Need a cheap dinner that still tastes like you meant to make it? Chinese Beef & Pea Pod Ramen turns flank steak, beef consomme, soy sauce, green onions, and pea pods into a tender slow cooker meal you can spoon over hot rice or pile onto stir-fried ramen noodles.
The sauce cooks down rich and savory, the beef stays tender when you slice it thin across the grain, and the pea pods go in right at the end so they keep a little bite instead of turning to army-green mush. That last part matters.
Maya in Illinois
Posted to Budget101 Discussion List on:
Thu Aug 15, 2002
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb flank steak
- 1 can beef consume (10 1/2 oz)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pk green onions, sliced
- 2 Tbs cornstarch
- 2 Tbs cold water
- 7 oz frozen pea pods, partly thaw
You can serve this over hot rice or over stir-fried ramen noodles. If you like noodle dinners, you might also want to try Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Ramen or Chinese Style Ramen.
How to Make It
- Thinly slice flank steak diagonally across the grain.
- Combine the beef strips in the slow cooker with the beef consume, soy sauce, ginger, and sliced green onions.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
- Turn the control to high.
- Stir in the cornstarch that has been dissolved in the cold water.
- Cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Drop in the partly thawed pea pods during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Serve over hot rice or stir-fried ramen noodles.
Tips for Better Flavor
Slice the flank steak across the grain, not with it. That shortens the muscle fibers and gives you tender bites instead of chewy strips.
Don’t add the pea pods too early. They only need the last 5 minutes, which keeps them bright and crisp-tender instead of limp.
If your sauce still looks a little thin after thickening, leave the lid off for those last few minutes on high. Slow cookers trap moisture, which is helpful right up until you want a thicker sauce.
Serving Suggestions
This is best served hot over steamed rice if you want the sauce to soak in and stretch farther. If you’re after a takeout-style noodle dinner, serve it over stir-fried ramen noodles for a fast, filling meal with a little more chew.
For a fuller ramen spread, pair it with Spicy Beef Ramen Noodle Soup on another night or keep a list of favorites from Ramen Noodle Recipes.
Storage
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them in shallow airtight containers. A good working estimate is 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 to 4 months in the freezer for best quality. The USDA leftover safety guidance also recommends refrigerating cooked leftovers within 2 hours.
Reheat only the portion you plan to eat, either on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until piping hot. If you froze it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for the best texture.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Chinese Beef & Pea Pod Ramen
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Flank Steak, 0.58-1.74 lb
- Beef Consomme Soup, 10.5 oz can
- Soy Sauce, 15 fl oz
- Ground Ginger, 1.5 oz
- Green Onions, 1 bunch
- Corn Starch, 16 oz
- Water, 16.9 fl oz
- Frozen Pea Pods, 8 oz
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chinese Beef & Pea Pod Ramen
Yes, but stick with a cut that does well in a slow cooker. Skirt steak, sirloin strips, or even chuck sliced into thin pieces can work, though chuck will give you a softer, more stew-like texture and sirloin can dry out if it cooks too long.
Beef broth is the easiest swap, but the sauce will be a little lighter and less rich. If you use broth, reduce it slightly at the end or add a small pinch of extra seasoning so the finished sauce doesn’t taste watered down.
You can. Simmer it gently on the stovetop in a covered pot until the beef is tender, then thicken the sauce and add the pea pods at the end. Keep the heat low enough that the liquid barely bubbles so the beef stays tender instead of tightening up.
Because they cook fast and lose their snap even faster. Those last 5 minutes are enough to heat them through while keeping some color and texture, which is exactly what this soft, savory beef needs.
Mix the cornstarch with cold water until it’s completely smooth before it goes anywhere near the slow cooker. If you stir dry cornstarch straight into hot liquid, you’ll get little gluey blobs, and nobody asks for that on purpose.
Either works, so it depends on what you want dinner to do. Rice stretches the saucy beef farther and soaks up every bit of the gravy, while stir-fried ramen gives you a chewier, takeout-style finish.
Absolutely. Add fresh snow peas or sugar snap peas during the last few minutes just as you would the frozen ones, and keep an eye on them because fresh pods often cook even faster.
Store the beef with the sauce, not dry and separate. The sauce helps protect the sliced meat from drying out, and shallow containers cool faster, which also gets the food safely into the refrigerator sooner.
Yes, though the pea pods will be a little softer after thawing. Freeze the beef and sauce in meal-size portions, then if you want the best texture, make fresh rice or noodles when you reheat it.
Plan on about 6 servings if you’re spooning it over rice or ramen with a reasonable amount of sauce in each bowl. If you serve big appetites or keep the carbs light, you’ll get closer to 4 hearty portions instead.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly Chinese Beef & Pea Pod Ramen
Chinese Beef & Pea Pod Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb flank steak
- 1 can beef consomme 10 1/2 oz
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 bunch green onions sliced
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp cold water
- 7 oz frozen pea pods partly thawed
- Hot cooked rice for serving (optional)
- Stir-fried ramen noodles for serving (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Thinly slice the flank steak diagonally across the grain.
- Combine the beef strips in the slow cooker with the beef consomme, soy sauce, ground ginger, and sliced green onions.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
- Turn the slow cooker to high.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water, then stir it into the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Add the partly thawed pea pods during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Serve hot over rice or stir-fried ramen noodles.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Cook time reflects the upper end of the original 5 to 7 hour slow cooker range plus thickening time for a conservative estimate.
Leftovers keep about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator in shallow airtight containers or up to 3 to 4 months in the freezer for best quality.
For a thicker sauce, leave the lid off for the last few minutes after adding the cornstarch slurry.
