- Did you know ramen stir fry could be this easy?
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Hey everybody, it's Natasha of natashaskitchen.com.
Today, we're making a beef and broccoli ramen stir fry.
This is so delicious.
It takes just 30 minutes to make
and I think it's so much better than takeout,
let's get started.
If you're one of the many families who fully intended
for the world to end last year in 2020,
maybe you stocked up on a lot of Top Ramen or Cup Noodles.
I have good news for you.
We're gonna put that to good use today
and this recipe will impress you.
So I use two packets of Top Ramen,
just discard the flavor packet.
It takes three minutes to cook it, super easy.
You can also find organic ramen noodles if you prefer
and I've even made this work with Cup Noodles.
That's right, folks.
Just rinse off the seasoning
and the rest of it will come off in the water
when you cook it, easy peasy.
I'm gonna get started on the sauce.
The sauce is simple, but I like to whip it up
and have all the ingredients ready to go
before it hits the stove.
Combine all of your sauce ingredients in a measuring cup.
First you'll need one teaspoon
of freshly grated ginger and peeling fresh ginger is easy.
You just scrape it away with the side of a teaspoon.
You'll also need two teaspoons of grated garlic,
which is about three cloves.
To easily peel garlic, cut off the end,
then smash it with the flat side of a knife.
This'll make the peel slide right off.
Now grate the garlic and the ginger into your measuring cup.
Also make sure you don't add more than a teaspoon of ginger
or it can overpower the sauce.
Now add six tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce,
half a cup of warm water,
three tablespoons of packed light brown sugar,
one and a half tablespoons of corn starch,
two tablespoons of sesame oil
and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper
and the sesame oil adds great taste and aroma to a stir fry
so make sure you do not skip it.
Stir that together until all of the sugar is dissolved
and set it aside and oh, that sauce smells so good.
Next, we're gonna prep one pound of broccoli.
I like to cut that into small bite-size florets
and once it's all chopped up,
you should have about six cups of broccoli.
You can also use the stems if you wish,
just make sure to peel them with a potato peeler
to remove the fibrous outer layer.
Otherwise the stems can be a little chewy.
Once the broccoli is prepped,
we're gonna set that aside and start slicing our beef.
I'm using one pound of flank steak
and I like using flank steak for stir fry
because it is always tender.
And you want to slice against the grain
of the steak as thin as you can.
If you don't have flank steak,
you can use what you have on hand.
We've had great results using top sirloin steak
or you can try top round steak or even a tri-tip steak.
First thing I like to cook is the ramen.
Because the stir fry cooks quickly,
I want to make sure the ramen is ready when I need it.
You'll need two three and a half ounce packages
of instant ramen noodles, discard the flavor packets,
then bring a pot of water to boil
and cook the ramen noodles for about three minutes
or according to the package instructions.
Use a spoon to separate the noodles as they're cooking
and as soon as they're tender, drain the noodles.
I also rinse the noodles right away
with cold water to stop the cooking process
and to keep them from sticking together.
Keep in mind it's really easy to over cook ramen noodles
so make sure you set your timer.
Once the ramen is rinsed and drained,
we're ready to start the beef and broccoli stir fry.
You'll need a large deep skillet or a wok.
Place your skillet over medium heat
and add one tablespoon of oil.
I'm using extra light olive oil,
but any high heat cooking oil will work well.
Once the oil is hot, add the broccoli
and if you prefer a more tender broccoli,
add two tablespoons of water,
then cover with the lid
and cook for four minutes stirring occasionally.
The water will quickly steam cook the broccoli,
making it perfectly crisp tender.
Transfer the broccoli to a separate dish,
then turn the stove up to high heat
and in the same skillet, add another tablespoon of oil.
Now we're gonna cook the beef.
We increased it to high heat to make sure the steak
gets a good sear on the outside without steam cooking.
Add the steak in a single layer
and saute for about two minutes per side
or just until the beef is cooked through.
Just as soon as your beef is cooked through,
we're gonna add the sauce.
Give the sauce a quick stir
in case any settling has occurred,
then pour it all over your beef.
Now you want to reduce your heat to medium low
and continue to simmer
for about three to four minutes stirring occasionally.
The sauce will thicken as it cooks.
Once the sauce looks like a thick, bubbly glaze,
it's time to add back that steamed broccoli.
Also add your drained ramen
and toss to combine everything is evenly coated
in that yummy sauce.
I love that there's plenty of sauce to go around
to coat the noodles and the veggies.
Oh yummy yum.
I am so hungry for this.
Slurpy saucy noodles, tender beef, it's still steaming hot.
Yum, get in my belly.
We're gonna serve this right away
because I can not wait any longer.
Just stir it until the noodles are evenly coated
in that yummy sauce and then it's ready to go.
And I love that there's plenty of sauce for the noodles,
but each one is so tasty, I'm telling you.
Here we go.
Helps to serve if you've got some tongs.
And we are gonna brave some chopsticks today.
See how that goes.
Generous amount for me always
and each serving has tons of broccoli and tons of beef.
This is such a satisfying dinner or lunch
and it's a 30 minute meal, come on.
You can't get any better than that.
I love to garnish this with a little bit of sesame seeds
and some fresh chives or green onion.
Just snip those on.
Here we go, here we go, here we go.
I'm gonna try.
A little bit of everything.
I am no chopsticks pro, but I try.
Here we go.
Here we go, here we go, here we go, I'm gonna make it.
That beef is tender
and I love how the broccoli is just a little bit crisp.
Crisp tender is what we call that.
So good, tastes so fresh.
This was a meal in itself.
And seriously, this tastes better than takeout.
And you know exactly what went into it,
all home stuff from your pantry and your fridge.
It's one of those make it once
and you'll make it over and over kind of meals.
And my kids like this.
If you wanted to change up the veggies, you totally could.
You could use snap peas or asparagus and get creative.
Also, you could totally use chicken.
You could totally use ground beef.
This recipe is so versatile.
It makes dinner fun.
Just use what you have on hand
and enjoy your beef and broccoli ramen stir fry.
I'm gonna enjoy the rest of this,
but I don't know if I'm gonna be patient enough
with these chopsticks.
I got to take another bite, I'm so hungry for this.
These noodles have such a good mouth feel.
They're slurpy, you know what slurpy noodles are,
it's a thing.
Flank steak works really well here
because it's tender when you slice it,
but we've experimented with other steaks too.
So also if you guys have any fun ideas
for using ramen, let me know
cause I have a lot of ramen.
And let me know if you did the same.
I'm gonna go enjoy the rest of this.
We'll see you in our next video.