Beef & Soba Noodle Stir-fry
Why I Love This Recipe
OK, so I have some Japanese spices that came over on a plane recently with my last Ex, direct from Nagano, Japan. I don't know what these spices are, but so far, so good. They are mostly spicy pepper blends- so if you (like me) have no idea about the Japanese spices, then I'd say go w/any savory, hot-peppery spice blend to make this. What's probably more important are the Buckwheat Soba noodles... those are pretty special...
Not only was this super-easy, it has to be super-good for you and it was SO tasty! I wish I could tell all you folks out there on the Internets what these spices are, but I can't read Japanese. I understand, though, that if you find someone who knows something about Japanese food, they will likely know about these peppers and spices from Nagano, as they are of quite a bit of renown in those circles. Domo Arigato!
Ingredients You'll Need
1 pkg Buckwheat Soba noodles - get these from an Asian grocery, so they're the real deal; darker in color and soft like homemade noodles, dusted in what seems to be cornstarch.
1/4c Vegetable oil
2tblsp Sesame oil
1/3 - 1/2 lb Beef, sliced diagonally into bite-size pcs
3 heads Baby Bok Choy, sliced
6-8 oz Mushrooms, sliced thick
2 ribs Celery, sliced diagonally
6-8 oz Snow Pea pods, whole, raw
1 med Onion, sliced
1 sm can Water Chestnuts
1/8c or so Soy Sauce
1-2tsp Japanese Pepper Blend, or other savory, black & red pepper blend
Directions
In a large saucepan or pot, bring 6c salted water to boil. I do this while I am chopping meat & veggies.
Meanwhile, once all meat & veggies are prepped and ready, heat both oils in a large wok over med-high flame.
Add noodles to water to cook.
Once oil is hot, add meat & veggies in the order shown, sprinkle generously with Spice blend, and stir-fry 5-7min total.
Noodles will take only 5min or so to cook- once they are dark and tender, add to stirfry mixture directly from water using a slotted spoon or pasta spoon.
Add soy sauce to taste, and stir contents of the wok to blend flavors. As you are stirring, the starch from the noodles will create a thickening sauce. Toss about in the wok for 1-2min, then serve!
