Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Easy One-Skillet Beef and Broccoli Ramen


I'm going to tell you something that could possibly shock you. I've never told this to anyone before, so get ready. Are you sitting down? Okay, here it is: Prior to making this dish, I had never had ramen before. I know, I know, it's hard to believe. Even during the lean college days (and I do miss those lean days, if you know what I mean) I'd never had ramen. Truth be told, those wiggly little noodles kinda scared me. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe for what looked to be a tasty Asian dish that used ramen, I figured it was time to give it a try.

I cannot say enough about this dish. First of all, ramen, where have you been all my life? Second, I liked it so much that, my guess is, I'm going to be kicking rice to the curb. This made such a big difference in this dish, making it seem so much more authentic than all of those dinners that I served with rice. I know that rice is far more traditional, but here the ramen seemed to be.

I really had no idea what I was doing when I made this dish, and didn't know that you could buy ramen noodles in a package, so I ended up buying little cups of noodles, throwing out the seasoning packet, and just using the noodles. Yeah, my number two son straightened me out on this. Well, you live and learn. What I have learned is that I'm going to be using these noodles again, and again.

This is a great dish. Very tasty, appealingly authentic, lots of fun to enjoy with a pair of chopsticks, and one that I think your family will really gobble up.


Easy One-Skillet Beef and Broccoli Ramen

Adapted from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

 3/4-pound sirloin or flank steak (I used sirloin)

Marinade:
1/4-cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 packages (3 ounces each) ramen noodles
4 cups broccoli florets
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Prepare dish:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon grated ginger
Salt and pepper
Green onions, red pepper flakes, toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Thinly slice the steak, against the grain, into 1/4-inch thick strips and then into pieces two inches in length. Place the steak pieces in a large Ziploc bag.

To make marinade:

In a bowl, combine oil, garlic, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and parsley.  Whisk together and pour over steak in the bag. Seal and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour and preferably 6-8+ hours (no more than 12 hours). Flip the steak in the bag halfway through the marinating time.

Prepare ramen:
Boil a small pot of water and cook the ramen noodles for exactly 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Prepare dish:

Remove the flank steak and drain off any remaining marinade. Toss the steak to coat with the cornstarch.

Put 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet set over high heat. Heat until the oil is shimmering. Cook beef in batches to avoid overcrowding, adding more oil, as needed. Cook without moving until the beef is seared, about 1-1/2 minutes. Continue cooking while stirring until the beef is lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 30 seconds; transfer to a warm plate.

In the same skillet, add the beef broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook (uncovered) over medium heat until sauce thickens and reduces by about a third (5-8 minutes). You don't want to reduce it too much so it can still generously coat all the noodles and broccoli.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, top the mixture evenly with the broccoli. (Do not stir in). Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the broccoli to steam until crisp/tender about 3 minutes or to desired tenderness.

Remove the lid; add the cooked ramen and meat. Stir together and serve garnished with desired toppings.

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5 comments:

jmac said...

Yep! Gonna make this one too!!

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

So glad you came for a visit and like my Pineapple Expression table. Your blog is full of fabulous food. i hope to try some of this wonderful recipes soon. We love Chinese food, so this latest dish look pretty appetizing.

Marigene said...

Another yummy sounding dish from you! If it is as good as the beef and broccoli you posted a while back, it will be a keeper. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

This looks awesome! I love beef and broccoli and I love ramen! Thanks for sharing with the Homestead Blog Hop!

Miz Helen said...

This recipe will be fantastic, we will love it! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen