The Ingredients:
First, let’s talk about noodles. I’m not making home-made udon and ramen for this. Sorry. This is comfort food and executing those noodles for a single batch takes all the “comfort” out of the food. I am, however, using no-dried versions of the noodles for a little more depth to the taste and texture.
I didn’t skimp on the steak but I didn’t break the bank either. The steak in the film (pictured above) looks like it’s verging on wagyu. I’m not so decadent (yet) that I can hack up a wagyu top sirloin and toss it into a basic noodle dish. Instead, I grabbed a local, grass-fed, 28-day dry-aged top sirloin that was closer to 20 bucks (instead of 100). It’s about an inch thick and gets the job done. I’m also going to marinate the steak to give it a little more of a sweet-sour-umami depth.
Lastly, I have some Korean Gochujang red chili paste on hand to add an extra layer of spice and funk to the finished product. This isn’t seen in the film but I can’t imagine it not being there.
So, the ingredients are:
- 1 package fresh Ramen noodles
- 1 package fresh Udon noodles
- 8 oz Top Sirloin steak
- 1 tbsp Gochujang
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (for searing)
- 1 Soup sachet from instant noodle package
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
Steak Marinade:
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 Green Onion (chopped)
To prep, I trim the steak of all the gristle and thick layers of chewy fat and then cube it into one-inch pieces. I then toss the steak in the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, and green onions.
I make sure the steak is evenly coated and place in the fridge (covered) to mellow for about an hour. I take the steak out an hour before I’m going to start cooking so that it comes up to room temp. Then, we’re ready to go.
Cook:
The first thing I do is get a wok ripping hot with a neutral oil (I used vegetable oil). Once the oil starts to smoke, I slowly add in the cubes of beef (do not just dump in the whole bowl as you don’t want all the marinade to water down the oil). As soon as I’ve finished adding the cubes, I start to flip the cubes that went in first until they’re all turned at least once. You’re aiming for 60 to 90 seconds of cooking on each side to get to a pink medium-rare.
Once there’s a nice sear on two sides of the cubes, I take them off the heat. I add in a good tablespoon of Gochujang and toss the steak until the spicy sauce is completely integrated, creating a dark sauce around the steak (this sauce is crucial later).
I take out one cube of steak to make sure it’s where I want it. And, yup, perfectly pink and succulent.
I pour boiling water into a pot and bring it to a brisk boil. I add in the udon and cook for about two minutes. You don’t have to do much here as the noodles will naturally separate. If they don’t, use a set of chopsticks to help that separation along.
After two minutes, I add in the ramen and, again, use the chopsticks to get everything separated. As soon as the water returns to the boil (about a minute), I drain the noodles.
I add the noodles to the steak that’s been resting in the wok. I also add the soup sachet from the ramen package. In this case, this is a soy sauce-based wet sachet (that is, not a powdered one). I also add a small tablespoon of oyster sauce. I then toss the noodles until they’re well-coated and completely brown from the sauce. And with that, we’re ready to serve
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