Last night I tried a new recipe that played to mostly positive reviews (Pete wasn't so nutty about the peanutty sauce, but he liked the steak). The kids couldn't believe I had bought ramen noodles, but I assured them that I'd be throwing away the evil chemical-seasoning packets and just using the fun curly pasta. I used 3 packages of ramen and just under 1½ pounds of meat for the 5 of us. I shouldn't have bothered upping the quantities of everything else by half again as much (which was a pain in terms of measuring), because it turned out that a little less marinade wouldn't have mattered, and there was way too much peanut sauce anyhow. So, next time: quantities as written for everything except for the ramen and the steak, and leave some noodles sauce-free for nutty ol' Pete.
Beef Satay with Peanut-Ginger Ramen
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided use
2 tablespoons lime juice, divided use
1¾ teaspoons sugar, divided use
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
2 packages (3 ounces each) ramen, cooked according to
package instructions (seasoning packets discarded)
Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for at least 15 minutes. In a shallow dish, whisk together 1 tablespoon each of the soy sauce and lime juice and 1 teaspoon each of the sugar and ginger. Add the beef strips, toss, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¾ teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon ginger with the peanut butter and ⅓ cup water.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Thread the beef onto the skewers. Grill the beef until it is charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Toss the ramen with the peanut-ginger sauce and serve with the beef.