30-Minute Stir Fried Korean Beef and Toasted Sesame Noodles.
I made our Monday’s just a little bit easier today.

Nothing beats a thirty minute meal. Ok well, I guess like a ten minute meal would, but those are super hard to come by… unless your dinner goes from the freezer to the microwave. If that is the case for you, then you need this meal more than anyone.
I feel like thirty minutes is something everyone can handle. Although, right now I have to say that the thought of dirtying even one skillet, even if it’s only for a 5-minute meal, is kind of mortifying.


I spent all day yesterday having a “sisters day”. The thing is, my sister is six and you guys – the girl wore me out. I was hopping to get in some work, but yeah she made sure that I basically did none of that. I actually tried to cook, but what should have taken me two hours somehow got dragged on all day long and then the sun began to set. How does that always happen???
I was thinking she’d play with one or two of her gazillion toys, maybe watch a show and then we’d make a Halloween gingerbread house I bought (once I saw it online, I had to get it). If you didn’t already know, I am a sucker for all holiday themed goods. I love them.
Anyway, the little girl tired me out. It’s not that we had a crazy active day, but it is more of her constant talking. Oh my gosh, that girl can talk… and then talk some more. The car is the worst though. She made me take her Target to look for Halloween decorations (and yes, I am aware that it is only the 15th of September – the girl seems to have inherited my holiday craze), and then to the grocery store, because surprisingly, Target was just starting to get in their stuff. Our last stop was the park, because she just HAD to push the tire swing… for what seemed like hours… with me on it. That was so not fun, tire swings make me sick.
I am pretty sure she never stopped talking the entire day. I mean, you would think she’d run out of things to say, but nope, she got’s an endless amount of words.

It’s actually kind of amazing.

I finally got her to play with something other than me, and finished the recipe I was working on, but then she was all over me to build the Halloween Gingerbread House. First of all, the two of us should never build another gingerbread house again, second of all I should have remember our Christmas gingerbread house before I bought the Halloween gingerbread house and third of all, it’s a good thing this house is for Halloween because well, it’s pretty scary looking. Our Scary Little Halloween House.
And once we were done, so was the kitchen. YIKES!
In all seriousness though, it was a fun day. I never get to spend time with my favorite little sister, so I was happy that she pulled me away from my day-to-day tasks and got me to hang with her. She’s pretty hard to resist.

So this is a dinner for those days when all you really want to do is call the pizza guy. It dirties up just two pans (and that’s including the pot to boil the noodles), it’s a crowd pleaser and it’s actually pretty healthy too. You can get it done in thirty minutes, maybe less, but I called it thirty minutes because everyone cooks at their own pace. Personally, I am a very slow cook, but maybe you are speedy and can get this done in twenty. Either way, this meal is super easy to make, no fuss and so flavorful.
Plus, look at all those colors! I love when a meal is all colorful like this. It’s those peppers, bell peppers are the best, we love um over here.


The secret to this 30-Minute Stir Fried Korean Beef recipe is all in the sauce. I used my favorite Korean ingredient Gochujang (korean Chile Paste). I buy mine on Amazon, but I know that Whole Foods carries it as well. I know it is an odd ingredient, but it has become a staple for me. It’s just so good, and a little goes a long way. So do yourself a favor and go get yourself some.
Other than that, this is the simplest thing ever. Just be sure to stir fry the steak at a high heat. It’s the only way to get that delicious caramelization. And trust me, you want that caramelization. So very good.


Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
30-Minute Stir Fried Korean Beef and Toasted Sesame Noodles.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: korean
This is the simplest Korean dish ever. Just be sure to stir fry the steak at a high heat. That way you get the glorious caramelization. So very good.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3/4 cup soy sauce I like to use reduced sodium
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
- 2-3 tablespoons Gochujang Korean chile paste, I used 3 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Stir Fry
- 1 (8 ounce) box of brown rice noodles (Cellophane Korean Sweet Potato Noodles or any of your favorite noodles can be used)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- 2 large carrots chopped into matchsticks
- 1 red and orange bell pepper sliced thin
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 pound flank steak steak sliced into bite size strips
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds a mix of white and black
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Sauce
-
In a glass measuring cup or bowl whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, Gochujang, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.
Stir fry
-
Cook your noodles according to package directions, leaving them with just a little bite.
-
Make sure to prep all your ingredients prior to cooking.
-
Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, once hot add in the carrots, red pepper, orange pepper and mushrooms to the wok (if needed stir fry the veggies in 2 batches). Stir fry the veggies until just tender and bright. Add a few tablespoons of the stir fry sauce and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce has coated the veggies. Carefully spoon the veggies out of the wok and onto a plate.
-
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, to get the wok hot again. Add the steak and let it get a nice caramelization on one side, then toss and let it caramelize another 2 minutes. Add in a few tablespoons of the sauce and cook until the sauce coats the steak. Add the green onions and sesame seeds. Toss with the steak and cook another minute. Add back the veggies and the cooked noodles. Add the remainder of the stir fry sauce and toss everything together. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the noodles. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
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Divide among bowls and serve with more toasted sesame seeds and cilantro if desired.

