Black Pepper Beef Noodle Stir Fry
A simple one-pan or ‘one-wok’ weeknight meal that is packed with flavour. For stir fries like this, I highly recommend buying a cheaper cut of beef (like rump) and use the Chinese ‘velveting’ method which is adding in bicarb and cornstarch to the marinade to tenderise and soften the beef. It’s a simple technique that will save you money`and give you better beef texture, you just need to allow at least 20 minutes for the marinade to soak in.
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients: 16
Skill Level: Easy
Cooking time: 20 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cooking time
Ingredients
Beef marinade
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250g beef rump steak, finely sliced
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1 teaspoon bicarb/baking soda
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1 tablespoon of water or red wine. The red adds a bit of acidity to the beef and sauce, but it’s optional.
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1.5 teaspoon of black pepper, coarsely ground
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1 tablespoon corn flour/starch
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1 tablespoon of sesame oil
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1 tablespoon of Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
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1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
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1 tablespoon of soy sauce
Noodles
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1 packet (500g) hokkien noodles. I use Gold Star brand as it’s readily available from most asian grocers in the fridge.
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2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
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2 capsicums (1 red, 1 yellow), finely sliced
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1 red onion, cut into rough wedges
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2 stalks of spring onion, cut into 8cm lengths
Sauce
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1 tablespoon of corn flour/starch
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1 tablespoon of cold water
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1 tablespoon of Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
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1 tablespoon of red wine, optional
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1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
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1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce
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Pinch of salt
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Generous pinch of black pepper, coarsely cracked
Wine
Drop of Sunshine Shiraz pairs nicely with this wine. If you’re enjoying this meal with a glass of red wine, highly recommend adding a dash of it into the beef marinade and sauce for the noodles which adds a dash of acidity to the dish.
Method
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For finely sliced beef, I usually place the steak into the freezer for about 30-45 minutes or until it is semi frozen. This allows the meat to solidify making it a lot easier to hold and slice thinly. Use the sharp knife to slice into thin pieces against the grain.
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Place into a bowl. Mix the baking soda with some water or the red wine and pour over the beef and mix to combine. Bicarb soda tenderises tougher cuts of meat. Add the remaining marinade ingredients. Stir to combine and allow the beef marinade for a minimum of 20 minutes. I usually will marinade the meat in the early afternoon after lunch so there’s ample time for the marinade to soak in and for the meat to tenderise.
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Place all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside next to your stove.
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Remove hokkien noodles from the packet and onto a plate. Microwave for 1 minute or until they have warmed and softened slightly. Set aside next to your stove.
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Prep remaining vegetables (garlic, capsicum, spring onion) and set aside next to your stove. Make sure you have all of your components ready to cook.
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Heat a wok on high and add a generous amount of vegetable oil. Swirl the wok to make sure the oil has coated the wok surface and once it’s beginning to smoke, add in the beef, spreading it out as much as possible and allow to cook untouched for 1 minute. You want to char the meat and let it turn a deep brown colour. Then quickly stir fry and move the beef around the wok for 1 more minute or until the beef is 80% cooked (still some flecks of pink) before removing from the wok and setting aside.
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Add in the garlic and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the capsicums and red onion and fry for another minute until softened. Add the spring onions and stir fry for 30 seconds until they have softened and turned bright green.
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Add in the noodles, the beef back in and pour in the sauce. Stir fry for 2 minutes ensuring the sauce is coating all of the ingredients. The sauce will begin to thicken and I'd suggest adding in ⅓ cup of water to help loosen the sauce and coat everything well.
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Take off the heat and serve in bowls and enjoy immediately.
Watch the Process