Ginger Beef and Ramen Noodle Soup

I took Cook's Country magazine for a year.  It is a great magazine for people that like to cook and I like the pictures and the detailed explanations of WHY.  I stopped it because I just can't throw them away and I never go back and look up a recipe.  That is what the Internet if for!

 

But they sent me another copy in the hopes of roping me in again.  There are a few recipes in it that I am going to make.  So I am weakening.  Maybe if they send me ANOTHER one and IT is full of recipes I want to fix....

There was a recipe card for a 30 minute meal.  It was for a soup that sounded delicious.  And there was a snowy forecast.  So I made the soup.  The recipe called for larger amounts for more people than just the two of us.  I was just making it for us with maybe some left over for lunch.  I will give the amounts they used and if you notice I have different amounts, that is why.

 


Ginger Beef and Ramen Noodle Soup

1 pound flank steak, trimmed  The store only had 3 pound flank steaks, so I just bought some top sirloin.
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 cups chicken broth
1 (2 inch) piece of ginger
3 (2 inch) strips of lime zest and 1 Tablespoon of the juice
4 packages instant ramen noodles.  Discard the seasoning packets
5 green onions sliced thin...green parts, too!
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

 

Pat the steak dry with paper towels and season it with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12 inch fry pan over medium high heat until just smoking. 

 

Add the steak and cook until medium rare, about 3 to 4 minutes each side.  Place the meat on a cutting board and tent some foil over the top.  Let it sit for at least 5 minutes. 
.
 

While the steak is cooking pour the broth into a Dutch oven.  Add the lime peel.  Cut the ginger in half lengthwise and take the side (or butt) of a  large knife and smash each half a bit.  Add that to the soup. Wash it first, but don't bother to peel it.

When the soup comes to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cover it for 10 minutes.  Use this time to slice the meat, cut the green onions and chop up the cilantro.

 

If you found some flank steak, slice it in half and then cut thin strips against the grain.  I used top sirloin and just cut some very thin slices, about one to two inches long.

 

Use a slotted spoon to remove the lime slices and the ginger.  Discard them.  Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.  If you don't want long pieces of noodles to slurp up, break each block of noodles into about 4 pieces.  This is a bit messy, but so is slurping up long noodles from your soup.

 

Stir in the green onions, the lime juice and the soy sauce. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a serving of the sliced steak and a sprinkle of cilantro.

 

This is an easy soup and really only took about 30  minutes!  It was delicious and filling.  Perfect for a snowy evening.