Beef Soba Noodles with Green Beans

I enjoy cooking different cultural cuisines, especially for family and friends. I admit, when I’m preparing a new dish, I cook it for myself first. I suspect you already know why. The fear of ruining dinner for others can be traumatic: it takes a split second to over cook something and a minute too soon to under cook it. But I love make-it-yourself food websites despite the associated pressures that come with being a noob. I wouldn’t let that stop me from continuing to perfect an amazing dish. The high 5s, accolades and delighted expressions across my family and friends faces when they taste the foods I’d prepared is worth the toils of trial and error. So, if you please, put on your apron and unshelve your favorite cookware. Let’s break bread together and share in a most spiritual communion that bond people in fellowship. Namaste 🙏🏾

Ingredients

DRESSING

• ▢1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, light or ordinary (Note 1)
• ▢2 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
• ▢3 tbsp rice vinegar (Note 2)
• ▢1 tbsp mirin (Note 3)
• ▢2 tsp brown sugar
• ▢2 tsp ginger, minced
• ▢1 clove garlic, minced

STEAK

• ▢200g/7 oz rump or sirloin beef steak, excess fat trimmed (Note 4)
• ▢1 tsp vegetable oil
• ▢6oz/180g soba (Note 5)
• ▢6oz/200g green beans, trimmed
• ▢1 scallion/shallot, finely sliced
• ▢1 tbsp crispy Asian Shallots (Note 6)

Instructions

• Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking (or 15 minutes if it’s a stinking hot summer day).
• Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking, then cook the steak to your liking. I like mine medium rare – perfect for absorbing the flavours of the delicious dressing – so I cook this rump steak for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute 45 seconds on the second side. 
• Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into fairly thin slices against the grain (i.e. find the direction of the fibres then cut at a 90 degree angle straight through them).
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the soba according to packet instructions (usually 5 minutes). For the last 1 minute of cooking, add the green beans.
• Drain the noodles and beans and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking further and to cool the noodles. Roughly separate beans from noodles.
• To serve, divide the noodles between 2 bowls, top with the beans then the steak slices. Drizzle with the dressing (over the steak and noodles), then garnish with shallot slices and Crispy Asian Shallots.

Recipe Notes:

1. I use Kikkoman soy sauce, which is an all purpose soy sauce. You can also use light soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is not suitable – flavour is way too strong.

2. Rice vinegar can be substituted with white wine vinegar (same amount) or normal white vinegar but reduce to 1½ tbsp. 

3. Mirin is a sweetened Japanese rice wine which is now readily available throughout Australia even at supermarkets. If you cannot consume alcohol, this can be substituted with 1 tsp honey and 2 tsp white wine vinegar.

4. This can be made with any quick grilling cut of beef. I like making this with rump and sirloin.

5. In Australia, soba noodles come in 9oz/270g packets and come bundled in 3oz/90g bundles (1 serving).

6. Crispy Asian Shallots (deep fried salted slices of shallots) really are the perfect finish for this dish, they provide texture and flavour. They can be purchased from Asian grocery stores or the Asian section of most major supermarkets in Australia. They are addictive and I put them on many things – like into salads

7. The majority of the calories in this recipe are from the soba noodles. 3oz/90g dried soba is quite a generous serving. 

8. Inspired by a recipe by Anna Gare, an Australian TV cook. I can’t remember the source, possibly I wrote the recipe down while watching one of her shows!

9. Beef Soba Noodle Bowl nutrition per serving.

To learn more about this delicious dish go to my favorite cuisine website, recipetineat by Nagi: https://www.recipetineats.com/