Peanut Beef Rice Noodles in Soup

As the weather starts to cool down, I'm starting to cook more soup noodles. There is something sooo comforting on a Saturday night, armed with hot soup and a good dvd. Nothing more, nothing less. It also means we are starting to really move out of our newly wed status and just become..dare I say it... a regular married couple LOL

I'm starting to browse through older cook books again, and this Chinese and Asian Periplus step by step cookbook caught my eye again. It's soooo old that I can't even find it on amazon. I suppose they have probably re packaged it into another cookbook name again. I recall a previous housemate made this amazing beef soup with rice noodles and I asked her how did she do it....she gave me this sheepish look and said... "actually, I took that recipe book from your room....." That was 9 years ago.

To think it took me 9 years to remember this amazing dish. 

I'm very proud of my collection of ever growing cookbooks with plenty of tabs to remind me on the dishes that have caught my eye. A friend even said to me that I really should identify at least 5 recipes that I would cook in a book before buying it. It's good advice I say! However, I'm not proud that sometimes, I neglect some of my older cookbooks- all of which consists of some lovely recipes that I had wanted to try but have forgotten one way or another.

So I challenge you- have u got an old cookbook that you have not flipped in ages? Take it out, it may surprise you!

Peanut Beef Rice Noodles in Soup (serves 4-5)
300 grams silver side beef sliced very thinly
2 tsp soya sauce
1/4 cup of coconut milk (I used around 100 ml)
1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 tsp of sambal oelek or chilli chopped

2-3 sticks of rice vermicelli blanched with hot water
1/2 cumber sliced and quartered
3-4 cups of bean sprouts 
1 ltre of beef stock
250 ml of water
2 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
few stalks of coriander
1/2 cup of roasted chopped peanuts

First marinate beef with the ingredients. Set aside for around 25 minutes or so. 

Prepare rice noodles and stock. Simmer beef stock and water. Add fish sauce and sugar. Taste test and adjust accordingly. Add  bean sprouts.

Heat a grill or small pan till very hot. Sizzle beef. Cook for 3 minutes or so. Set aside.

Divide noodles in bowl. Add some cucumber in bowl. Ladle hot soup over it. Add the beef and sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts and coriander. Serve with some chopped chili.

I'm back on Presto Pasta! Organised by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Chez Cayenne! What great fun they are having!