Asian Beef & Zucchini ‘Noodles’

Asian Beef & Zucchini ‘Noodles’

From Stonesoup

I took this photo a while ago before I invested in a spiralizer. So the ‘noodles’ in the picture were made using my mandoline to slice the zucchini into fine strips and then hand sliced into thinner noodles. While that method is good, I have to say the look and feel you get from the spiralizer is so much better! More on that soon. But if you don’t have either, no stress – see the variations below for suggestions.

2 steaks
2 medium zucchini
2-4 red chillies, sliced
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Remove steaks from the fridge (up to an hour ahead).

2. Wash zucchini and slice into ‘noodles’ either using a mandoline or spiralizer. Sprinkle with a little salt and stand at room temp to soften.

3. Heat a frying pan on a very high heat. Scatter a very fine layer of salt over the bottom of the pan and add the steaks.

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side for medium rare (or 3-4 minutes for medium) or until cooked to your liking.

5. Remove steaks and place on 2 warm plates. Carefully wipe out the excess salt from the hot pan.

6. Add zucchini ‘noodles’ and chilli to the hot pan without returning it to the heat. Allow the noodles to warm through then add the soy sauce. Taste and add more soy as needed. If you want the noodles hotter, pop the pan back on the heat but I find there’s usually enough residual heat to get things warm enough.

7. Spoon zucchini, chilli and sauce over the steaks and serve hot.

Variations

no mandoloine / spiralizer – either slice the zucchini by hand as finely as you can or use a vegetable peeler.

budget – replace steak with minced (ground) meat. Just brown it in a little oil (without the salt crust) then toss in the zucchini, chilli and soy.

vegetarian – replace steaks with tofu, cooked white or black beans. Just warm everything in the pan. You could also replace the steak with mushrooms and eggplant.

more veg – feel free to use more zucchini or add other ‘noodle’ veg such as carrots and/or red peppers. Some fresh herbs like mint or coriander (cilantro) would also be lovely.

paleo / soy-free – use fish or oyster sauce instead of the soy or replace with coconut aminos.

carb-lovers / more substantial – serve with steamed rice OR toss cooked rice, singapore or hokkien noodles in with the zucchini.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

steaks – freeze them.

zucchini – will keep for 2 weeks or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep it even longer, cook sliced zucchini in a little butter until just soft then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

red chillies – will keep for months in the fridge. Can be frozen or left unwrapped in the fridge they will slowly turn into dried chillies and still be edible.

soy sauce – keep it in the pantry.

Prepare Ahead

Best when freshly made.