Thursday, January 27, 2005

Wasabied Steak and Noodles

The second of two Penzy's recipes I really enjoy - if you like sushi, you'll probably enjoy this.

Wasabied Steak and Noodles
  • 8 oz. strip steak (yeah, um, you can use pretty much any cut of steak meat here - it just has to be tender enough to make you happy. I tend to eat my steak a little overdone, so a poorer cut works fine - if you prefer your steak on the rarer side, you might want something a little leaner/higher quality. Of course, if you're a vegetarian, I think you could make this recipe work with vegetables as well, or shellfish if you're a sort-of-vegetarian).
  • 1/4 t. Ginger
  • 1/4 t. Garlic
  • 1/4 t. ground black pepper
  • 4 oz. egg noodles
  • 2 t. olive oil
  • sprinkle of garlic
  • sprinkle of ginger
  • 2 t. rice vinegar
  • 1 t. Wasabi powder (Penzey's sells three varieties - all with real Wasabi, not just horseradish)
  • 1 t. water
  • 2 TB soy sauce
  • salt to taste (don't bother - it's pretty salty with the soy sauce)
Note: I also add shaved carrots to give it a different taste, and I imagine peas would probably taste great as well. I tend to just drop the seasonings into the rest of the food willy nilly, going a little overboard, I prefer my food with some kick - the more ginger, the spicier.

So: Cook the pasta. Dry the steak/meat. Rub the meat with ginger, garlic and pepper. Grill the meat (medium rare, but it's really up to you). Note that if I use a lesser cut of meat, I mix a little olive oil and the seasonings together and cook the meat in that along with some of Penzy's granulated garlic. Let the meat rest (to firm). Toss noodles with olive oil, sprinkle of garlic, sprinkle of ginger. Mix the Wasabi powder with water, stir to blend, and then mix with the soy sauce. Add the rice vinegar (I go a little light as I'm using an old, not so great, bottle of rice vinegar) to the noodles, toss to coat. Cube the steak to bite size (again, poorer cut, just precut, you won't be as worried about keeping it pink), add to the noodles. Drizzle with the wasabi-soy mix and toss again. Note: if you make twice as much Wasabi-soy mix and only use half on the noodles, you can dip the meat/vegetables in it like sushi - definitely the way to go.

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