Beef and Broccoli Ramen

Strange comfort foods have always plagued me. No matter how hard I try to eat healthy and try new things in the kitchen, I’ll always come back to those pre-packaged, not-so-good for you comfort foods.

I’m talking toaster streudels, Eggo waffles, Fritos with bean dip…and ramen. Ah, ramen. The little 10 cent packages that contain hundreds of milligrams of sodium. Once you’ve had real ramen, like I have, the packaged grocery store version isn’t quite the same…but it still hits the spot when you need it.

We’ve actually been introduced to the Malaysian-version of ramen, and Maggi brand, from one of our friends. The super spicy stuff will open up your sinuses like nothing else I’ve ever eaten. Even with trying all these different ramens, sometimes all you need is the Top Ramen version.

I made this Chinese-ramen fusion recipe the other day, so I had to go buy some packages of ramen to make it. Usually I would go to the Asian grocery store and by some real Japanese noodles, but I decided to stick to my roots. Super cheap ramen to the rescue!

This recipe sure did hit the spot. If there’s one thing I love, it’s beef and broccoli. I usually switch between that and Singapore-style noodles and egg foo young when I get Chinese delivery. Mixing that with noodles, or ramen, probably one of the most brilliant ideas ever. The sauce for this is also so freaking good. I could almost just bathe in it.

I should have used flank steak for this, but my grocery store didn’t have any. I think the meat would’ve ended up a little more tender, but the skirt steak I used still wasn’t that bad. Marinating it overnight in the sauce mixture made it extremely flavorful, almost negating the fact that it wasn’t super tender. I also suggest not cooking the broccoli for very long; crispy broccoli is so much better than when it is overcooked. A quick saute in the wok or skillet is all you really need.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large bowl, combine steak with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Marinate 8 hours or overnight.

In another large bowl, stir together water, beef broth, ginger, sesame oil, corn starch, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and Sriracha.

Cook ramen according to package instructions.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok or skillet. Add broccoli and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove broccoli from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil. Heat until smoking and then add beef. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic and saute for another minute.

Add broccoli back to pan along with the sauce. Stir and simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

Toss in cooked ramen and stir to cook and serve. Top with sesame seeds.