Spicy Beef Noodles

I was really intrigued when I saw this interesting recipe -we love spicy food so it sounded really tasty. And I love Chinese noodles with any kind of protein, really! Turns out this recipe will be a keeper, loaded with tons of flavor and very spicy so watch out sensitive taste buds.

The original recipe called for szechuan pepper, however, I could only find it online and it was too pricey for just using in one recipe. So I just used crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of cayenne. It's important to make sure the beef is dry so it forms a yummy crust in the skillet - this adds a ton of flavor as well.

Spicy Beef Noodles
Serves 6

Spicy Beef Noodles

ingredients

• Salt
• 1 lb dried Chinese noodles
• 3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 Serrano, minced
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1" piece of ginger, minced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/3 cup tamari
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly slices
• chili oil, for serving

directions

1.Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel on both sides and add to the skillet. Break the meat apart and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion, Chile, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes & 5 spice powder to the beef. Stir-fry until onion is slightly softened.

3. Combine the noodles and the beef mixture, stir in the tamari. Remove from heat and toss with the lettuce and scallions. Serve with chili oil drizzled on top.

I kept the leftovers separate from the lettuce just so it didn't get wilted too much. When ready to heat the leftovers toss the lettuce right before you are going to eat.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine.