If you're a fan of Asian noodles, be sure to try these Chinese-inspired Thai Beef Stir-Fried Noodles! This dish is super-delicious and also very healthy - makes a perfect one-dish meal any night of the week. The recipe is also quite flexible. Make it as spicy or mild as you like, and add your own choice of vegetables depending on what you have on hand. While most Thai noodles dishes are made with rice noodles, occasionally wheat and egg noodles are also used (a Chinese influence), so feel free to use either (if using rice noodles, just be sure not to over-cook them). ENJOY!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: SERVES 2-3 as a Main Entree
Ingredients:
- 0.5 - 0.8 lbs. (0.275 kg) beef (I used thinly sliced steak)
- 7.5 ounces (212 g.) wheat/egg noodles (I used curly stir-fry type)
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 shallot, minced OR 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 thumb ginger, sliced thinly into matchsticks
- optional: 1 fresh red chili, sliced
- 5-7 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
- handful fresh basil
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2-3 Tbsp. coconut oil OR other vegetable oil
- STIR-FRY SAUCE:
- 2/3 cup good-tasting chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp. oyster-flavored sauce
- 3 Tbsp. sherry (or cooking sherry)
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili (chili flakes)
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
Preparation:
- Slice beef as thinly as you can on the bias (on an angle), OR have your local butcher/deli do this for you. Stir together the soy sauce and brown sugar (1 tsp.) and pour over beef. Stir well and set aside to marinate.
- Boil noodles until just under-cooked (a firm 'al dente'), as they will finish cooking in your wok. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Combine all Stir-Fry Sauce ingredients in a bowl, adding the cornstach last and whisking to dissolve.
- Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the shallot, garlic, ginger, and fresh chili (if using). Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, then add the beef together with its marinade. Stir-fry 3 minutes, or until beef is lightly cooked. As you stir-fry, add a little stir-fry sauce (2-3 Tbsp.) - just enough to keep ingredients frying nicely.
- Add the carrots and a little more stir-fry sauce if needed. Continue stir-frying 1-2 minutes. Then add mushrooms, broccoli, and red pepper. Stir-fry until vegetables have softened but as still bright with some crispness to them (again, add more stir-fry sauce as you go, but not so much that you are 'boiling' the ingredients).
- Finally, add the noodles plus all remaining stir-fry sauce. Using 2 utensils, gently fry everything together by turning the noodles in the pan. The noodles will absorb most of the sauce and finish cooking (4-6 minutes).
- When noodles are cooked and most of the sauce has been absorbed, switch off heat and taste-test. If not salty/flavorful enough, add more fish sauce or soy sauce. If too salty for your taste, add a squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice. Add more chili for more spice.
- Serve noodles in bowls or on plates. Drizzle a little sesame oil over each portion, then garnish with basil leaves and lime wedges. ENJOY!
