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Weeknight style stir-fried 20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles. Quick-cooking, gluten-free rice noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy Korean chili stir-fried sauce with caramelized beef, shallots, and summer vegetables. Plus, untraditional, but delicious, garden fresh basil. Every bite is filled with saucy noodles, vegetables, caramelized meat, and just the right amount of spice – delicious and easy.
When it’s just me here at home working, and it’s an odd few days when I don’t have any help with the grocery shopping, I buckle down and make what I have in the fridge work. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days, and I have to say, I love what I’ve created.
I returned home from a week-long work trip on Wednesday night. But my family had canceled flights and they’re not due back until today. I did do a store run for essentials, but I didn’t get much, so my fridge is currently looking pretty sparse.
Luckily, I have quality staples and a garden FULL of basil, other herbs, and the prettiest dahlias. I decided to use some frozen Five Mary’s meat, noodles, vegetables, and basil and make a quick stir-fry with Korean chili paste.
And it turned out so delicious.
Every detail you need to know
I make the sauce first. It’s so simple, basic, and composed of my favorite pantry staples. Garlic, ginger, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), honey, rice vinegar, Gochujang (fermented Korean Chili paste), and toasted sesame oil.
All pantry items that I try to have stocked (I keep the ginger in the fridge/freezer).
Simply combine all the ingredients together in a glass jar and shake.
While I’m shaking up the sauce, I’m simultaneously cooking the noodles. Rice noodles are perfect for stir-frying. They don’t easily turn mushy and they have the ability to really soak in the yummy sauces and flavors of a stir-fry.
I keep rice noodles on hand for quick dinners, we love them. They’re boiled, then rinsed under cold water to stop the cooking.
Stir fry the vegetables in a bit of the sauce. I love to use bell peppers, zucchini, and shredded carrots. Mushrooms and broccoli are really great too. If you’re working in a speedy manner and trying to get this on the table in 20 minutes, use a store-bought vegetable stir fry mix.
No chopping or slicing involved, which is always convenient when in a hurry. Something to think about with back to school on the horizon.
Remove the vegetables from the pan. Then add lots of shallots and stir fry to caramelize them. Next add the meat. I like to use thinly sliced flank steak, but chicken works well too.
Then pour in the sauce, add the noodles, and toss back in the vegetables. Cook everything until that spicy/sweet sauce coats the noodles.
Quickly remove from the heat and serve the noodles immediately with some fresh basil.
It’s best to serve these right off the stove as the noodles soak up the sauce pretty quickly! Perfect for our busiest nights.
Hoping you guys love this one as much as I do. I’m already excited to make it again later this week!
Looking for other quick noodle recipes? Try these:
30 Minute Creamy Turmeric Chicken and Noodles
Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 740 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Stir Fry
- 8 ounces brown rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 cups mixed stir fry vegetables
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1 pound flank steak or chicken breast, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. Combe all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake or whisk to combine. 2. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. 3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetables and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Cook until the sauce coats the veggies. Remove from the pan. 4. In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil. Then add the shallots and cook 2 minutes, until deeply softened. Add the beef and cook, undistributed, until seared, 2 minutes. Toss the meat, then pour in the sauce. Simmer 1 minute, then stir in the noodles and vegetables. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the noodles. 5. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and sesame seeds. Serve topped with fresh basil.
This was delicious! I forgot to pick up rice noodles at the grocery store, so I used ramen I had on hand instead and it worked out. The flavor was incredible. The ginger was a little strong for my husband, so I think I need to chop it more finely next time, overall 100 percent!
Hey Jorie,
Wonderful!!🌴🍍 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, love to hear that it turned out well! xx
I haven’t made this yet, but excited to try later this week. It’s not exactly “Korean” but I appreciate your bringing more exposure to Korean flavors! For people looking for less spicy versions, there are a less spicy gochujangs out there!
Thanks Debbie! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Really good. Usually when I try Asian recipes it doesn’t look or taste like it could be authentic but this one did. Someone in my household has a dairy and beef allergy so I substituted country style pork cut paper thin against the grain and that came out really tender and tasty. Will be making this recipe again.
Hey Chad,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) 🐣🍭
Can I make this with ground beef?
Hi Lillian,
Sure, sounds great to me! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
So good. I made this with cod! Delicious. 12 servings made start to finish in 40 minutes. Everyone loved it!
Hey Molly,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
This is so good! Hubs loved it. Easy, spicy, yummy!
Hey Chris,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
This is sooooooo good. I used 3 tablespoons of the chilli paste which made it spicy and delish. Maybe I’ll use only one teaspoon of the chilli paste so my younger kids can eat it.
Hey Krystal,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
Half Bakes Harvest you have my heart! This one is definitely in my top 3 recipes you’ve created! Highly recommend this one!
Hi Jessica,
Happy Monday!!⛅️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
This is definitely going into our rotation! We loved everything about it. I changed the order of the meat and shallots while cooking but other than that I followed it exactly! Next time we may top with some green onions, but no change was needed! An absolutely delicious dish!
Hey Emily,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Have a great weekend! xT
What type of beef is it. I wasted 3 minutes going up and down the recipe. This is ridiculous
Hi Lulu,
I used flank steak for this recipe, it’s pretty common so I’m sorry to hear you had such a hard time finding it. When in need, always ask the butcher for help, they are more than happy to help you find what you are looking for:) xT
The beef (flank steak)is clearly listed under the STIR FRY section of the recipe, the 5th box from the top. Hope this helps!
Just made this tonight! It was great!!
Hi Katrina,
Happy Wednesday!🌈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner!
Click “skip to recipe” and it’s under “stir fry”. Pretty easy to find!
SO YUMMY!!!!!!
Hey Ali,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
I haven’t made this yet, but would like to this week? Any substitutes for the Korean Chili Paste?
Hey Amy,
You could use a sweet Thai chili paste, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Going to make this recipe for the second time tonight and was surprised there aren’t more reviews! So delicious and easy, I’m obsessed
Hey Caroline,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xx
My boyfriend and I really liked this recipe. Its easy to modify as well. We have tried it with both beef and chicken. We plan to try it with a little peanut butter in the sauce (per his request).
Hey Keara,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
My boyfriend and I tried this recipe, the sauce as not very good! Too spicy, not enough flavour
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xT
Love the flavors in this recipe but having difficult getting the sauces to stick to the noodles. Any tips?
Hey Hannah,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! Did you rinse your noodles at all or coat them in anything prior to the sauce? That can prevent the sauce from sticking:) xx
I have made this twice now and I had this problem both times. I fixed it by letting it cook for longer than the recipe says, I think honestly close to 15 to 20 minutes longer, simmering on low. The sauce then melds the noodles beautifully. It is now one my favorite dishes of HBH!!
Thanks so much for sharing Meggi!!