Red Pepper Beef & Noodle Stir-Fry

I bought a wok!!!

Finally.

You’d think with all of the Korean/Chinese/Thai food I make I’d have a wok laying around somewhere…but no. Today marks day one of my new life with a wok.

To break it in, I made a basic stir-fry lo mein type dish with thinly sliced steak & veggies. The wok made it amazing! The noodles just soak up all of the flavors of the sambal sauce & beef.  

 Did I mention how quick it was to throw this together? A wok is like one gigantic sauté pan—and things cook quick in it. I’m in love.

Red Pepper Beef & Noodle Stir-Fry

• 1 lb. thinly sliced steak (like flank or bottom round)
• 2 TBS. Olive oil 
• Salt & pepper 
• 8 oz. spaghetti noodles
• 2 large zucchini, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 2 large shallots, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 TBS. sambal oelek
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBS. brown sugar
• 1 TBS. oyster sauce
• 1 tsp. Crushed red pepper
• 1 TBS. freshly ground ginger
• 1 TBS. fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• Salt roasted cashews
• White sesame seed
• Lime

1. Cook the spaghetti: in large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain. Season steak with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, make stir-fry sauce: combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek, red pepper, cilantro, sesame oil, garlic, & ginger. Set aside. 

 3. In large skillet or wok, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add steak & 1 TBS. of the stir-fry sauce. Sauté about 4 minutes. Remove from wok.

4. Add veggies to wok and 1/2 TBS. of the stir-fry sauce. Stir fry about 3-5 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender. 

   5. Throw spaghetti, steak and remaining stir-fry sauce into wok. Stir fry until noodles are coated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Top with sesame seed and roasted cashews and a squeeze of lime.   

Skill Level: Medium. Not a beginner dish (flavor development, sauté skills), but definitely not a difficult one either.

Flavor Profile: Spicy, sweet & savory, the Asian menagerie of flavors! The sambal sauce is so good and the noodles soak it up beautifully.

Versatility: To make this dish a paleo or gluten-free dish, make zoodles with the zucchini and add carrots to the stir-fry veggie list. To make this dish vegan, take out the steak! This dish is very versatile.

End Score: A+! I will make this again, that’s for sure.