Noodles for Monday??? Oh yes, let’s have some fun!
I’m not a stir fry person but this recipe just might be the one to get me to try –really looks good.
Good memories you made Sunday.
Good memories for sure! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy!
I am sure you made a little girl very happy. She will always remember that.
I hope so! 🙂
Thanks Charlotte!
That Halloween gingerbread house came out perfectly…luv it. This recipe looks so yummy…I love making stir fries because you get to use up any veggies you have laying around and I agree that chili paste makes it.
Thank you! It was a fun house to build! 🙂
This looks simply fantastic. I adore Korean food, and I’m always looking for something quick I can do like this when I have not had time to cook ahead. I will be scaling this down for just me the next time my family buggers off to France without me and I have the whole massive kitchen to myself, but I feel a bit dead after a whole day of recipe development!
Thanks Rachel!!! And i want to venture off to France! Jealous!
Love the Korean food posts, Tieghan..but then again, anything you make has me automatically salivating like Pavlov’s dog!!
So happy you enjoy the Korean recipes!
Thanks!
Haha! Don’t you wish you had that energy! I sometimes wish I appreciated it when I was younger. This looks deliciously saucy and so fresh. I can’t wait to try it.
PS. I am terrible at gingerbread houses! I always want to attempt them again to make them good for once but it’s always a hilarious failure and my sister and I end up just dying laughing the whole time 🙂
YES! I do wish I had that energy. Like so much!
Thanks Bri!
My mom babysits some kids and I can sympathize with you. They’re fun, but crazy!
By the way, I really like your wok. I’ve got one, but it is nowhere nearly as cool as yours.
Also, I can’t understand why you broke up your noodles! Long slurpy noodles are one of life’s greatest pleasures! Oh, well. If I make this, long slurpy noodles it is!
I got mine at William Sonoma. It’s great!
Thanks Joshua!
This looks incredible! Your photos are always right on, and this post is no different! I am definitely making this!
Thank you!
This is incredible! I can’t wait to try this, Tieghan!
Thanks Naomi!!
yes!!! more of these 30-minute meals please!!! i have been trying harder to incorporate more meat into our dinners but it can get tiring having to constantly think about planning ahead to marinate for 12 hours and such. this looks delicious. i definitely plan on making this soon!!!
I am the worst at planing out recipes. Like I cannot do it, so marination it really not my friend. Ha!
Thanks Molly!
YES! I love your simpler recipes!! I can make this anytime!!
Thanks Sophia!
Feel free to save more Mondays for us all – especially if they look THIS good!
We love stir-fry-anything around here, so this is getting pinned to the must.make.soon board (I probably should really make one of those)!
Haha! Thanks Jessica! Hope you love this!
Welp, making this for dinner tonight!! ALWAYS love asian meals 😀 Love that you had a sister day. Even more so that she is young. I just had a sibling be born..a baby brother! I bet your younger sister looks up to you SO much. I have two sisters close to my age and we are all best friends. Sister days are the best 😉 Thanks for the recipe! Wonderful photos!
Sister days are the best for sure! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Haha wow, sounds like you had a busy day with Asher! Not gonna lie – I’m a little jealous, I always wanted a sister 🙂 This stir fry looks *amazing* It’s rare that my comfort food doesn’t involve either cheese or potatoes (or both), but this looks like just the thing I’ve been craving lately!
It was a fun day! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Love LOVE this! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Marla!
It’s hard to beat a 30 minutes stir fry, love the sesame noodles! And though your day was exhausting, I bet she had the best time with you :).
Thank Laura! we had fun!
I just want to clarify that the recipe calls for BOTH toasted sesame oil and sesame oil (listed in the ingredients for sauce and stir fry). (?) Thanks!
Yup, but if you only have one, just use that. No big deal.
Hope you love this!
This looks delicious!
Thanks Mary!
this looks awesome
Thanksgiving it’s yours!
It’s dinner time here and my mouth is watering. The good thing this only takes 30 minutes. The bad thing is I have to run to the store for the ingredients! Delicious, Tieghan!
Thank you so much!
This is why you’re the best, Teighan!! I LOVE Gochujang!
AWE!!!! Thank you! 🙂
What a colorful and simple recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much, Karen!
Noodles are the way to my heart!! Literally wish I could taste this right now!
I am with you! 🙂
Thank you Nicole! Hope you are having a great week!
ugh…now I’m craving takeout 🙂 This looks so freakin’ good!
Thanks Katya!
Love 30-minute meals — especially with a wee one taking up much of my time these days. 🙂 This one looks like a flavor party!
Thanks Stephanie! Hope you guys are having a good week!
Oh my goodness, this looks so very good! I love 30 minute meals too. Just long enough to get my cooking therapy…without the mess of a long, drawn-out recipe! Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Monet! It is hard to beat 30 minutes!
This looks great!
Thanks Laura!
Such a beautiful dish! Must try this soon!
Thank you so much, Lisa! Hope you had a great day! 🙂
T, this looks amazing! I am all about the thirty minute meal! And so sweet you had a girls day with your little sister 🙂 I bet she looooved it!
Thanks Ashley and it was a fun day! I love that little girl! 🙂
At what point did you slice up the steak? How did you get it in such tiny pieces? Can’t wait to try this!
You slice the steak before tossing it in the marinade. Hope you love this and please let me know if you have any more questions.
Goooooooorgeous!
Thanks Brenda!!
Gotta love a 30 minute meal! Especially this one, it looks delicious!
Thanks Kate!
Looks great, but 15 minute prep for all that measuring, sorting, slicing and chopping seems a bit misleading.
Thanks Chris! I was able to get it done and I think that i prep things pretty slow. Regardless, everyone cooks at a different pace, so it can be hard to estimate what the times will be for everyone.
I just want to dive right in!
I love this recipe, thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Thank you!
Made this tonight. ..it was very good! Love your recipes!
So happy you loved this meal! Thank you!
This looks absolutely delicious Tieghan. I want to try to make it next week but i dont’ have the Gochujang (Korean chile paste). Would sriracha or chili garlic paste be a good substitute??
THANKS!
Hey Sabah,
