Quick Thai-Style Beef and Peppers with Rice Noodles
This Quick Thai-Style Beef & Peppers with Rice Noodles is a very colorful dish, with delicious Thai flavors. The basil and cilantro garnish, with a squeeze of lemon juice made this a delicious fast dinner that will please your entire family.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 8 to 10-ounce package pad Thai rice noodles or linguine
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sherry
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced (I used 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste or a few dashes red chili oil I used 1 teaspoon of Thai Red Curry Paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 limes halved (I used 2 limes)
- 1 pound flank steak sliced very thin against the grain (I used 2-pounds)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper cored and sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon diced fresh jalapeno or 1 teaspoon diced hot pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
- Note: I do recommend the rice noodles, as they are easy to find. Cook them a bit under (2 minutes) to al dente, as they will continue to cook once they are added to the stir fry.
For the marinade:
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, brown sugar, ginger, chili paste, garlic and the juice of half the lime.
- Pour a fourth of the marinade into a bowl with the sliced beef and toss to coat. Reserve the rest of the marinade for later.
For the stir fry:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Note: I used a Wok, but a cast-iron skillet would have been my second choice. I don't recommend using a non-stick skillet, because you need to use high heat to make this.
- When the pan is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for a minute or so. Add the bell peppers and jalapenos. Cook for a minute, tossing until the peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove the vegetables to a plate.
- Into the hot skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Add the meat mixture, evenly distributing it over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 45 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then add the onions and peppers back into the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the remaining marinade and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes; the sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off the heat.
- Drain the noodles, then add half of them to the stir-fry. Toss and add more noodles as desired. Stir in some very hot water if needed to thin the sauce.
- I recommend removing the noodles with tongs, so that the reserved water can be used to thin out the sauce, if it thickens too much. Plus, when I drained the noodles, they clumped together a lot, so now I know better and I'll use tongs next time.
- Top with basil and cilantro leaves and serve immediately with a squeeze of the remaining lime half. Add the red pepper flakes, if using. I didn't use them, and didn't miss them at all.
Notes
Tasting notes: Definitely don't skip the fresh cilantro and basil, as this really makes the sauce. I was out of red chili paste and used Thai Red Curry Sauce. The sauce turned out amazing!
Recipe source: Slightly adapted from "The Pioneer Woman" Food Network