Thank you times a MILLION for your supportive and excited comments, posts, and emails regarding my new eBook! It’s always nerve-wracking putting such a large and important part of yourself out there, especially on the internet but, while I didn’t think it was possible, I’m even more excited to help those of you who want or need to go gluten-free actually do it. I even had a couple people say they want to give the ebook as a gift. Yes, please! By all means, spread the GFL (gluten-free love, of course.)
In the meantime, we slurp Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls, aka my most favorite take-out fake-out dish of. all. time!
Watch How to Make Them!
Since developing my Asian Noodle Bowl recipe a couple months ago I’ve made them at least a half dozen times which is…a lot of Asian Noodle Bowls. Especially for Ben who isn’t a huge fan of repeating recipes all that often. The noodle bowls are something I truly crave on the regular but to give poor Ben a break I decided to give them a spin to match the flavors of one of our all time favorite take-out dishes – Mongolian Beef…and then proceed to make it like five nights in a row. My bad!
As much as I love the Asian Noodle Bowls, this dish is K-I-L-L-I-N-G it in the delicious department. Whisper-thin slices of beef are stir fried with green onions and store-bought coleslaw mix then tossed with chewy rice noodles and an irresistible Mongolian sauce. You know the one – perfectly balanced between salty and sweet.
Bonus, you can control the amount of green onions in the noodle bowls. Don’t you hate ordering Mongolian Beef at a restaurant then receiving a side of beef with your salad of green onions? Not happening here! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe so I’m cutting the chit chat short. Onward!
Start by soaking then draining 8oz gluten-free rice noodles according to package directions. The rice noodles will still be a little bit hard after soaking but that’s ok, they’re supposed to be that way. They’ll finish cooking and get nice and chewy in the sauce.
Next, thiiiinly slice 1lb flank steak. My grocery store used to sell pre-sliced stir fry beef but recently stopped for whatever reason. I was a bit miffed before realizing I can slice the beef even thinner at home, which is key for a good stir fry!
Use a very sharp knife to slice the steak against the grain, as thin as you can get it. This will allow the beef to stir fry really quickly and get a luscious golden brown crust.
Last step before we stir fry is to mix up the sauce. All you need is 1/2 cup LOW-SODIUMÂ gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce,) 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon (or more or less) red chili pepper flakes.
Time to cook. Heat 1/2 Tablespoon high heat cooking oil in a wok or very large skillet over heat that’s just a touch below high. Make sure the oil is very hot before adding 1/3 of the beef in an even layer in the bottom or else it will steam instead of sizzle.
Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper then let sear until a crust has formed on the bottom. Flip then sear until the beef is just barely cooked through, and then remove to a plate. Repeat heating 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok, then seasoning and searing another third of the beef until it’s all cooked, and then set the plate aside.
Heat one last 1/2 Tablespoon oil then add 3 cups coleslaw mix and 5 green onions to the wok. Season lightly with salt then stir fry until the coleslaw begins to wilt, just a minute or two, then add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger plus 3 minced garlic cloves and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Last step is to add the sauce and drained rice noodles.
Stir fry until the noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes, then add the beef back into the wok and toss to combine. If it’s a touch too salty at this point, you can add splashes of water to balance everything out.
Divy the noodles up between bowls then grab your chopsticks and dive in!
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Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls
Description
Gluten-Free Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls taste just like take out, swapping rice for chewy rice noodles. This easy dinner recipe will be at hit!
Ingredients
- 8oz gluten-free rice noodles
- 1/2 cup LOW-SODIUM gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less)
- 2 Tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided
- 1lb flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain
- salt and pepper
- 5 green onions, green parts chopped into 2" pieces, white and light green parts into 1/2" pieces
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (from 1" piece of ginger)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Directions
- Pre-soak rice noodles according to package directions then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together tamari or soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and red chili pepper flakes then set aside.
- Heat 1/2 Tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over heat that's just a touch below high. Make sure oil is very hot before adding 1/3 of the beef in an even layer in the bottom of the wok. (If oil is not hot enough or you overcrowd the wok, the beef will steam vs sear.) Season lightly with salt and pepper then allow beef to form a crust on the bottom before flipping and stir frying until just barely cooked through. Remove beef to a plate then repeat with remaining beef, using 1/2 Tablespoon oil to stir fry each batch, and then set the plate aside.
- Heat remaining 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok then add green onions and coleslaw mix, season lightly with salt, and then stir fry until coleslaw begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic then stir fry for another 30 seconds.
- Add drained noodles and sauce to wok then stir fry until noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove wok from heat then add beef and toss until warmed through, and then serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Video
Honestly, just stop what you’re doing and go get the ingredients to make these noodle bowls tonight. It might be tempting to say to heck with it and stop at the Chinese food counter at the grocery store instead, but these noodles taste FAR better than anything that’s been sitting in a warming tray for the past hour. I hope you love these Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls as much as I do!
More Take-Out Fake-Out Recipes You’ll Love
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Liz 09.23.2015
YUM! These look amazing and just what I’ve been craving. Definitely will give these a try.
Sarah @ Seriously Lovely 09.23.2015
This looks so delicious! I love making dishes I’d normally order from a restaurant at home instead!
Stefanie Lohrey 09.23.2015
OMG Get in my bellaaaa. Oh yes I went there, but honestly this looks delish! Can’t wait to try it! XO
Kristin 09.23.2015
This looks delicious!! I noticed you specify grapeseed or vegetable oil here – does that have to do with the high heat for stir frying? Would extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil be good substitutes?