I hate to say this, but you really need the Gochujang (Korean chile paste) for this. It makes the dish. BUT I do also think you could use chili garlic paste. The taste will be different, but I think still good. Let me know what you end up doing. Hope you love it either way! 🙂
Love your blog. I was super excited to try this, as it was in the gluten free section, but the Gochujang (Korean chile paste) you recommend is not Gluten Free. It is wheat free, but it contains “seed malt” which is barley. I am still searching for a Gluten Free Gochujang so that I can make this yumminess happen.
Hey Emily! I am really sorry about that and I will fix the recipe now. That is so annoying and again, I am so sorry, Here is a recipe for gluten free Gochujang if you want to make it yourself.
Thanks so much for the kind words! Have a great weekend!
Although this tasted good, I found that the sauce never thickened up and stayed VERY liquidy. The steak also got very tough very fast.
I just love your writing style. It so reminds me of special days spent with my darling granddaughter at my side, with her never ending chatter and great companionship. As I read your comments, it felt as if we were side by side chatting away..
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Just made this tonight and it turned out great. Gotta have the gochujang and I liked how the brown sugar tempered the saltiness of the soy sace. Awesome recipe. It’s definitely going into the rotation. (And getting into the rotation is tough!) When’s the cookbook coming out?
I’m making this for the third time. I originally made it with regular soy sauce and it was super salty, but I could see the potential. The second time was a charm. Now it’s being requested. Great recipe! (I’m also going to get that wok!)
Delicious recipe! How would you recommend to substitute chile paste for non-spicy version?
HI! Just leave the chili pasta out. Hope you love this!
This is an awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing! A couple tips for others… Yes, prep did take me probably closer to a half hour. I soaked the noodles in cool water while I continued preparing the dish and it came out just fine. I wasn’t able to find the specific brand of Korean chili paste on short notice so I just used regular chili paste and like I said…turned out great! I used a little less than 2 Tbsp of the paste because I wanted to be on the safe side. Hope this helps. Again thanks for the great recipe–it’s a keeper!
Hi Kara, Thanks for the tips! Glad that worked well for you!! (:
This one is a keeper! I made this dish a few times over the winter and spring and literally had to send leftovers home with guests so I didn’t spend the night with it in my bed. Great noodle dish. YUM.
Haha this is awesome! So happy you loved this Audrey! Thank you!
I just made this recipe for dinner and it was amazing!! I will definitely be making this again. I love your blog so much Tieghan!
Wow! Thanks so much Bella! Hope to hear more from you!! (:
Love, love, LoVe this recipe. I have made it twice and the second time I decreased the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup of water; it seemed to thicken up better for me. I have served it over rice both times, and just made the sauce for a friend so she can make it for her family. This recipe is truly a tasty keeper and I can’t wait to make it again.
Sounds amazing! I am so glad you loved this and I hope you enjoy other recipes too! (: Thanks!
I surely do enjoy other recipes! I can’t help myself….Your recipes are superb!
Thank you!
How many ounces of noodles do you use? Maybe it’s just my computer but the ingredient shows up like this:
1 ounce box of brown rice noodles (Cellophane Korean Sweet Potato Noodles or any of your favorite noodles can be used), 8
1 ounce seems like too little. Is it 8 ounces? 18 ounces?
So sorry for the confusion. It is one 8 ounce box of noodles. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this! 🙂
Made this yesterday. Another great recipe. Really quick & super tasty! The family loved it, will make again.
Thank you.
That is so great to hear! Thank you Karen!
How many does this serve?
Hi! this will serve 4-6. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Made this recipe this evening (swapping the steak for chicken thighs) and my partner said it was the best homemade stir-fry he’d EVER had!
Wow I love that! Thank you for trying this Natalie! xTieghan
I’m afraid this wasn’t a favorite as the flavors were too intense for our tastes. In my opinion, the sauce really needs to be toned down a bit.
Hi Laura! I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy this. I hope you enjoy other recipes on my blog! xTieghan
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe before, but this is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it three times now for various different people with different food tastes and all have loved it. That sauce is perfection!!! P.S. I’ve made a handful of your other recipes and all have been to die for!! Can’t wait to try more. Keep up the delicious work! 🙂
This is so amazing to hear! Thank you for leaving this comment, Allison! So sweet! xTieghan
Made this tonight with what we had on hand. Subbed the gochujang for Thai chili sauce, and skipped the cilantro. I think we used closer to two lbs of beef so it was quite juicy, so we mixed a tablespoon of corn-starch with cold water and added at the end. So good! I usually avoid making stirfry because I don’t know what to use for the sauce. but now I’ve got this recipe saved. thanks Tiegan!
Hi Lorrie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! I hope you love all of the other recipes you try of mine! Also, hope you are staying healthy during this time! xTieghan
Could you make this with pork?
This is the best meal I’ve eaten in months.
Aw I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Lisa! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!! I am planning to make this deliciousness tonight but couldn’t get my hands on Gochujang paste. Any substitution recommendations? I do have sambal oelek and red curry paste. Would either of those get me close enough? I also have a Korean BBQ sauce/marinade. Please help! 🙂
Hey Alyssa,
I would use sambal oelek. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Wow made this for lunch today and this was delicious!!! Literally better than takeout and extra saucy just like Tieghan likes lol
Thank you so much Jessica!! xTieghan
Oh my! This was amazingly good. I had 1/2 pound left over skirt steak and got to use that up.. used 1 tbsp of the Gochujang sauce which was perfect for me. Hubble added some more drizzled on top of his dish so he was happy too! I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. Enjoy!
Hey Robin,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan