Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with Noodles

I have been craving Chinese food for weeks and weeks now. I could probably just take myself to a Chinese restaurant if I wanted to, but to be honest the food at the restaurant here in town is the pits. The best one is in the next town over and when I think about driving all the way there, I end up just eating whatever I have in the house.
Sometimes I do go with my father and his friends for a Chinese meal, but that is a very rare occurrence. I am not one to go out and eat all by myself. Where is the fun in that.
Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with Noodles

It's not often that our local grocery store has flank steak for sale. When my sister and I were there yesterday we spied to packages of it. I snapped up one and she snapped up the other.
And then I headed to the produce aisle to pick up some broccoli so I could make myself a stir fry for my supper.

I love, Love, LOVE Beef and Broccoli. It is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. I had spied a tasty looking Mongolian Beef & Broccoli recipe the other day however, and I wanted to try that.
I have adapted this recipe for Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with noodles from one I found on a page called Creme de la Crumb. The original recipe was sized for four people. I small batched it to feed only two.

I chose that recipe because I happened to have all of the ingredients needed in my larder. I keep a whole shelf on the door of my refrigerator stocked with ingredients to make Chinese food.
I also love any Chinese dish that contains noodles. One thing I used to love ordering when I lived in the UK was the Singapore noodles with vermicelli.
My husband hated it because he didn't like noodles, but oh well, more for me!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MONGOLIAN BEEF & BROCCOLI WITH NOODLES
It looks like a long list, but really once you have gathered all of the components, this is a dish that goes together in a flash!

1/3 cup (80ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 TBS hoisin sauce
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 TBS cold water + 1 tsp. corn starch (corn flour)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 TBS light olive oil
3/4 lb. (340g) stir fry beef - or very thin sliced steak
1 package ramen noodles - boiled until tender and drained
chopped spring onions - for garnish (optional)

I like to use Kikkoman soy sauce. It is fermented and has a nice flavor. It's also not quite as salty as other kinds. You can leave the sriracha sauce out if you want, or even add a bit more if you like. Its lovely and spicy and garlicky.
Use the freshest broccoli that you can find and then cut your broccoli into bite sized pieces. Cut any larger florets in half. You don't want anything larger than a bite.
Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with Noodles

If you are slicing your own steak to use in this, it's much easier to slice it thinly if your steak is partially frozen. I don't really like buying stir fry strips of beef. I find them to be too thick. I prefer to cut my own.
I highly recommend using flank or sirloin steak for this, but you can use whatever steak you wish. It is so thin and so quickly cooked it won't be tough anyways.
Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with Noodles

My son told me about these Ramen noodles a few months ago. The brand is Indomie Mi goreng fried noodles. They are lovely. I like them much more than other kinds. You can find them at Walmart and on Amazon and in the grocery stores.
They come with seasoning powders and oils in the packets. You won't need them for this recipe. Just the noodles.
My grandsons have gotten the prep of these noodles down to an art form. They delighted in showing me how they make them on their recent visit to me. They really are delicious.

HOW TO MAKE MONGOLIAN BEEF & BROCCOLI WITH NOODLES
This is a really quick and easy dish to make, especially if you have all of your ingredients measured, prepped, gathered and grouped prior to beginning cooking.

Whisk the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice wine vinegar together in a cup. Set aside.Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef strips and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Whisk the cold water and corn starch together in a small bowl until the corn starch dissolves.

Add ingredients in the sauce cup to the skillet and bring to a boil. Whisk in corn starch slurry until the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat to low.Stir in noodles, and heat through. Garnish with spring onions if desired and serve.

I really REALLY enjoyed this dish, and it satisfied my Chinese food craving, for the time being anyways! It was quick and easy to make and incredibly delicious.
You could serve it with steamed rice if you wanted to or add extra vegetables if you like. I was quite fond of it just as is. If you like your food really spicy why not add some dried chili flakes?
A sprinkle of chopped salted peanuts on top is also very nice. I was in such a hurry to eat this that I completely forgot to sprinkle the spring onions on top before I took all my photos! They do add a nice sharpness to the dish so don't leave them out!

If I have whetted your appetite for a Chinese meal and want to add a few more dishes why not check out the following:
VEGETABLE CHOW MEIN - What if I told you that you could fix a quick and easy Vegetable Chow Mien which is delicious and nutritious and contains plenty of crunch and color? I have used fresh cabbage, carrots, cooking onions, and spring onions along with some fresh bean sprouts, mushrooms and a few water chestnuts for plenty of crunch. This is simply delicious.QUICK AND EASY FIRECRACKER CHICKEN - Quick, easy, spicy and delicious!Chunks of crispy chicken in a sweet and spicy glaze. This quick and easy dinner option is sure to be popular with the family! I served it with steamed rice and broccoli spears.
Yield: 2Author: Marie Rayner