Korean Noodles

Ingredients

170 g beef cut into bite size strips
4 garlic cloves minced, divided
1 Tbs plus 3 tsp sugar, divided
4 Tbs soy sauce, divided
4 Tbs toasted sesame oil, divided
Olive oil for cooking
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots cut into strips (not thin)
4 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 2 hours to soften, cut into thin strips
225 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
225 g baby spinach leaves
280 g sweet potato starch noodles (sweet potato vermicelli)
2 stalks of green onion (scallions), cut into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper to garnish
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Method

Combine beef with half of the minced garlic, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper. Stir to combine and chill in the fridge.

In a large non stick pan add 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cover and stir over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir until mushrooms just turn soft. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer this to a large bowl, cover and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, in the same pan, add 1 Tbs olive oil, beef and green onions over medium heat. Stir until beef is cooked. Add beef mixture to the large bowl of vegetables and cover.

Place noodles into the large pot of boiling water, stirring often for about 8 minutes or until noodles are soft and chewy. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain. Cut noodles into shorter lengths. Place noodles back into the empty pot, add 3 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of soy sauce and 4 tsp of sesame oil and toss to combine.

Mix the noodles and the beef/vegetable mixture together. Add remaining garlic, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds and serve warm.

Credits: Amy

Photo Credits: Korean Food Gallery