Also, my almost 1 year old daughter has a dairy allergy or milk protein intolerance (I’m nursing, so I’ve had dairy out of my diet since she was 8 weeks old). Did you end up giving Lincoln dairy to try when he was a baby or did you know about his allergy from nursing? I’m getting anxious as we approach the one year mark, I don’t know what kind of milk we’ll be able to switch her to once I wean…!
Have a great day!
Kristin 09.23.2015
Hi Kristin! Yep, I specified those oils because the stir fry is cooked over such high heat. EVOO would burn, but refined coconut oil should be fine (or unrefined if you don’t mind a coconutty taste/don’t like refined coconut oil.) Email me and let’s chat about your daughter – I typed out our story here in the comments then figured mentioning “projectile vomit” probably wouldn’t the most appetizing thing on a recipe post hahahaha! kristin@iowagirleats.com
Lisa E 09.23.2015
So flat iron=flank steak?
Looks DELISH!!!! thank you!!! :)
Kristin 09.23.2015
They are a little bit different, but flat iron could definitely be used here!
Emily 05.02.2016
your recipe says “flank steak” but the picture you show in post is a “flat iron” steak. which do you normally use for this dish?
heather 09.23.2015
I’m not a meat eater but this looks so friggin good. If I swapped in broccoli slaw for steak and kept everything else as is(double the slaw? I like me some slaws),do you think it’d be tasty still or nah?
Kristin 09.23.2015
Totally! This would still be totally delicious without meat. :)
Kristin 09.23.2015
Oh and did you try this slaw??? So freaking good!! https://iowagirleats.com/2015/08/17/fish-tacos-with-avocado-sweet-corn-slaw/
heather 09.24.2015
Holy gorgeous photo of slaw..sheesh. I’ve got that soapy cilantro gene, what would I use in its place? #NoGoodHerbsInJerseyRightNow
Unu 09.23.2015
This is not mongolian. Im mongolian and we dont have this type of food and sauce. Maybe korean.
Holly 09.23.2015
Where do you buy the Taste of Thai rice noodles? I tried looking for these at my local HyVee a few weeks ago so I could make your Asian noodle bowls and couldn’t find them.
Kristin 09.23.2015
I find them in the regular Asian foods aisle, near the coconut milk and soy sauce, etc. I hope that helps!
Ashley 09.23.2015
Holy moly does this sound delicious! Cant wait to add it to the dinner list!
Sara 09.23.2015
Get out of here that looks so dang delicious. I seriously want to lick my screen right now! Making tonight after a quick stop at the store :)
Courtney 09.23.2015
I love chinese food!! Have you ever velveted your meat, though? covering the beef in cornstarch before you cook it gives it the EXACT texture of the stuff you would find at restaurants. It’s a super simple, but delicious technique, and helps tenderize it so much. Check out google on how to velvete your meat. You won’t go back!
Kristin 09.23.2015
I adapted this recipe from my Mongolian Beef recipe (https://iowagirleats.com/2011/07/26/chinese-take-out-fake-out-vol-2/) which does call for velveting the meat (which, how cool – never knew it had a name!!) but I feel like half the time it turns out awesome and the other times it turns out gummy in the final dish. Regardless you could definitely try that with this dish!
Brittany | Words Like Honeycomb 09.23.2015
Oh Kristin…you are speakin’ ma’ language with those rice noodles!! MAKING THIS.
<3
I discovered them not too long ago and they become my absolute favorite for their ease and chewy delicious nature…glad to add another rice noodle recipe to the stash :D
Lacey 09.23.2015
These look amazing Kristin! Trying ASAP! :)
Julie 09.23.2015
Yum! Definitely going on the weekend cooking list.
Shane 09.23.2015
Definitely making this tonight. One thing I’ve discovered is that if you splash a bit of fish sauce into the sauce you’re making it really kicks things up a notch. It doesn’t taste like fish at all (though it may smell that way when you open the bottle), it just really enhances the flavors of any stir-fry. Give it a shot some time.
kathleen 03.06.2017
fish sauce smells really foul, but it does enhance the flavors of asian cuisine. you need just a small amount – a teaspoon or two. it also keeps somewhat indefinitely so you don’t have to worry about buying a big bottle for just a few teaspoons.
Lindsay@BluegrassBites 09.23.2015
Homemade take-out fake-out recipes are the best! I’m always so excited to add another one to the list – can’t wait to give this one a try!
Sarah 09.23.2015
We love the Asian noodle (I just typed nooble, lol) bowls in our house! They are so versatile and have become our end of the week meal to use up any and all vegetables and protein that didn’t get cooked throughout the week. Cannot wait to try this Mongolian spin!
Love what you do, thanks for sharing!
-Sarah from Houston, Texas
MOM 09.23.2015
This looks delicious-just printed the recipe for tonight. I have a question though…I am always confused as to what “against the grain” is when cutting up something! Is there a easy way to tell? THANKS!!
Matt 09.23.2015
If you look at the flank steak you’ll see that there are lines running across. Look at this pic for an example: https://www.google.com/search?q=flank+steak&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=949&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIs7Dc9pmNyAIVQY0NCh2nugvJ#imgrc=E7yIu0EVgElbWM%3A
You want to cut across or perpendicular to those lines, “cut across the grain”. The purpose here is that it will be more tender this way. If you cut with the grain, then those long strands are hard to chew.
Kristin 09.23.2015
Perfect example, Matt! Thanks for posting that!
MOM 09.23.2015
Great example – I see now!
Tori 09.23.2015
Yummm! Bring on the oodles of noodles! I am such a fan of these flavors!
Medeja 09.23.2015
Yummy! It actually looks really good with noodles!