Miso Steak with Noodles
Yield: 2 servings, easily scaled upward
Preparation Time: 4-24 hour marination time for the meat. Actual cooking time: about ten minutes
For the marinade:
one pound/464 grams steak: flank, tri-tip, or thicker cuts of lean stir-fry steak are good; see notes for discussion of cuts
2 tablespoons Shiro or white miso
To cook the dish:
About two tablespoons peanut or other high heat flavorless oil like canola, for the wok
2-3 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced into thin rings
2-3 teaspoons regular soy sauce (not “lite”)
salt, as needed
sesame oil, to taste
slivers of fresh scallion, optional
soba, Udon, or other thick noodles, as desired; we use about 12 ounces
sliced tomatoes lightly drizzled with soy sauce or vegetables of your choice
Miso steak with noodles is ideally prepared using a 14-inch wok. Lacking a wok, use your largest, heaviest frying pan. It is better to cook the meat in batches rather than crowd the pan. A crowded pan will result in unevenly cooked meat and food on the floor. I speak from experience.
Marinate the steak:
4-24 hours before cooking, evenly smear about two tablespoons of miso all over the meat. This is a messy job; just do the best you can. Place steak in a baking pan or lidded food storage container, cover, and refrigerate.
An hour before you plan to cook, remove steak from the refrigerator so it can come to room temperature.
Slice the garlic. Trim and slice the scallions.
Slice the steak into pieces easily managed with a fork or chopsticks. You don’t need to wipe off the miso.
Heat a 14-inch wok or large, heavy bottomed frying pan over high heat. Add about two tablespoons cooking oil. Allow it to heat.
Turn heat down slightly. Add the garlic and scallion and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add steak to the pan, then the soy sauce, stir-frying continuously, 4-5 minutes, depending on the cut of steak and heat of your pan. If you aren’t sure whether the meat is fully cooked, either taste it or cut into a piece.
If your pan is small, divide steak and soy sauce into batches, removing the first batch to a plate.
Also taste for seasoning: the dish may need additional soy sauce. It will likely need salt.
Remove steak to individual bowls or a large platter and add sesame oil to taste.
Make noodles according to package directions (Asian style noodles take moments to prepare). Place in the bowls or arrange on platter with steak. Top with slivered fresh scallions, if desired.
Serve with tomatoes drizzled with soy, or seasonal vegetables, raw or stir-fried, of your choice.
Eat.
Notes:
This recipe works with thicker cuts of steak. My market sells what they call “family pack tri-tip steaks” in packages. This is a tough, cheap, flavorful cut that has some marbling but isn’t over fatty.
Miso steak with noodles keeps, refrigerated, in a covered container up to five days. While you could freeze the meat, any remaining miso would become gluey. So would cooked noodles.
Western supermarkets usually sell two to four different kinds of miso. This dish uses “white” or lighter miso. A tub of miso will keep indefinitely refrigerated.