize you have half a tin of tomato paste in the fridge, shrug and toss that in, too.

throw your noodles in right about now**, and stir with tongs.

Makes way too much food for a single person to eat.

Couldn't figure out how to make an oilwrench like thing, so used chopsticks.

For next time: Probably slightly less liquid, or let it reduce more before adding the noodles. Or maybe add some corn starch? Basically, it was more a stew then a sauce.

*best way to do this is freeze a hunk of flank steak, then use a carving knife (or miter saw with a thin blade) to cut very thin slices.

**If you're not using fresh noodles: Either cook them first, and throw them in at the end, or add a little more liquid and cook them for longer.

--
-Pasha
What was that feeling again?
Oh yes.
-Rage-

--
Geoff Depew - Darth Mephron
Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lord of Sith Tech Support.
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