Cold glass noodles. Hot grilled steak. Smoky, charred bell peppers and scallions. And juicy summer tomatoes. All tossed in a simple dressing of soy sauce, calamansi citrus, and thinly sliced shallots.
Consider this cold noodle/grilled steak mashup my Filipinized version of a Vietnamese Bun Bo Xao. But instead of rice vermicelli noodles and lemongrass beef tossed in a fish sauce dressing, this Filipino-inspired dish features mung bean thread noodles (known as “Sotanghon” in the Philippines), and Bistek (a Filipino preparation of beef marinated in soy sauce and calamansi juice).
And if you’re keeping score at home, this isn’t the first time I’ve combined Bistek and noodles (Bistek Pancit anyone?). But because it comes together so quickly, this Bistek Sotanghon makes for an easy and summery midweek dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup calamansi juice (or lemon juice)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 lbs. skirt steak
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 green onions
- 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup calamansi juice (or lemon juice)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 lb. (4-5 oz.) dried mung bean noodles
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the calamansi juice, soy, sesame oil, garlic, and black pepper and stir to combine.
- Place the skirt steak in a large, shallow baking dish and pour the marinade over the steak. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and up to overnight.
- Preheat a grill for direct cooking. Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Remove the steak from the marinade and DISCARD the marinade. Grill the steak over direct heat, 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove steak from grill and rest on cutting board for 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain. Set steak aside.
- Brush the 1 tablespoon of oil onto the red bell pepper and the green onions. Place the red bell pepper over direct heat on the hot grill and roast, turning often, until soft and blackened on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Using tongs, transfer the roasted bell pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.
- Grill the green onions over direct heat, 1-2 minutes per side, until softened and charred. Remove green onions from grill and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sliced shallots, calamansi juice, and soy sauce, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mung bean noodles to the boiling water and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes total.
- Drain the noodles into a large colander in the sink, and rinse with cold running water. Drain the noodles completely, place in a large bowl, and set aside.
- Remove the bell pepper from the small bowl and peel and discard the blackened skin. Slice the bell pepper into strips, removing the core and seeds. Place the sliced bell pepper in the large bowl with the cooked noodles.
- Roughly chop the charred green onions, then add to the bowl with the noodles.
- Add the sliced steak and the halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl of noodles.
- Pour the sliced shallots, along with the calamansi juice and soy sauce, into the large bowl and toss everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
