My Favorite Go-To Meal

By Joy Liao

Now that school is back in session, I’m reminded of one of my favorite go-to meals from my college days. While I, like most students, survived on microwave dinners, fast food burgers and instant ramen, I was always on the hunt for simple meals that required few ingredients and little prep time. My solution: Stir-fry Noodles.

Hearty and flavorful, this versatile, one-pan meal can satisfy the biggest of appetites. The recipe calls for few kitchen tools and no advanced cooking know-how, making it the perfect dish for the cooking newbie.

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Stir-Fry Noodles

1/2 pound thinly sliced beef rib eye, purchased pre-sliced (see note)
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon oil
1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (about 3 medium-size cloves)
1 cup broccolini pieces (2-inch segments)
1 cup halved or quartered white button mushroom
3 cups udon noodles, boiled or cooked spaghetti (see note)
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce
1/3 cup green onion, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar; let sit for 5 minutes.

Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add oil, coating the entire pan surface evenly.

Add the garlic and stir quickly for about 5 seconds. Add the marinated beef to the pan allowing it to cook evenly, about 1 ½ minutes; turn and cook until just no longer pink.

Next, add the broccolini and stir-fry for 15 seconds, and then add in the mushrooms and let it cook for another 30 seconds. Toss in the cooked noodles and combine. Finally, add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chili sauce, and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with green onion and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

Notes:

• Purchase thinly sliced beef from an Asian market or ask your butcher to slice the meat for you. To cut the meat yourself, slice thinly across the grain. It’s easiest if you partially freeze the meat, just long enough to firm up but not enough to harden (about 30 minutes).
• Udon noodles can be purchased frozen in Japanese or other Asian markets. They come in packs of 4 or 5 individual servings. Cook following package directions. This recipe uses 2 packs (8.8 ounces each).

 While other three-year-old girls played with their Barbie dolls, Joy Liao made herself an imaginary kitchen. She'd pretend to be the butcher at the market, taking a plastic knife to her stuffed animals. (She wasn’t a troubled child, promise!) Having an insatiable appetite for all things delicious, Joy grew up in the kitchen learning about cooking from her mother. After college, she pursued an editorial/media career, and more recently, rediscovered her passion for food in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco.

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Comments

[Luke Oothbed]

Yum! That's looks great. Thanks for the recipe. :)

Luke O.
Just Colleges

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[cream dispensers]

Nice video, If you don't mind may is ask that who is the person in this video. This is you? or any other.