Hot-and-Sour Beef Soup with Rice Noodles

Get out the spoons and chop sticks for this light but satisfying soup with bold, spicy Asian flavors and silky rice noodles. Shiitake mushrooms and grilled beef add meaty savor without weighing down the dish, and the chiles, garlic, and ginger add plenty of heat to liven up the hot-and-sour broth.

There’s a variety of flavorful ways to use similar ingredients when you’re a fan of beef and noodles with Asian flair—from summer salads with bright, orange dressing to savory bowls with grilled vegetables. 

You may like Grilled Beef and Noodle Salad with Orange-Sesame Dressing too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 10 red and green Thai chiles, stems removed, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, divided
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 3/4-lb flank steak
• peanut oil for brushing, plus 1 tbsp
• 3 oz rice noodles
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced
• 32 oz fat-free, low-sodium beef broth (4 cups)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 scallions, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, each piece cut lengthwise into very thin strips
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shaved into 2-inch strips (use a vegetable peeler for shaving)

Mushrooms, Chiles, Ginger, and Garlic

Scallions and Carrot for the Garnish

Preparation

1. Place 5 chiles and 2 peeled garlic cloves in a sealable plastic bag. Lightly smash them with a meat mallet or large wood spoon. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the steak to the bag. Seal tightly and turn several times to coat the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator 2 hours.

Crushed Chiles and Garlic for the Marinade

Flank Steak Ready to Marinate

1. Heat a grill pan over high heat and brush with peanut oil. Remove the steak from the marinade (shaking off any chiles or garlic cloves) and grill until slightly charred on the bottom, 4 minutes. Turn and grill 3 minutes longer, until just cooked but still pink inside. (Discard the marinade.)
2. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut across the grain into very thin slices.

Flank Steak Beginning to Grill

Grilled Flank Steak

Sliced Flank Steak

1. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the rice noodles. Cover and steam until just tender, 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Finely chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves and remaining 5 Thai chiles.
3. Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Add the chopped garlic, chopped chiles, ginger, and mushrooms and stir-fry 3 minutes.

Mushroom Mixture Beginning to Cook

1. Add the beef broth, remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sesame oil and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Add the sliced beef and simmer 3 minutes. Add the noodles and remove from the heat. Stir well to combine.

Broth Beginning to Cook

Broth with Beef and Noodles Added

To serve, divide the soup among 4 shallow bowls and garnish with scallions and carrots. Serve right away.

Cranberry Relish with Chambord and Raisins

No need to wait for a holiday or special occasion to enjoy a cool, tart-and-sweet, fresh cranberry salad—as a relish to top meat or poultry or as a delicious side on its own. Here, the addition of Chambord (black raspberry liqueur) provides an extra tangy-sweet dimension to the dish. Any raspberry liqueur will work, or try orange-flavored Cointreau (triple sec) or almond-flavored Amaretto to dress up your next cranberry relish—no matter the occasion.

Also check out Cranberry Salad with Black-Cherry Juice and Toasted Pecans.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
• 1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup Chambord liqueur (or other black raspberry liqueur)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped orange peel

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 3 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cranberries, sugar, raisins, Chambord, and water. Bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries begin to pop open and the relish begins to thicken, 7-8 minutes. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.)

Cranberries Beginning to Cook

Cranberries Beginning to Pop

1. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange peel. Cool to room temperature before serving, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (May be made 1-2 days ahead.)

Cooked Cranberry Relish

Pan-Grilled Reubens with Spicy Thousand Island Dressing

Time to use up the corned beef left over from the Braised Corn Beef Brisket with Carrots and Kale—or purchase good-quality corned beef from your favorite deli. Reuben sandwiches make a tasty and hearty casual dinner, especially when they’re served hot out of the grill pan, panini-style. (I used Texas toast instead of rye bread in this recipe simply because the thicker slices hold up better in the grill pan.)

Homemade Thousand Island is a cinch to prepare. I gave the dressing a spicy kick with sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste) in place of the chili sauce commonly included in recipes. The little bit of heat gives a scrumptious finish to the creamy dressing.

This recipe makes more than you’ll need for two sandwiches. Double the reuben ingredients for four servings or save the leftover Thousand Island to toss with hearty greens for a delicious, simple salad.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Spicy Thousand Island

• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 1 tbsp ground fresh chile paste (sambal oelek)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Mayo, Ketchup, Chile Paste, and Relish Ready to Mix

Egg, Shallot, Pepper, and Mustard Ready to Add

For the Reubens

• 4 slices Texas toast
• 4-5 oz thinly sliced corned beef
• 1 cup sauerkraut, gently warmed
• 4 very thin slices Swiss cheese
• olive oil, for brushing

Sliced Corned Beef

Preparation

For the Spicy Thousand Island

1. Combine the mayo and next 7 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (may be made a day ahead).

Spicy Thousand Island Dressing 

For the Reubens

1. Lay the bread on a work surface and spread all 4 slices with a generous amount of dressing.
2. Divide the corned beef onto 2 slices and top with sauerkraut. Lay 2 slices of cheese each over the sauerkraut and top the sandwiches.

Bread Slices with Dressing

Beef Added to Sandwiches

Sauerkraut Added

Cheese Added

1. Heat a grill pan (or large, heavy skillet) over medium heat and brush with oil. Grill the sandwiches, pressing down with a grill press or large, heavy spatula as they cook, until golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill 2-3 minutes longer, until golden and hot throughout.

Press the Sandwiches During Grilling

Grilled Reubens

To serve, remove the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut each diagonally in half. Serve right away. 

Braised Corned Beef Brisket with Carrots and Kale

“Corned” beef doesn’t involve corn at all. The name simply refers to the brining process of curing meat in coarse grains (or “corns”) of salt—historically and presently (although brining today more often means salt dissolved in water). The brisket cut can be a tough piece of meat if not cooked properly. That’s why it benefits most from slow cooking for a long period of time.

Some corned beef recipes call for first boiling the meat in water, then simmering it for a few hours, but I’ve found that braising the brisket slowly in vegetable broth after it marinates in an aromatic spice rub results in a more flavorful, succulent piece of beef. Ground mustard and coriander start the meat with a penetrating marinade that enhances the finished dish.

This recipe calls for a two-pound, flat-cut brisket to serve four to five people (it reduces quite a bit during cooking), braised for about two-and-one-half hours. Flat cuts don’t have as much fat as round cuts, but you can use a larger round-cut piece and adjust the cooking for a longer time—about an hour. Check for tenderness by pricking it with a fork.

Flat-Cut Corned Beef Brisket

I paired the brisket with a simple side dish of tender carrots in a light honey sauce with quickly sautéed “lacinato,” or Tuscan, kale. Lacinato is a dark, bluish-green kale that isn’t quite as bitter as curly kale, but still adds a flavorful earthiness to balance the sweetness of the carrots. If you don’t have lacinato, simply substitute regular red or green kale.

Lacinato Kale

Tip: When the brisket is ready to serve, be sure to slice it across the grain. This ensures a very moist, tender cut.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

For the Brisket

• 2 tbsp ground mustard seed
• 1 tbsp ground coriander seed
• 1 2-lb flat-cut corned beef brisket
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• sea salt (if desired)
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

For the Carrots and Kale

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 10 oz baby-cut carrots, cut lengthwise in half
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 cups chopped lacinato kale (or regular kale)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth

Preparation

For the Brisket

1. Combine the ground mustard and coriander in a small bowl. Slice the fat cap off the brisket and rub the spice mixture all over the beef. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator 3-4 hours.

Ground Mustard and Coriander Rub

Brisket with Dry Rub

1. Preheat the oven to 275° F.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the brisket with pepper and a little salt, if desired. (The beef is already well salted.) Sear 4-5 minutes on each side, until beginning to brown.
3. Add the broth, cover tightly with a lid, and braise in the oven 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours, turning halfway through. Remove the brisket to a cutting board and rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Brisket Beginning to Sear

Brisket and Broth Ready to Braise

Braised Brisket

Braised Brisket

For the Carrots and Kale

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until crisp-tender and just beginning to brown, about 12 minutes.
2. Add the honey and cook 1 minute, stirring well to combine.

Carrots Beginning to Cook

Cooked Carrots with Honey Added

1. Add the kale and broth and re-season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook until the kale is tender and wilted, about 5 minutes.

Kale Added to Carrots

Cooked Carrots and Kale

Cut the brisket across the grain into thin, 1/4-inch slices and place 4 to 5 slices on each of 4 plates. (Save any leftover brisket for Reuben sandwiches.) Spoon the carrots and kale alongside and serve right away.