Black Pepper Beef & Broccoli Noodles

Udon noodles mixed with tender steak, drenched in a gorgeous black pepper sauce. These noodles truly are to die for!

These noodles really are an explosion of flavours. This dish is a take on the classic beef and broccoli, where the addition of noodles and black pepper take things through the roof. Follow me…

Beef and Broccoli Sauce

This is a simple sauce, but it really does marry everything together. It also turns into a gorgeously silky, glossy sauce that wraps around the noodles like nobody’s business.

What is beef and broccoli sauce made of?

• Beef Stock – This creates the base of the sauce.
• Oyster Sauce – This helps create the glossy texture for the sauce and adds a hit of flavour. Doesn’t taste fishy once it’s cooked through the noodles – promise!
• Dark Sauce Sauce – Adds a deep salty & savoury tone to the sauce.
• Rice Vinegar – Cuts through the salty, rich flavours of the sauce.
• Brown Sugar – Balances the flavours and helps the sauce turn sticky and caramelized.
• Cornstarch/Cornflour – Helps thicken the sauce.

I typically whip up the sauce at the start, then give it a whisk just before needed. It’ll obviously seem very thin at the start but it’ll definitely thicken!

Process shots: add ingredients to small mixing bowl (photo 1), whisk to combine (photo 2).

Black Pepper Beef & Broccoli Noodles

Black Pepper

You’ll want to use a coarse cracked black pepper, don’t use the powdered stuff. It’s got a different flavour and offers no texture to the dish. You’ll also want to make sure you fry the pepper, just to bring out the flavour.

What cut of beef to use?

I typically go for Flank Steak for a few different reasons:

• Lean – Stay clear of fatty cuts of beef. You’re essentially flash frying the beef, meaning you won’t have enough time to render down the fat, leaving it rubbery & chewy.
• Inexpensive – Flank is usually a fairly cheap cut of beef.
• Thin – You want to cut it into thin strips, just so the beef doesn’t texturally take over the dish. Flank is already fairly thin so it’s easy to slice.

If you don’t have Flank just pick a cut with the above points in mind.

Process shots: add beef to sesame oil and fry (photo 1), flip, fry then remove (photo 2), fry broccoli and onion (photo 3), fry pepper, ginger and garlic (photo 4), pour in sauce and simmer (photo 5), stir in beef (photo 6), add noodles (photo 7), toss to combine (photo 8).

FAQ

How spicy is this dish?

This recipe has definitely got a kick to it. It’s easy to adjust though, just start out with less black pepper and add more later on if you’re at all weary of spice.

How do I slice the beef?

You’ll want to slice against the natural grain of the meat. Also try and slice at an angle. Both of these things will help prevent the beef from going chewy.

What kind of noodles to use?

I highly recommend using Udon noodles. They’re nice & thick and take on the silky sauce amazingly.

Serving Beef & Broccoli Noodles

Once the sauce turns glossy and wraps itself around the noodles, serve up right away! If you find the sauce is still thin just gently simmer and toss the noodles until it thickens. If you over thicken, just toss in a splash of water or stock. I typically serve with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this black pepper beef and broccoli shall we?!

How to make Black Pepper Beef & Broccoli Noodles (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 2 votes

Black Pepper Beef and Broccoli Noodles

By: Chris Collins

Udon noodles mixed with tender steak, drenched in a gorgeous black pepper sauce. These noodles truly are to die for!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 3

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Equipment

• Small Mixing Bowl & Whisk (for sauce)
• Large Pan, Tongs & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients 

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Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup / 240ml Beef Stock
• ▢ 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp White Rice Vinegar
• ▢ 1 packed tbsp Brown Sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp Cornstarch/Cornflour

Noodles

• ▢ 1x 9-10oz/250-300g head of Broccoli, diced into bite sized pieces
• ▢ 10oz / 300g Steak, sliced into thin strips (see notes)
• ▢ 2x 5oz/150g packs of Udon Noodles (straight to wok noodles)
• ▢ 2 tsp Black Pepper (see notes)
• ▢ 1 medium White Onion, sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 2 cloves of Garlic
• ▢ 1 tsp Ginger, finely grated/diced
• ▢ 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• ▢ Vegetable Oil, as needed

To Serve

• ▢ finely sliced Spring Onion
• ▢ Sesame Seeds

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• In a small mixing bowl whisk together beef stock, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch/cornflour. Place to one side and whisk again just before needed.
• In a large pan over high heat add 1 tbsp sesame oil. Once smoking hot, add in the steak strips and fry for a minute or so each side until browned and nearly cooked through the centre. Remove and leave any excess oil behind. Lower heat to medium.
• Add a drizzle of vegetable oil if needed, then add in broccoli and onion. Fry until the onion softens and turns golden and the broccoli lightly chars and softens ever so slightly (it will properly cook through in the next step).
• Push everything to the outside of the pan and into the centre add ginger, garlic and black pepper. Fry for a couple of mins then incorporate everything together. Pour in sauce (remember to whisk again beforehand), then reduce to a simmer for around 7-10mins until it thickens.
• Stir in beef then toss in the noodles. If the sauce is still slightly thin then gently toss and simmer until it thickens. If you over-thicken, just toss through a splash of stock or water.
• Serve up with sesame seeds and spring onion. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Black Pepper - Make sure you're using coarse cracked black pepper, not the powdered stuff. Important to fry it off for a couple of minutes to release the flavour.

b) Black Pepper Spice - 2 tsp gives you a good kick of spice! If you're at all weary just start with 1 tsp and adjust accordingly. Much easier to add more pepper than take it out!

c) Type of Steak - Flank Steak works perfectly because it's lean and thin. You want it lean because you don't fry it long enough to render down the fat, meaning the fat will just stay rubbery. You also want thin strips for noodles so the beef doesn't texturally take over the dish.

d) Slicing the Steak - Make sure it's thin strips, otherwise it'll end up chewy. Try and slice against the natural grain of the steak and at an angle, just to reduce the chance of chewy steak.

e) Serving - This recipe will offer 2 v.big portions, or 3 smaller ones.

f) Calories - Based on sharing between 3 people using 1 tbsp veg oil and no garnish.

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Nutrition

Calories: 772kcal | Carbohydrates: 116.01g | Protein: 36.91g | Fat: 19.91g | Saturated Fat: 8.77g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.715g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.27g | Trans Fat: 0.587g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1624mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 74.67g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 92.6mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 4.67mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

For the sister recipe to this dish check out my Black Pepper Chicken!

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