Asian marinated steak is a big deal in our house… whether it’s flank steak, skirt steak (my preference!), or flatiron steak (my husband’s preference!), we are all for it. Flank steak, skirt steak, and flatiron steak are all very similar cuts of steak. I find flank steak to be the toughest out of the three, but a long marinade and cutting across the grain make this a very nice cut of meat. Skirt steak is the thinnest and cooks quickly! I love it in a lot of different recipes!
And then flatiron steak… honestly, this is the first time I’ve eaten, let alone cooked flatiron steak! And that’s surprising because my husband says he loves it! Go figure he’s never brought it home before 🤷🏻♀️. So, flatiron steak is thicker than skirt steak, a bit thinner than flank steak, and sooooo tender! This was such an easy piece of meat to work with.
Now, even though my recipe says this is Asian marinated flatiron steak, I lay out all three steaks because you can easily swap out the flatiron steak for either flank steak or skirt steak! The flank steak will cook almost exactly like the flatiron steak ~ about 5 minutes per side but up to 6 or 7 minutes per side and covered for about 3 minutes on the second side. The skirt steak cooks much quicker because of how thin it is. I usually cook skirt steak about 3 to 4 minutes per side without covering it on the second side.
The purpose of covering it, I’ve discovered, is to get the heat to cook through to the center before the outside burns. If you don’t cover it, you’ll tend to have a perfectly seared outside and a very rare inside. If you like very rare, then that’s all good! But, I prefer medium rare. I like these cuts of steak to be very brightly pink on the inside, not deep red. Particularly for flank steak. Rarer flank steak is much chewier, and that is just something I do not enjoy! While bright pink cooks the flank steak, as well as the other two cuts of meat, just perfectly to be tender and easy to chew!
So, choose whichever cut of meat is available to you and that you prefer! Super versatile! I have about three different Asian marinades that I rotate through. And then I have a plethora of sides that I love to accompany an Asian marinated steak… kimchi fried rice is our usual go to and a favorite for when my husband’s kids come to visit! I absolutely love pairing it with Filipino pancit! A very subtle noodle dish that adds just enough to make it feel like comfort food! Ooooo, and japchae is always delicious with marinated steak as well as tuna and Asian marinated chicken!
This time around, though, I decided to make peanut noodles… a very simple and easy dish but one that is so packed with flavors! This time around I used stir fry noodles, but lo mein noodles are just as good! I reserve just a bit of the hot water after the noodles are finished cooking to blend with the peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, ginger, and garlic.
Normally I add the peppers and carrots in raw, but my husband asked me to sear them down to be a crisp-tender. If you don’t want to cook them, no problem! But if you do cook them, don’t cook them until they’re tender. You still want a bit of a crispness to it without it being a raw crisp! I served the noodles warm… you can serve them cold by refrigerating them for half an hour or so before serving them. You can also serve them hot by tossing the noodles with the peppers in the pan until the noodles are heated through. I prefer them cold; my husband prefers them warm. To each their own!
And that’s it! This is such a super easy dish to make but it is packed with so much flavor! This may seem like an untraditional dish for Sunday dinner, but we always find this a special treat because it’s just so yummy!
Enjoy!
Asian Marinated Flatiron Steak with Peanut Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Asian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Asian Marinated Steak
1½ lbs flatiron steak (can also substitute with flank steak or skirt steak)
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup rice wine
3 TBs brown sugar
2 TBs sesame oil
1 TB sriracha
1” ginger, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
Cold Peanut Noodles
14 oz stir fry rice noodles
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, cut on the bias
½ TB sesame oil
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup crunchy peanut butter
⅓ cup reserved hot pasta water
2 TBs rice vinegar
2 TBs brown sugar
1 TB sriracha
1” ginger
2 garlic cloves
Instructions
Make the Steak
Make the marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, brown sugar, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, and garlic cloves in a large baking dish. Place the steak in the dish and cover. Let marinade at room temperature for half an hour and then flip. Let the steak marinade for an additional half an hour. (Note: you can also pour the marinade into a ziplock bag and marinate the steak overnight ~ just remove from the refrigerate one hour before cooking).
Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the steak and cook 5 minutes. Turn over and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Make the Peanut Noodles
Meanwhile, make the rice noodles according to the package. Before draining, reserve ⅓ cup of the hot water. Rinse the noodles in cold water and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat half a tablespoon of sesame oil in a large frying pan. Swirl to coat the pan. Add the bell peppers, carrots, and scallions and cook until just starting to soften ~ about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Make the sauce by placing the reserved hot water, soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, ginger, and garlic in a small food processor. Process until smooth. Add the peppers, carrots, and scallions to the pot of pasta. Drizzle over the dressing and toss to coat.
Serve
Slice the steak against the grain. Plate and scoop the peanut noodles onto the plates.
Eat!
Keywords: Asian marinade, Asian steak marinade, flatiron steak, Asian marinated flatiron steak, Asian marinated flank steak, Asian marinated skirt steak, cold peanut noodles, peanut noodles, cold sack noodles, Korean noodles, Thai noodles
