Korean Beef Noodles

This recipe was one of my first attempts at cooking an asian-style dish at home and has become somewhat of a staple when I'm craving these flavors.  In fact, you should see the recipe card.  It is dirty and stained, a clear indication of being well loved.  The sesame oil brings an earthiness to the dish, soy and brown sugar is always a winning combination and the apple cider vinegar gives everything an extra little kick of flavor.

Yum... look how pretty that skirt steak is.  When you cut across the grain the meat will break apart nice and easily across those fatty striations.

One of the times making this recipe, I made strips of carrot with a vegetable peeler.  The strips were very long.  Grating the carrots on a box grater is much faster and the resulting carrot is better sized anyway.

And don't forget to cut those noodles.  I do it right after they've softened a bit and I've drained the water.  Five inch lengths seem to work really well.  Just dig your kitchen shears right into the pile of noodles and snip away.  Sometimes I even do a few extra cuts after I toss the noodles into the pan.  In my opinion, too short is better than too long in this dish.

Korean Beef Noodles

Serves 4

• 5 ounces cellophane noodles
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 12 ounces skirt steak - sliced 1/4 inch thick against the grain
• 1 yellow onion - cut into 1/4 inch wedges
• 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms - stems discarded and heads sliced 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 cups spinach

Soak the noodles in warm water to soften, 5-10 minutes.  Drain and snip into pieces with kitchen shears.

Meanwhile, combine soy sauce, 4 tablespoons sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl.  Marinate the beef with 3 tablespoons of the soy mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a very large skillet over high heat.  Add the onion, season with salt and stir-fry 2 minutes.  Add the beef and continue cooking until just cooked through.  Transfer to a bowl.

Again, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in the pan.  Add the mushrooms and carrots, season with salt and stir-fry 3 minutes.  Add the noodles and 3 tablespoons of the soy mixture.  Fry for 1 minute.  Add water and spinach.  Cook until noodles are just tender and spinach is wilted, 3 minutes. 

Add the beef, onions and remaining sauce to the pan and toss.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  If you like something with more kick, I bet this would taste great with some red chiles, too.