If you and your family love Chinese food, you must try this Tomato Beef and Peppers with pan-fried noodles recipe. This dish is a favorite chow mein dish among American born Chinese. It is actually an American dish and not Chinese. This meal is quick to cook once you have all the ingredients prepared. It comes together as a very colorful and tasty dish. Your family will be very pleased with this dinner. The taste is sweet, savory, and lively, with crisp vegetables and noodles.
I recommend to do the prep work in the morning for a healthy and fast meal in the evening. Just precut the steak strips and let them sit in the ginger soy marinade all day or overnight. When you are finally ready to cook, everything stir fries quickly. The last step of this dish is to mix in a spicy Asian ketchup sauce.
This delicious recipe, comments, and photos were shared with me by Karen Calanchini, Food Stylist and Photographer, of Redding, CA.
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
- 3 teaspoons of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 1 large red bell pepper, (cut lengthwise, seeded, and white pulp removed), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large green bell pepper (cut lengthwise, seeded, and white pulp removed), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
- 6 plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise into 4 wedges
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons Chinese hoisin sauce
- 2 to 3 teaspoons chile garlic sauce*
- 2 (8-ounce) packages Udon noodles
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil
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Cut the flank steak into thin strips against the grain. Then cut each strip into 2 or 3 equal size pieces; set aside.
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Prepare Marinade (see below). Add the prepared flank steak pieces to the marinade and mix well. Cover the bowl and let marinate all day or overnight.
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Prepare Ketchup Sauce (see below); set aside.
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Approximately 4 hours before cooking, start preparing the Udon Noodles (see below).
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When ready to cook, remove marinated flank steak from the refrigerator. Drain marinade from the flank steak; discard marinade. Toss the drained flank steak pieces with cornstarch; set aside.
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In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Add the flank steak mixture and stir fry until the meat is browned on the outside but still pink inside, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove meat and juices from the pan to a plate; set aside.
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Add remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil to the pan and heat. Add the bell peppers and onion; stir fry until the vegetables just begin to soften (you want them to remain crispy). Reduce heat to medium low. Return the meat and meat juices back into the pan. Add the prepared Ketchup Sauce and stir fry until the sauce is warmed . Toss in the tomatoes and gently heat for 1 minute.
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Serve over Pan-Fried Udon Noodles.
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Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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In a medium-size bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, and peanut or vegetable oil.
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In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, hoisin sauce, and chile garlic sauce; set aside
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Cook the noodles according to the package direction.
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Drain and then spread out on a non-stick baking sheet. Drizzle sesame oil over the top of the noodles. Using tongs, gently mix together the sesame oil and cooked noodles.
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Spread the noodles out again and let dry at room temperature for approximately 4 hours.
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When ready to fry, in a large frying pan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add the noodles and brown on one side. NOTE: You may have to brown the noodles in two batches.
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Using a spatula, flip and brown the noodles on the other sides. When all the noodles are browned, transfer to a platter and top with the Tomato Beef and Peppers.
* Found in the Asian section of your grocery store.