Cinnamon Beef Noodles

I have a terrific cookbook called “Asian Noodles” by Nina Simonds that has a lot of great recipes accompanied by tantalizing photographs. There is a recipe in the Noodle Soups chapter for Cinnamon Beef Noodles which is delicious. It might sound a little odd to use cinnamon and aniseed in a beef dish but it creates a warm, intense flavor that beautifully complements the green-ness of the spinach. I found however, that the soup didn’t work very well for leftovers because the noodles would disintegrate after the first day. I thought I’d try recreating the recipe as a noodle dish rather than a soup. My version has exactly the same flavors, just a slightly different format. And the leftovers are fantastic!

Cinnamon Beef Noodles (6 servings)

• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 6 scallions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. aniseed
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 ½ - 2 lbs. beef chuck boneless short rib, cut into strips
• 6 oz. baby spinach
• 1 lb. udon or similar noodles (you could also substitute fettucini), cooked

1. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and aniseed and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef and sauté until cooked through.
2. Add the cornstarch and mix. Add the beef stock, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Add the spinach and mix until it wilts. Add the noodles and stir to combine.