Spicy Asian Beef and Noodles

I've never seen an Asian-style recipe call for ground beef before, but in this case it totally works.  I like to have the noodles soaked and the veggies chopped ahead of time so I can throw the dish together quickly on a busy weeknight.  Feel free to dial back the red pepper flakes if you don't like a lot of spice.  Also, don't be afraid of the peanut butter.  I made the recipe 3 times before my peanut butter-hating daughter found out, and that's only because I carelessly left the dirty measuring cup in the sink.  She loves the recipe and admitted that she couldn't taste the peanut butter at all.

Start by chopping the veggies - you need scallions, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, and shredded carrots (you can buy them already shredded).

You'll also need 8 ounces of rice noodles. I found these in the International section of the grocery store.

Soak the noodles in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Stir every now and then to make sure they don't stick together (do yourself a favor and use a larger soaking vessel than I did).

The noodles will be nice and flexible when they're done. You can make these days ahead of time - just toss with a little oil and store in a zip-top bag in the fridge.

Time to cook - saute the garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in oil. Be careful not to burn.

Add a pound of ground beef and cook thoroughly.

I find this nifty tool to be worth its weight in gold when cooking ground beef. It's called the Papered Chef mix and chop. A big shout out to my neighbor Denise for giving it to me - thanks Denise!!

Perfect!

Add the beef broth and soy sauce.

Then stir in the peanut butter.

Stir, stir, stir.

Add the carrots and bell peppers - they cook fast so we're almost done. In just a few minutes you can stir the noodles in to heat them through. Garnish with the sliced scallions and chopped peanuts if desired.

Yummo!

Enjoy!

This recipe works well with thin rice noodles too (also called rice vermicelli or rice sticks).

Spicy Asian Beef and Noodles

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 4 scallions, sliced (reserve green tops for garnish)

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup beef broth

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper matchsticks

• 1/2 cup carrot matchsticks

• reserved green scallion tops, sliced

• 8 ounce softened rice noodles

• Optional garnish: chopped peanuts and/or toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute oil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and sliced scallions (whites) for about a minute.

2. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until beef is browned.

4. Add beef broth, soy sauce, and peanut butter; stir until combined.

5. Add bell peppers and carrots and saute until tender; 6-8 minutes.

6. Pour mixture over a bed of noodles.

7. Garnish with green scallion tops and optional chopped peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.

adapted from Laura's Lean Beef

Alton's Skirt Steak

The next time you're tempted to pass up a skirt steak at the grocery store because you're not sure how to cook it, grab it and make this tasty recipe by Alton Brown.  The steak bathes in a flavorful marinade for an hour, then cooks in less than 5 minutes - doesn't get much easier than that.  Alton cooks his steak directly on hot coals, but I cooked mine in a searing hot cast iron skillet which worked beautifully.  I'll definitely be making this again.  

For another great skirt steak recipe (it’s actually my favorite), check out my killer marinated skirt steak. 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• cast iron skillet https://amzn.to/2vFJonq

• chainmail scrubber https://amzn.to/2VGLYs4

• alton brown https://amzn.to/2PQWh7p

• nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2Lokofd

• zipper bags https://amzn.to/2PNlI9Y

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Alton's Skirt Steak

Printable Recipe

serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 3 or 4 equal pieces

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 4 scallions, roughly chopped

• 2 large cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup lime juice

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Directions

1. Trim excess fat and silver skin from skirt steak.

2. Combine all ingredient except the skirt steak in a blender or food processor and puree.

3. Place trimmed skirt steak in a zip top bag, pour in the marinade.

4. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible and close.

5. Knead the bag in your hands to distribute the marinade all over the steak pieces; place in the fridge for 1 hour.

6. Remove steak from marinade and pat dry.

7. Cook in a searing hot cast iron skillet for 1-2 minutes per side; remove from skillet and cover with foil; rest for 15 minutes before slicing across the grain.

adapted from Alton Brown