As you know, I’ve been teaching here in India since last February, and it’s a country that for the most part doesn’t eat beef, so finding quality steak can be a bit challenging, with the exception of a few restaurants. Luckily, one of our favorite hang-outs, “Indigo Cafe”, only a few blocks from our house, has the most incredible, tender filet on the menu, and it only costs 450 rupees, (less than 10 dollars for an 8 oz steak). Even better, they deliver to your door for free! When I’m tightening up my diet, and eating mostly proteins and fats, I like to order about 2 steaks a week, and turn them into various dishes. This dish I came up with after eating out at a thai restaurant in Bandra. I also can’t get enough of peanut butter these days, hence the onslaught of peanut-butter-containing dishes these days. Bear with me. I find that when I cut way back on carbs, (ALL carbs), my fat cravings go way up.
What you’ll need…
2 oz left-over steak
1 handful of dry soba noodles, (traditional japanese noodles made from buckwheat, gluten-free)
1 – 2 tsp slivered baby onion
1 tsp toasted peanuts
fresh basil, thinly sliced (chiffonade)
For the dressing…
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp coconut milk
1 tsp peanut butter
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 lime
1/2 tsp thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
Get a pot of salted water boiling, and add the noodles. Soba noodles cook in minutes, and go from al dente to al mush-ay in seconds, so keep your eyes on the pot, check a noodle in about 5 minutes to see if they’re done, and drain/rinse immediately under cold water to stop the cooking. While they cooking, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a 1/4 cup container and shake vigorously to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Taste and adjust accordingly, ( I usually add a little extra peanut-butter, curry paste and lime juice). Slice up the left-over steak into small 1/2″ cubes, toss the noodles in the dressing (you should have about 1 cup of cooked noodles), top with the steak, peanuts, onion and basil and enjoy!
