Easy to make, bursting with sweet and salty flavours and a slight chilli kick, Soy and Ginger Noodles with Beef is an Indonesian inspired super quick noodle dish. I like to enhance the recipe by adding lots of vegetables as well, but this is up to you. I have given a lot of options below; make your choice based on your palate and what you have available in the fridge.
Serves 3 - 4
Collect together your equipment and ingredients. Stir fries come together very quickly. Prepare all the ingredients, as described in the ingredients list, in advance.
Heat a wok over a moderately high temperature and dry fry the sesame seeds for 30 seconds to a minute until lightly golden. Tip out of the pan and set aside.
Blitz the prepared spring onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Alternatively, chop by hand.
Add the oils to the wok over a medium heat and add the spring onions, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and stir fry for 1 minute, just until aromatic – do not let them brown.
Turn the heat to high, add the steak to the pan and stir fry quickly. You simply need to seal the steak. It shouldn’t take longer than 1 – 2 minutes at most.
Next add the peppers and snap peas and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the soy sauce, kecap manis and the noodles. Mix thoroughly. Add more soy sauce and kecap manis, if required.
Cook over a moderate heat for a minute or two until everything is hot. Taste and adjust seasoning and amount of sauce, if necessary. If you prefer a sweeter stir fry, add a squeeze of honey.
Toss in the fresh coriander and then serve immediately garnished with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.
Equipment:
Kecap Manis
If you do not have any kecap manis, add some extra soy sauce, ideally dark soy sauce if you have it, plus 1 – 1½ teaspoons of runny honey.
Consider adding the following vegetables to the noodles:
Alternatives to beef
This dish works equally well with chicken. You could also serve it with salmon or stir through some cooked prawns. Fried or boiled egg is also a wonderful addition and, if you are looking for a vegan option, add in some fried tofu.