Ingredients

Vegetable oil

10-16 oz Ground Beef

7-8 oz. Udon noodles, previously frozen or shelf stable (*see notes)

2 scallions, thinly sliced, separate green & white parts

2-3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced medium

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp gochujang

2 Tbsp soy glaze (**see notes)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Preparation

In a bowl, combine the soy glaze, sesame oil, vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, and as much of the gochujang as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of vegetable oil on medium-high until hot. Add the beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the beef is browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

To the pan of reserved fond, add the diced pepper and sliced white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chopped bok choy; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and the bok choy leaves are wilted. Turn off the heat.

Using your hands, carefully separate the noodles. Add the noodles, cooked beef, and sauce to the pan of cooked vegetables. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the noodles are heated through and the sauce is thickened. Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished beef and noodles garnished with the sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!

* If you are fortunate enough to have a local grocery that carries fresh udon noodles, use those! Few of us have that option, so either previously frozen or shelf-stable udon noodles are also fine. These often come with a flavor packet that you can retain for other uses or discard.

** Soy glaze can be a hard-to-find item in most local grocery stores, so I stock up on Kikkoman brand soy glaze from Amazon. Regular soy sauce is not an adequate substitute, as it lacks the syrupy thick, sweetness of this glaze.