It’s been a couple of days since I went grocery shopping and when I searched our fridge to look for ingredients used to cook dinner, I could only find half pound of beef, a third bunch of kale and some garlic and ginger. Since it’s already too late to go grocery shopping, I have decided to go with what’s available at hand.
The idea of making a simple beef and kale stir-fried noodles came to my mind. As it turned out, this is a brilliant idea! 30 minutes later, we are practically inhaling this dish.
I used Japanese wheat noodles we have in the pantry today to make this dish but feel free to use other types of noodles such as ramen, spaghetti or lo mein. Just remember to pick noodles that are not overly soft and won’t break easily after cooking.
After the noodles were cooked and cooled down, before adding them into the pan for stir-frying, I mixed them with a tablespoon of dark soy sauce as pre-seasoning. It helps to give the noodles a nice color and base flavor.
The key to making good stir-fried noodles are 1) add enough oil 2) use medium-high or high heat 3) take fast actions and 4) mix mix and mix. If you did all of these four things mentioned above, with fresh ingredients and the right amount of seasonings, the stir-fried noodles are hard to go wrong.
I hope you enjoy making this tasty beef and kale stir-fried noodles at home. If you like this recipe, please leave a rating and share it with your friends!
- ½ pound flank steak, cut into bite-size strips
- ⅓ bunch kale, strip the leaves from the stems and tear into smaller pieces
- 2 servings Japanese buckwheat noodles for yakisoba
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- a touch of roasted sesame seeds for topping
- For marinating the beef:
- half tablespoon soy sauce
- half tablespoon dark soy sauce
- half teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
- For pre-seasoning the noodles:
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- Put the beef into a ziploc bag, whisk together soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, potato starch, oil, sesame oil and rice cooking wine in a small container and pour over the beef into the bag, marinate for 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the noodles, rinse them under cold water and then drain well.
- Transfer the noodles back into the pot, mix with one tablespoon of dark soy sauce and set aside.
- Heat a cast iron pan over high heat, carefully lay the beef onto the pan with a tong and sear for 1 to 2 minutes (cook without moving). Continue cooking while stirring for another 30 seconds to a minute, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Heat a quarter cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir in garlic and ginger, sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add in the kale, sauté for a minute and add the noodles and beef into the skillet.
- Toss in soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper and red pepper flakes, continue cooking 2-3 minutes while stirring until everything is mixed well.
- Transfer onto plates, sprinkle a touch of roasted sesame seeds on top and serve.
- 257Shares