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Hungry for more? This recipes was featured in a podcast episode!
The flavour of star anise really shines through in this beef & baby bok choy stir fry. When all the preparations are done ahead of time, this meal is quick to fry up and feed a busy family.
Prep Time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
500g sirloin steak
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 star anise
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
4 - 250g frozen udon noodles
16 baby bok choy
mixed microgreens
4 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp sesame seeds
Directions
Crush the star anise into a powder and place into a mixing bowl. Add grated garlic, chili flakes, ginger and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir together and set aside to use as a marinade for beef.
Thinly slice the sirloin steak into strips and place into the bowl of marinade. Mix together until the beef is evenly coated with the sauce. Set aside on the counter for 30 min or in the fridge for up to 4 hrs before frying up.
While the meat is marinating, wash and slice the baby bok choy in half and place face down on a tea towel to dry.
In a small jar combine 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp mirin and shake together.
Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a bit of oil to the pan. If it starts to smoke, you are ready to begin frying your beef.
Add a small batch of marinated beef to the pan and cook on one side until nicely browned. Flip and fry on the opposite side. All together each batch should take about 2-3 minutes. Do your best not to crowd the pan which will reduce the heat and cause the meat to release it's juices while cooking and become tough and dry.
Remove the cooked beef from the pan and set aside in a small bowl. Cover with a lid to retain moisture and heat.
Repeat frying for all the beef. Allow the pan to heat up hot and put a fresh splash of oil in the pan for each batch.
Place the dried baby bok choy cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with the soy sauce & mirin mixture.
Reduce the heat in the cast iron pan to medium. Add a bit of oil, it shouldn't smoke right away. Then place as many baby bok choy as you can, cut side down in the pan & cover with a lid. Allow them to steam & cook for 5 min per batch or until nicely browned on one side. Remove to the baking sheet and keep warm. Repeat until all the baby bok choy are cooked.
In a small jar combine the sesame oil and rice vinegar.
When you are ready to serve, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Salt the water. Cook a single frozen 250g serving of udon noodles in the boiling water until they just begin to break apart.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add oil to the pan. Once the noodles begin to break apart, remove them from the water to the non-stick pan and fry up in the oil for a few minutes.
Transfer the fried noodles to a bowl. Top with cooked beef, steamed baby bok choy, fresh micro-greens and a 1 tsp sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. Drizzle with a quarter of the sesame oil and rice vinegar mixture and serve.
Zhuzh it up!
The key to making this meal well is prep! Get the meat, baby bok choy and all the sauces made up in advance. Then when it's time to cook up the noodles everything is warm and ready to go. These noodles cook fast!
This is also good served with a thinner egg noodle or on rice.
This amazing recipe was adapted by Erin Walker from the Avoca Salads Cookbook