Beef Noodle Salad

Gosh it’s hot. Not like, warm. Not even just humid. It is H-O-T. Like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. Like don’t sit on a vinyl chair in short shorts hot (you know what I mean.) They say that the heat index today is 110 in the shade. Now, I don’t know about you, but when it’s that hot, there’s no way I want to put something hot in my mouth. Or spend much time in a hot kitchen. But it can be a challenge to find a cold meal that is hearty enough to satisfy my carnivorous, seemingly cavernous husband. Enter the trusty site The Pioneer Woman and her delicious recipe for a cold beef noodle salad.

Salad is a little bit of a misnomer here. The only vegetables involved are cilantro leaves and green onions. Definitely my kind of salad. And my husband’s too since he couldn’t stop gushing about how tasty it was. Well, “gushing” might be a little strong. I think his exact words were, “I could eat this again.” But trust me, that’s high praise. I really enjoyed the meal too. It had a lot of flavor, slightly sweet but with nutty sesame in the background. And I love cold beef and pasta so that’s a win. I would suggest making this a double batch so you have plenty of leftovers. I suspect it would make a fantastic lunch. Unfortunately we ate all ours, but I won’t make that mistake again.

Ingredients 

Sirloin steak, 3/4 To 1 Pound

Kosher salt

3/4 cups Ponzu

3 tablespoons sesame oil (dark)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chili oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sliced green onion

8 ounces thin spaghetti

Cilantro leaves

This is a dish you can make early in the day to eat later. I would at least suggest starting early, so that you have time to let things rest in the fridge. That way you’ll get the best flavor. Start by salting your steak to taste and throw it on the grill. You want a good medium rare. Then let it cool down and make your marinade. You can find Ponzu in your store’s Asian section, although you may have to look a little. Kikkoman makes one. You can use soy sauce in its place if you want, but I think you’ll miss the slight citrusy flavor that the Ponzu brings. Whisk together all the liquid ingredients plus the garlic, ginger and brown sugar. The next time I might try a little more chili oil, but as you know, that’s just how I do.

Once the steak cools enough, put it in a plastic bag with three tablespoons of the marinade. Don’t rush this—if you put a hot steak in plastic it will steam and you’ll end up with chewy, well done meat. Put the steak in the fridge for at least a half hour.

Cook your spaghetti and rinse it with cold water. Add your marinade, green onions and cilantro, and toss to combine. Let it sit in the fridge as long as possible. The recipe asks for a few hours, but we were too hungry so we only left it for about a half hour. We also added the thinly sliced steak (against the grain) or you can leave it separate and just place it on top when you’re ready to eat. Serve it cold on a hot day and beat your hunger and the heat.


PS. Note my nice new dishes! I think they will make my photos a little nicer.


(Click here for printable recipe)