Mongolian Beef Noodles
The Adult Version of Instant Ramen???
Have you also seen 100’s of videos of these mouthwatering noodles on Insta or is that just my algorithm toying with me? Either way, it worked: Mongolian Beef Noodles are my latest kitchen obsession—a dish that gives a nostalgic nod to instant ramen while leaving behind the overly processed, chemical-laden flavor packets. Who knows wtf was in those??
It's been at least a decade since I had instant ramen, but if I remember correctly, they were chicken flavored??? My recipe here is made with ground beef, but I did use some chicken broth in the sauce so… not exactly the same but close enough. It’s those signature noodles that take me back to my ramen days anyway. Like most American college students on a budget, they were a staple in my dorm room diet.
Perfecting this new & improved recipe wasn’t an overnight win. The first time I made it, the noodles were way too dry—good flavor, but not the saucy, slurpable dish I was looking for. Second time, we nailed it. Turns out, sometimes the difference between “meh” and “best noodles ever” is just a little sauce.
One thing you cannot skip: the green onions. No matter how good the beef and noodles are, the whole thing falls flat without that fresh, slightly sharp bite. If you really pile them on, you can technically check the box for your serving of veggies. Win-Win! If you’re still not sold, they really add to the aesthetic of the dish as well — the green gives a nice, contrasting pop against the beige & brown.
And yes, while these do take slightly longer than instant ramen, the flavor is more than worth the cook time: about 35 minutes, start to finish.
When I served these, my husband and I were deep in the Instant Ramen discussion when he started asking me about Hamburger Helper. Now, I’ve had plenty of Ramen packets, but I’ve never had Hamburger Helper. It was apparently something my husband ate a lot of growing up, and he is now requesting a Hamburger-Helper version of this recipe. Apparently, we’re bringing back all the retro meals in this house. I may or may not give it a shot — stay tuned.
Recipe
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 small, yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken broth, divided
¼ cup tamari
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tbsp Mirin
1 tsbp oyster sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 bricks of Chinese noodles (I use these)
To serve:
3-4 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced, divided
Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, brown the beef over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. As the meat is cooking, make your sauce.
In a large liquid measuring cup, combine 1 cup of the broth, the tamari, brown sugar, rice vinegar, Mirin, oyster sauce, and cornstarch. Whisk well, until uniform.
When most of the pink is gone from your beef, drain the liquid, then add in the onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Mix until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour half of the broth-tamari mixture in with the beef. Stir until the liquid thickens up & evenly coats the meat.
Move all the beef to one side of the pot, and add the remaining 3 cups of broth to the empty side. Place the uncooked Chinese noodles in the broth & pour in the remaining half of the broth-tamari mixture. As the noodles cook and soften, use chopsticks or a fork to start to separate the blocks and pull the noodles apart.
Let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add in 2 tbsp of green onions.
Stir, then serve. Top with more green onions & sesame seeds.
Enjoy!!
As always, I would love to hear if you make this! Share your feedback and pics in The Salted Orange Chat or in the comments below.
Have a great week!
Bella
Follow me on insta: @thesaltykitchenn
I'll be giving these a try!
Omg yum!!