Ponzu Soba Noodle Salad with Flank Steak

Ingredients

 ½ cup Ponzu Sauce

2 teaspoons Sambal Oleek (or to taste)

2 cloves roasted Garlic

2 spoonfuls of the Olive Oil the roasted garlic was stored in

8 oz. (uncooked) Soba Noodles

1 bag Coleslaw mix

2 cups shelled Edamame, boiled per package directions, and drained

1 lb. Flank Steak

Montreal Steak Seasoning or Salt and Pepper

Directions

Whisk together the dressing ingredients (Ponzu Sauce thru Olive Oil) in a salad bowl.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add Soba Noodles, cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Add to Salad Bowl along with Edamame and Coleslaw. Toss well. Set aside while making the steak.

Place flank steak on a broiler pan. Season both sides with Montreal Steak Seasoning or Salt and Pepper.

Place under broiler. Broil for 5-6 minutes per side.

Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice steak, against the grain.

Serve steak with soba noodle salad.

The Verdict

For the dressing, I used roasted garlic and garlic olive oil because that’s what I had on hand. You could just mince a clove of a garlic and use that instead.

I overseasoned the flank steak – but mixed in with the salad it was still tasty. Also, the recipe called for 5 minutes of resting time for the steak, next time I would do 10, 5 just wasn’t quite enough.

Overall, a good meal. Emma really liked it.

Sarah ate plain soba noodles with soy sauce and shelled edamame.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

¼ cup Dried Porcini or Shiitake mushrooms

6 cups Chicken Broth

¼ cup Soy Sauce (I used a premium dark version)

2 tablespoons Sherry

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1-2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Jalapeno, quartered

2 inches Ginger, peeled and cut into coins

½ medium Onion, cut into 2 pieces

2 Star Anise

Juice of 1 Lime, (Zest first and reserve the zest)

2 Chicken Breasts

2-3 cups Cremini Mushrooms, sliced (amount of mushrooms is based on taste)

½ medium Onion, thinly sliced

Rice Noodles

Cilantro, chopped

Hoisin Sauce

Sriracha Sauce

Directions

Bring 1 cup water to boil, remove from heat, add dried mushrooms. Let steep for about 10 minutes. Combine broth, soy sauce, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, jalapeno, ginger, onion, star anise, and lime juice in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. When dried mushrooms are steeped, remove mushrooms, chop and reserve. Strain the steeping liquid through a coffee filter to remove any dirt. Add steeping liquid to the broth. Simmer broth for an additional 5 minutes.

Add chicken breasts to the simmering broth. Poach chicken in the broth until cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken, slice into bite sized pieces.

Strain broth, put broth back into the pot. Add chicken, mushrooms, reserved mushrooms, sliced onions, and reserved lime zest. Simmer while cooking the rice noodles.

Place rice noodles in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil. Pour over rice noodles. Let sit until rice noodles are tender. Drain.

To serve: place rice noodles in a bowl, ladle soup over noodles. Serve, allowing diners to add cilantro, hoisin, and sriracha to taste.

The Verdict

MMMMMMM. Good soup for a chilly day. Nice depth of flavor, nice heat level.

Emma really liked it – even added some sriracha to her bowl!

It’s also not very fussy the quantities can really be varied according to taste. The simmering/cooking times are also more of a guideline than strict instructions.