When it’s just me here at home working, and it’s an odd few days when I don’t have any help with the grocery shopping, I buckle down and make what I have in the fridge work. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days, and I have to say, I love what I’ve created. I returned home from a week-long work trip on Wednesday night. But my family had canceled flights and they’re not due back until today. I did do a store run for essentials, but I didn’t get much, so my fridge is currently looking pretty sparse. Luckily, I have quality staples and a garden FULL of basil, other herbs, and the prettiest dahlias. I decided to use some frozen Five Mary’s meat, noodles, vegetables, and basil and make a quick stir-fry with Korean chili paste. And it turned out so delicious.
Every detail you need to know
I make the sauce first. It’s so simple, basic, and composed of my favorite pantry staples. Garlic, ginger, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), honey, rice vinegar, Gochujang (fermented Korean Chili paste), and toasted sesame oil. All pantry items that I try to have stocked (I keep the ginger in the fridge/freezer). Simply combine all the ingredients together in a glass jar and shake. While I’m shaking up the sauce, I’m simultaneously cooking the noodles. Rice noodles are perfect for stir-frying. They don’t easily turn mushy and they have the ability to really soak in the yummy sauces and flavors of a stir-fry. I keep rice noodles on hand for quick dinners, we love them. They’re boiled, then rinsed under cold water to stop the cooking. Stir fry the vegetables in a bit of the sauce. I love to use bell peppers, zucchini, and shredded carrots. Mushrooms and broccoli are really great too. If you’re working in a speedy manner and trying to get this on the table in 20 minutes, use a store-bought vegetable stir fry mix. No chopping or slicing involved, which is always convenient when in a hurry. Something to think about with back to school on the horizon. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Then add lots of shallots and stir fry to caramelize them. Next add the meat. I like to use thinly sliced flank steak, but chicken works well too. Then pour in the sauce, add the noodles, and toss back in the vegetables. Cook everything until that spicy/sweet sauce coats the noodles. Quickly remove from the heat and serve the noodles immediately with some fresh basil. It’s best to serve these right off the stove as the noodles soak up the sauce pretty quickly! Perfect for our busiest nights. Hoping you guys love this one as much as I do. I’m already excited to make it again later this week! Looking for other quick noodle recipes? Try these: 30 Minute Creamy Turmeric Chicken and Noodles Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles Dan Dan Noodles 20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
