Easy Asian Fennel Beef Rice Noodle Bowls

Oh hey JULY! What the what!? I know it’s not until tomorrow, but seriously: did June even happen? I guess it’s a good sign — that I’m enjoying myself and therefore time is FLYING — but this also means we’re nearing the middle of the summer… which feels impossible.

I’m still interning, and still loving it, but next week is my last week! That means I’ll officially be done with school, and on the job prowl. Which means I’m actually already on the job prowl and starting to applying to every local developer position I’m remotely qualified for. Cover letters = BAE. It’s pretty fun to see other people in my cohort start getting jobs (as they started applying weeks before I did… oops) they'll jump into when they’re internships are done! And it's 100% terrifying to responses and hour-long code challenges delivered to your inbox. AAAH IMPOSTER SYNDROME LIKE WHOAA!

I’m alright with a slightly lazier timeline — I have a ton of blog stuff going on right now, and am excited to take some actual time OFF and go out into the woods for more than two days at a time! I think Marc and I are planning a 5ish day backpacking trip after my internship is done, assuming his work schedule doesn’t go crazy. It’s been a while!

Other than internship/blog/job stuff, I’m relatively boring these days. I did go on a certain bike ride Saturday night with 15k of my (now) closest friends! We’ve been buying plants like it’s going out of style (I am OBSESSED. More on this in another post!). Cooking a ton! Missing Coda! Spending lots o’ time with family! All good things, all fairly unremarkable things. Real life, amiright?

These noodle bowls are a variation on what has quickly become our favorite meal these days. Cold rice noodles, veg, peanut sauce, herbs, and (this time) STEAK. Oh man. I honestly think I could eat a variation of this meal literally every meal of the day for months and months (and I basically did just that for the three months I was in Vietnam!). Feel free to throw in your meat (or non-meat!) of choice! Chicken or pork would work really well here (just make sure to cook both of those all the way through), and if you’re a tofu master I think you could make a TASTY tasty tofu situation here.

Have a wonderful long weekend! xoxo

Easy Asian Fennel Beef Rice Noodle Bowls

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the steak:

• 1 lb thin steak (I used Denver steak)
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or Tamari if you need gluten-free!)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

For the sauce:

• ⅓ cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tsp honey
• ⅛ cup water

For assembly:

• 12 oz. rice noodles, cooked
• 2 large carrots, grated*
• 1 jalapeño, sliced thin
• 4 cups kale leaves, chopped very small*
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced very thin
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
• more optional toppings: crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion

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Instructions

1. In a ziplock bag, combine the steak with the toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight. This will be the last thing you actually cook, though!
2. Before you make the sauce, get a water boiling for the noodles and cook them if you haven't already. When the noodles are done, drain, rinse in cold water, and toss with a little oil to keep them from sticking. Set aside.
3. To make the sauce, combine the peanut butter, lime juice, garlic clove, ginger, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and water together in a small blender or cup that you can use an immersion blender in. You can also whisk vigorously, if neither of those options work for you. Once the sauce is smooth, taste and add more of what you want (honey for more sweetness, lime for more acidity, fish sauce for depth, soy sauce for salt, etc.).
4. When everything is chopped and ready for assembly, cook the beef. If you have a grill, heat it up really hot and cook for about 2 minutes on each side! If you're using a pan on the stove, get the pan really hot and cook in the same manner (about 2 minutes on each side). Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
5. To assemble, take a little bit of each ingredient and put it in a bowl! Toss with some sauce, and enjoy!

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Notes

I use my food processor for a lot of the vegetable prep here. I use the shredder attachment for the carrots (and beets, if I use them!) and the s-blade for the kale!