Stir Fried Noodles with Cabbage and Beef
Another week of quarantine. Somehow this week feels somewhat… normal? Don’t they say it takes 14 days to form a new habit? If that’s true, then after 3 weeks of quarantine I’ve grown accustomed to feeling anxious all the time, wearing real pants only on Sunday (oh, how the times have changes!), sleeping terribly, not moving faster than 3 miles per hour, and eating carbs for 75% of my meals. THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL.
I’m fairly optimistic. A glass half full type of person. But for 2 solid weeks I was a sad sack (not sure if I used that phrase right…). But I think I’ve finally moved past the depressed phase and into the “suck it up, we’re going to make the best of this sh*tty situation” phase. Wearing real pants (occasionally) help, honestly.
Last week my refrigerator had never been so empty. We are trying to not go out to the grocery store (in fear of germs) and relying mainly on grocery delivery services like Good Eggs. It’s a great service, but it’s hard to get a delivery slot. Most of the meals last week involved us rationing our last 2 fresh veggies (a few carrots and one eggplant) and diving into our frozen and dried food stockpile. Thankfully, we got a much needed grocery delivery on Sunday and now we’re stocked on fresh veggies and protein for a solid 2 weeks! Yay, nutrients!
One of the first things I made with our newly acquired produce were these Stir Fried Noodles with Cabbage and Beef! Its a humble and simple dish with SO MUCH FLAVOR. I panic bought enough cabbage to feed an army because 1. a head of cabbage lasts forever and 2. its so good! It is such a versatile vegetable. I love shredding it for slaw and adding it into dumpling filling or soups. But my absolute favorite way to cook and eat cabbage is either roasting it or frying it in a pan so that the edges get super crispy and caramelized! Ugh, so good. Raw cabbage is a little bland and slightly bitter, but when it’s cooked all these sweet and complex flavors start to emerge!
I paired the cabbage with some juicy ground beef we had leftover and fresh noodles! Making fresh noodles is seriously so easy. I shared a recipe for Chinese Egg Noodles last year and I’m determined to make them at least once a month for the foreseeable future. If you have a pasta roller it is such a breeze to make, but you can also easily make them with sheer strength and a large rolling pin! I made them without the pasta roller for a little upper arm workout.
Hopefully, by now you’re a wizard in the kitchen and feel comfortable swapping out the cabbage and beef with whatever you have on hand. Toss in kale, shaved brussels sprouts, snap peas, or any hearty vegetable for cabbage. Replace the ground beef with shrimp (yum!!), ground pork, chicken, or omit the meat entirely if you’re just looking for straight carbs. Whatever adventure you choose, you’ll gobble it up in seconds just like we did!
Stir Fried Noodles with Cabbage and Beef
Serves 2-3
3 tbsp of olive oil
4 cups napa or green cabbage
½ lb ground beef
One batch of Knife Cut Chinese Egg Noodles - see additional notes below
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp chili oil - optional
½ tsp white sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
Prepare and boil noodles. Drain and rinse the noodles and set aside.
Cut cabbage into large chunks/shreds. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium high heat. Add shredded cabbage to the pan and toss to coat in oil. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is slightly caramelized on the edges. Push the cabbage to the outer edge of the pan and add the ground beef. Break up the beef using a spatula and cook for 4-5 minutes until cooked through.
Add the cooked noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, white sugar, salt, and white pepper. Toss the noodles until evenly combined. Continue to cook the noodles for 5-7 minutes, tossing occasionally. Leaving the noodles alone will allow them to crisp up in the oil.
Remove the noodles from the heat and serve immediately.
notes: Egg noodles can be made without a pasta machine. Roll out the dough as thin as you can using a rolling pin and cut into strips with a sharp knife.