Spicy Beef Noodles with Green Beans is a delicious dinner favourite packed with crunchy textures and bold flavours. Perfect for those who love a little heat and a lot of taste.
Spicy Beef Noodles with Green Beans Recipe
Serves 6–8
Ingredients:
500g minced beef (15 per cent fat)
200g salted peanuts
400g flat rice noodles (about 1cm wide)
vegetable oil
1 large head of garlic, cloves bashed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
400g trimmed green beans, cut into 2.5cm pieces
4 tablespoons light tahini
2–3 tablespoons rose harissa
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced from root to tip
1 small bunch (about 30g) of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Remove the mince from the refrigerator and leave to come up to room temperature.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the peanuts and dry-toast for 5–6 minutes, or until they start to blacken in parts but not all over. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Rinse the noodles under cold running water – I find this prevents them from sticking together during cooking. Drain in a colander.
Put the noodles into a large saucepan set over a high heat and add enough boiling water to generously cover the noodles. Cook according to the packet instructions or to your preference.
Reserve 2 large cupfuls of the cooking liquid for making the sauce, then rinse the noodles under cold running water. Drain, then return the noodles to the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, pour just enough oil into the frying pan you used to toast the peanuts to coat the base of the pan. Heat the oil over a medium heat, then add the mince and break it down with a wooden spoon as quickly as possible to avoid clumping. Add the garlic, cumin and cinnamon and stir-fry until the beef turns brown and is starting to crisp on the edges. Stir in the green beans and fry for a further 5 minutes. Lastly, add the tahini and rose harissa, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir in a little cold water to thin out and loosen the mixture, if needed, to prevent the tahini from thickening.
Check the seasoning. Mix in the spring onions and coriander and serve garnished with the charred peanuts.
Smart Tip:
With the beef mixture into the pan containing the noodles add a cup of the reserved noodle-cooking liquid and mix well until incorporated. If, like me, you like a brothy dish you can add the second cup of cooking water.
This is an extract from Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour, published by Hachette Australia, Hardback RRP $39.99. Photos by Kris Kirkham.