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Stir-Fried Noodles with Beef and Celery

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Time 4 servings

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 12 ounces boneless beef sirloin or rib-eye
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 celery stalks with leaves
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 12 ounces dried Chinese egg or wheat noodles (or 8 ounces fresh)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
  2. Put 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet or a separate large pot over medium-high heat.
  3. Slice the beef as thinly as you can.
  4. When the oil is hot, add the beef and sprinkle with salt. Cook
    undisturbed until the pieces brown on the bottom and release easily from the pan, about 2 minutes. Stir once or twice, transfer the meat to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible, and remove the skillet or pot from the heat.
  5. Trim, peel, halve, and slice the onion.
    Trim and slice the celery; chop and save the leaves for garnish.
  6. Return the skillet or pot to medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown and the celery is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
  7. Halve the lemon.
  8. When the vegetables are done, return the beef to the skillet or pot and add any accumulated juices. Squeeze in the lemon juice through a strainer or your fingers to capture the seeds; add 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, then turn off the heat.
  9. When the water boils, add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally. Start tasting after 2 minutes for fresh and 5 minutes for dried. When the noodles are tender but not mushy, drain them, reserving about 1 cup cooking water. Add the noodles to the skillet along with a splash of cooking water and turn the heat to medium-high.
  10. Add the celery leaves and cook, tossing with tongs, until the noodles are coated with sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.