Monday, February 13, 2017

MONDAY RECIPE POST - MONGOLIAN BEEF WITH RAMEN NOODLES

My first photo is of two deer on the 17 mile drive, Pebble Beach in California.  My sister-in-law has said I can share any photos she sends, which I appreciate very much. I send my thanks as it is a real pretty photo.  I believe it was taken yesterday (Friday the 10th).  I am writing this on Saturday the 11th).


Now to this recipe found at Jo Cooks.  Thank you so much Jo, she has also very kindly said I could post it on my blog.  The original recipe can be found here.



There used to be a great Mongolian Barbecue restaurant we visited about once a month.  It was in one of the local shopping malls, a fast food type of a barbecue but it was excellent.  It reminded us of a restaurant in California, where we first tried this excellent dish..  


As we get older we have more chats about the 'old days', part of which are fond memories of our time spent in California.  This was in the early days of our marriage.  We spent many years in the state, living in three areas; first San Diego, then up to Long Beach, back to San Diego, up to Monterey, and finally back to San Diego.  We were living in SD when Gregg retired from the navy.  Shortly afterwards we came back to Virginia, and have been here ever since.

Anyhow, Gregg was lamenting the fact that our fast-food Mongolian Barbecue place had closed (going back a couple of years), and how much he enjoyed their food.  I do what I usually do, searched online for a recipe.


I surprised him today.  We both stepped into the kitchen to prepare.  I am happy to say that we both enjoyed this delicious dish.  


Mongolian Beef with Ramen Noodles

Serves 4
Calories per serving approximately 941 (quite high but if you eat light for the rest of the day, doable on the calorie counting)

(This is a copycat recipe from P. F. Chang's Mongolian Beef with Green Peppers and Ramen Noodles).


1-1/2 lb. flank steak (I had a two thirds left of a large rib-eye steak in the fridge and decided to use that)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips (I used a red bell pepper as we prefer it to the green)
8 oz. dry Ramen Noodles 
3 green onions, chopped or thinly sliced


For the sauce:

2 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cup chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I might try adding 1/2 teaspoon next time to make it a little hotter)


Slice the steak into small, thin pieces, against the grain.

In a large Ziploc bag add the cornstarch and the beef.  Close the Ziploc bag and shake really well until each piece is coated well with the cornstarch.

In a nonstick skillet heat the oil.  When the oil is hot, add beef and cook until browned.  It may take two or three batches because you don't want to the steak pieces to stick to each other.  Also, if you need more oil after each batch, add a little more if you want to.  

Remove the beef from the skillet to a plate and empty the oil from the skillet.

Add bell pepper to the skillet and saute for a couple of minutes, just until it gets soft.  Remove the pepper from the skillet onto a plate and set aside.

In that same skillet add the sauce ingredients; the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chicken broth and red pepper flakes.  Stir and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens a bit and reduces by a quarter.  This may take up to 10 minutes.  You don't want to reduce it too much because you need more sauce for the noodles.


In the meantime cook the Ramen Noodles according to package directions.  I ended up adding an extra packet of noodles as suggested.  There were leftovers for another meal the next day.



(These are the noodles I used.  You throw away the flavoring packets that come with it, that aren't that good for you anyhow.  Also you can buy noodles that come baked and not fried as these are.  I didn't have time to go to our Asian grocery store, so used what was available at our local supermarket.)

Return the beef and bell pepper to the skillet and pour the sauce over all.  Add the cooked Ramen Noodles and fold them into the other ingredients.  


Top with the green onions and serve.  We used slices of avocado and thinly sliced radishes for garnish.  They were a nice addition.

My photos don't do the dish justice but you can go to Jo's blog to see hers.   We will definitely be making this again.

It was mentioned that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can varies greatly based on products used.


Thanks again Jo.  This is a link to her blog and I am also repeating the link to the original dish.





35 comments:

  1. I wish I had your enthusiasm for trying new recipes. Never heard of Ramen Noodles before.

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    1. I had a plain palate until I got married Valerie. Gregg is more adventurous and steered me that way, though I did cook boiled potatoes, cabbage and pork chops last night. It was lovely and plain and a meal we both enjoyed.

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  2. Always a pleasure to spend time here with you!

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  3. thanks for the idea of the noodles. I will try this one. the deer are wonderful in that beautiful green grass..

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  4. Hello, looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Love the shot of the deer on the golf course. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week ahead!

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  5. Your first photo is gorgeous, Denise, and the dishes look delectable! Thank you so much for sharing, and Happy Valentine's Day. :)

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    1. Thank you Linda and Happy Valentine's Day to you too :)

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  6. The beef looks really tasty! I have some of these Ramen packets in our kitchen, too. I didn't know you could buy baked ones! I have not seen any. I wonder if they would taste different? I will keep an eye out for them. The deer shot is beautiful! I had no idea they went this close to the ocean! I thought they mostly like to hang our in forests and glens.

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    1. The only place I have seen the baked noodles is in our Asian grocery store. They have a lot of different varieties. I had to search for the baked, which I needed for in a recipe I was making. The deer shot was lovely wasn't it? I don't remember seeing deer when we were there so this was a nice surprise.

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  7. So happy you found a cook-at-home version of a loved meal!!!

    Betcha' we could substitute regular noodles, for Ramen noodles... Since I'm not a fan of Ramen noodles. :-)

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    1. Me too and I would definitely try other noodles, Angel Hair Pasta being a particular favorite.

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  8. Mhammie, thanks for the recipe. I also love the photo with the deers in it. So beautiful!

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    1. You are very welcome Jedidja. So glad you enjoyed this post :)

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  9. You are such a great cook. I haven't eaten Mongolian since the days I traveled extensively. Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Thank you Dianne :) I never thought of myself as a great cook but I do enjoy trying something new.

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  10. the deer are beautiful. I'm a picky eater..lol I don't eat noodles, but I will eat white or brown rice. :) But, you do make it look pretty good. :)
    enjoy your day,
    Marie

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    1. Thank you Marie! I enjoy white and brown rice also.

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  11. Hello Denise, lovely pic of the deer.
    Thanks for your detailed recipe as well - I like the idea of combining in a ziploc bag... a much better idea than trying to marinate in a bowl!!! Sensible... cheers :D)

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  12. Quite a view with that shot of the deer!

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    Replies
    1. It is a lovely view, especially with the deer. A gorgeous background too.

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  13. This looks simply delicious...

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  14. It is interesting how many of our memories have to do with food. This food looks delicious :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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    Replies
    1. It is isn't it? Thank you for visiting Amalia :)

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  15. Sounds and looks good. I might try it in the near future.

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    Replies
    1. I would love to hear what you think of it when you do.

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  16. Happy Valentine's Day everyone and thank you so much for all these lovely comments.

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  17. I could have just reached out and eaten those lovely avocado slices ...

    All the best Jan

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  18. Hi Denise, love the first shot, what a backdrop to the deer. I'm afraid I cannot see myself cooking the meal but if someone made it, I would most certainly try it, it looks delicious. All the best. John

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    1. The deer photo is a particular favorite of my s-in-laws. The meal I might not have made for myself either a few years ago. Best to you too John.

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