This meal is absolutely delicious, and super convenient for a busy lifestyle.

It can be served two ways;
(1) Make Ahead Meal, served cold: This is the way this dish is meant to served, and it’s my favorite way to eat it. You prepare it, then leave it in the refrigerator for hours (or even overnight), then return to it, and enjoy an effortless dinner (because all the work has already been done). For this version simply follow the instructions below.
(2) Served Immediately, while warm: This is my husband’s favorite. For this version simply bypass the steps where it’s put in the refrigerator, and eat it immediately.

INGREDIENTS (makes approximately 6 servings):
12 ounces Thin Spaghetti
4 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon White Sugar*
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar*
2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
3 tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
1/2 teaspoon Chili Sesame Oil
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
1 Sirloin Steak, 1/2-inch thick
4 Green Onions
1 cup Fresh Cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:
Begin by cooking the pasta according to package instructions.
Pasta Hint: Add a couple tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the pot of water, then bring the water to a rolling boil before adding the pasta: not a “simmer”, a rolling boil.

Drain the pasta and set aside.

Now, make the sauce. Here’s a close-up of my sauce ingredients*…

Start by mincing 4 cloves of garlic.

In a medium bowl combine the following ingredients; 4 cloves of minced Garlic, 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, 1 tablespoon White Sugar, 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar, 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar, 3 tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil, 1/2 teaspoon Chili Sesame Oil, 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and 1/4 cup of Water.

Stir the sauce ingredients together, and set aside.

Now, on to the STEAK… but first, here’s some advice from Bobby Flay: “About 20 minutes before grilling, remove the steak from the refrigerator and let sit, covered, at room temperature.”

You can prepare the steak on an outdoor grill, or in a grill pan on your stove. I cooked mine in a stove top grill pan (my husband is the outdoor-grill-master and he wasn’t home during this step of the process).

Heat your grill to high, then grill the steak until it is medium-rare… and I mean MEDIUM-RARE! So, cook it approximately 2 minutes on each side. Please, for the sake of this recipe, don’t overcook it… you’ll want a super tender steak for this.

Sizzle, sizzle…

You may have noticed that I didn’t season the steak: that’s because we’re gonna marinade it after its cooked.

Let the cooked steak cool on a plate for several minutes, then place it in a bag.

Pour 3 tablespoons of the sauce you made over the steak. Now, seal the bag and put the steak in the refrigerator.

Back to the noodles: put the noodles in a large bowl and pour the remaining sauce over them…

Toss the noodles, coating them in the sauce. Next, give the noodles a taste-test. You need to give the noodles a taste-test for two reasons: (1) to see if you want to add anything to adjust the taste, and (2) because they are yummy and you deserve it! So, take a taste, or two, or three.

Chop up the green onions and toss them in the noodle bowl…

… and re-toss the noodles. Also, re-taste if you want: I did, and I actually added a couple of dashes of Soy Sauce after my fourth taste-test.

Now, cover the noodles and place them in the refrigerator. You can leave the noodles and steak in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or (even better) overnight. For example, I left them in for about 20 hours.

When you’re ready to eat, remove the steak and noodles from the refrigerator.

Add some fresh cilantro to the noodles, and mix it in.

Remove the steak from the bag, and dispose of the bag and remaining sauce. Place the steak on a cutting board and slice, against the grain, into thin strips.

Now, it’s time to serve… You can serve it in a bowl: which is my favorite method.

You can pack it to-go: it’s a wonderful meal for lunch at work… my husband appreciates this.

You can err on the fancy side, and stage it beautifully on a plate with chopsticks, and a side of soy sauce.

Or, if you’re a housewife like me… just grab a fork and enjoy!

ADAPTATIONS and SUBSTITUTIONS:
GARLIC and GINGER: You can substitute ginger root for garlic. You can also add a few tablespoons of ginger in addition to the garlic.
VEGETARIAN: Omit the steak if you are having a vegetarian guest for dinner. These noodles are awesome enough to stand on their own. Actually, if you want a recipe for straight Sesame Noodles you can find a really good one on the Pioneer Woman’s Blog.

FOOD NOTES:
*SUGAR: You can use all white sugar or all brown sugar. I’ve prepared this recipe all three ways in the past; all white, all brown, and mixed. I like it each way, I just prefer to split the sugars… call it indecisiveness.
*SAUCE INGREDIENTS: A lot of these ingredients can be substituted, in case you don’t have access to them in your local grocery; Pure Sesame Oil can be Toasted Sesame Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be Canola Oil, Chili Sesame Oil can be Hot Chili Oil (or Hot Oil, or Chili Oil), Soy Sauce can be Ponzu, Rice Vinegar can be Rice Wine Vinegar.

Cook Long and Prosper.

Sincerely, the Uncustomary Housewife