Have Kitchen, Will Travel

I am desperate to get back in my kitchen (and my skinny jeans!) after a week-long meeting at a hotel out of town. The cozy rooms and kind staff could not make up for the usual conference suspects of bad coffee, sticky pastries, and heaping platters of greasy starches and overcooked meat. I would have been more than happy with a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, a big salad for lunch, and a baked potato and roasted chicken for dinner. Thank goodness for my trusty supply of apples and crispbread, two bars of 85% Lindt chocolate, a bottle of Malbec and the good people of Starbucks!

My fellow conference attendees happily chowed down food by the platefuls, though by Friday many were regretfully patting their distended stomachs, popping antacids, and taking naps in between sessions. It doesn't take a health freak to know that you cannot possibly be productive after eating butter-drenched farfalle and chicken covered in a cheese sauce that's so thick you can stand the serving spoon in the chafing dish. I took a crisis communications training a few years back where we spent a good ten minutes talking about how to sustain your team through a 24-hour news cycle: keep 'em hydrated, give 'em lean protein and complex carbs, and for crying out loud ensure good ventilation. But I digress.

By the time I got home I was itching to take my Wusthof santoku and chop up a big batch of fresh, raw and green ingredients. That Sunday our football team lost, the chilly air was an unmistakable precursor to colder days ahead and we had loads of laundry to fold, so I tabled my craving for a more hands-on meal and opted instead for a 20-minute, two-pot dish that tastes like Asian carry out and costs you less than $10 for two. Satisfaction guaranteed, chopsticks optional.

Asian Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

Prepping the meat

• 3/4 pound of skirt or flank steak (I recently discovered these inexpensive and super flavorful cuts of meat - they're on the fatty side so you don't need to add much oil when you cook) - seasoned with salt, pepper and powdered ginger, to taste
• A cup of frozen, shelled edamame 
• Soba noodles - about three quarters of a package
• Half a cup of soy sauce
• About 1 tablespoon minced garlic 
• Half a cup of red wine
• Olive or sesame oil
• Half a lime
• About a cup of chopped cilantro and spring onions (optional)
• Chopped peanuts (optional)
• Sriracha for serving

Preparation

Let the meat rest and release juices

• In a medium pan bring water to boil. 
• Drizzle a little olive or sesame oil and, using a paper towel, moisten the bottom of a non-stick skillet. 
• Heat skillet and, when it's too hot to hold your hand directly over it, add garlic. Stir until golden. Add meat. Cook one side for about three minutes and flip, leaving to cook for another two minutes. Add the soy sauce and about half of the wine. Reduce heat and turn meat over one more time. After about two minutes, depending on thickness, remove meat from skillet and set on plate to rest.
• Your water should be boiling by now. Add soba noodles and cook according to instructions, about three minutes, using tongs to stir. Add edamame and stir for about a minute. Remove from heat and drain together. Add soba and edamame to skillet with edamame and juices, and toss gently. Add some water or soy sauce to moisten. Divid among two serving bowls.
• Slice meat against the grain. Divide meat and juices among bowls. 




Better than carry out!


• For a final touch squeeze fresh lime juice over the dish and garnish with cilantro, spring onions or peanuts, if you like.
• Serve with sriracha for dipping ON THE SIDE.