Make a Meal: Mongolian Flank Steak and Noodle Salad

This recipe comes out of Cuisine Lite's Easy Weeknight Meals and I highly recommend it as a nice switch up. The combination was perfect and plenty filling but altogether very healthy for you. The trick to this recipe is scoring the meat to allow the marinade to penetrate into the meat and soak in all of the flavor. The cook time was about 45 minutes total and collectively as a meal, this consists of 349 calories, 16g total fat, 19g carbs, 34g protein, 51mg calcium per serving.

Grocery List:
For Mongolian Flank Steak

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. Sriracha 
• 1 tsp. chili paste
• 1 1/2 lb. flank steak, trimmed

For Noodle Salad

• 1 package Udon or Yokisoba noodles
• 1/2 cup slivered red onion
• 1/2 cup thin strips carrot
• 1/2 cup thin strips bell pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup reserved sauce (from above)

Start by heating your grilling surface and make sure to brush the grill grate with oil. Combine the hoison, broth, vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce and Sriracha in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Score one side of your flank steak in a diamond pattern and place in a resealable plastic bag. Pour all but 1/2 cup into bag and marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Make sure you move the steak around to allow both sides to coat with marinade.

While your steak is bathing, boil your noodles in a large pot - these noodles cook fast. Drain and let cool, running cool water over them to assist.

After 20 minutes of marinating, take your meat and throw it on the grill to cook for 5 minutes, then flip the meat and grill until desired preference - about 3 minutes more was medium-rare.

 

Meanwhile, take your thin strips of bell pepper - as you can see below...

and your thin strips of carrot....(I grated it with a knife like Juliette Lewis in Christmas Vacation when she asks her mom if it would be indecent for the grandparents to stay at a hotel because when Alexander called, Grandpa told him she was using the bathroom and that's humiliating)

and your thin slices of red onion (done with a mandoline)....

Combine them all together in a bowl with the noodles and cilantro, adding in the reserved Mongolian marinade and tossing together.

Add some chopped scallions for garnish if you would like!

Finally, transfer the beef to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, slice at an angle against the grain into thin long strips of steak.

Put it together and you have a delicious and nutritious meal! Top the beef with additional leftover sauce, as shown in the intro, if it strikes your fancy.