Stir Fried Thai Red Curry Noodles with Beef

These Stir Fried Thai Red Curry Noodles with Beef are made with thinly sliced marinated steak, egg noodles, crisp vegetables, and a spicy red curry sauce. The beef gets a quick marinade in soy sauce and chili oil before it is stir fried and tossed with the noodles, carrots, snap beans, and a bold curry style sauce.

I make this when I want something saucy, spicy, and loaded with flavor without having to make a full pot of curry.

WHAT MAKES THESE NOODLES WORK

The flavor starts with the beef. Thinly sliced steak is marinated in soy sauce and chili oil so it has flavor before it ever hits the pan. That quick marinade also gives the beef a nice savory base with a little heat.

This curry sauce was on point! The sauce brings the rest of the dish together. Garlic, fish sauce, Thai red curry powder, dried Thai chili pepper, chili oil, and chicken stock blend into a spicy curry sauce that you toss with everything at the end.

This is not a brothy curry noodle bowl. It’s a stir fried noodle recipe. The sauce coats the noodles instead of turning the dish into a soup, so you still get that red curry flavor in a quick stir fry dish.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

Beef

I use New York strip steak for this recipe because it cooks quickly and stays tender when sliced thin. Sirloin, flank steak, or ribeye can also work. For the best texture, slice the beef thinly and try to cut against the grain when possible.

Noodles

Medium egg noodles work well because they hold up in the pan and grab onto the sauce. You can also use lo-mein style noodles or rice noodles, but the texture and cooking time may change.

If using rice noodles, cook them just until tender so they do not break apart when tossed with the beef and sauce.

Thai red curry powder

This recipe uses Thai red curry powder, not Thai red curry paste. Curry powder gives the sauce its red curry flavor while keeping the sauce lighter and easier to blend with the chicken stock, garlic, chili oil, and fish sauce.

If you use curry paste instead, start with a small amount and adjust to taste because paste can be saltier and more concentrated.

Chili oil and dried Thai chili pepper

The chili oil is used in both the marinade and the sauce. It adds heat and helps with the flavor throughout the whole dish.

Vegetables

Snap peas and carrots add crunch and color. You can also use bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, or bok choy.

HOW I MADE IT

Marinate the beef

Thinly slice the steak, then toss it with soy sauce and chili oil. Let it marinate for at least two hours in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the more flavor the beef picks up.

Blend the curry sauce

Add the garlic, ground ginger, fish sauce, Thai red curry powder, dried Thai chili pepper, chicken stock, and chili oil to a blender. Blend until smooth, then set the sauce aside while you cook the noodles and beef.

Cook the noodles

Cook the noodles according to the package directions, then drain them well. Tossing the drained noodles with a little chili oil helps keep them from sticking together before they go into the stir fry.

Stir fry the beef

Heat a wok or large pan over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of chili oil, then cook the beef quickly right it until it begins to nicely brown. Since the steak is sliced thin, it only needs a couple of minutes. Remove the beef from the pan so it doesn’t overcook while the vegetables cook.

Cook the vegetables

Add a little more chili oil to the pan, then cook the snap beans until they start to soften but still have some bite. Add the carrots and cook briefly so they still have crispy tender texture.

Toss everything together

Add the noodles, beef, and curry sauce to the pan. Toss everything together until the noodles are coated, the beef is mixed throughout, and the sauce clings to the stir fry giving your ingredients a nice red coating.

KEY TIPS FOR THE BEST RESULTS

• Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking the beef. If the pan is too crowded, the beef can steam instead of sear.
• Overcooked noodles can get too soft once they are tossed with the sauce.
• Add the curry sauce a little at a time if you are sensitive to spice. You can always add more, but you cannot take the heat back out once everything is mixed together. The more you add, the more red in color the final dish will be.

VARIATIONS AND SWAPS

• Add a few tablespoons of the curry sauce at a time to the final dish to adjust the heat/spice level to your preference.
• If you want the flavor without as much heat, leave out the dried Thai chili pepper and reduce the chili oil or substitute the chili oil for a neutral oil.
• If you don’t want to use the curry sauce or even less spice, just add about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to the final stir fry mixture for flavor. Your marinated steak will give you a slight kick but it’s not too severe…  

SERVING IDEAS

These beef curry noodles are filling enough to serve on their own, but you can add a simple side if you want to stretch the meal.

They pair well with cucumber salad, sautéed greens, spring rolls, or a simple cabbage slaw with lime. A squeeze of fresh lime over the noodles is also a nice way to brighten up the spicy curry sauce.

I personally like to add a side of steamed gyoza to make it like a nice take out order made at home.

HOW TO REHEAT

The noodles will continue to absorb sauce as they sit, so leftovers may be a little less saucy the next day. So it will help to add a little bit of water or a few splashes of soy sauce if it’s not too already salty. Or you can even reserve some of the sauce to add for leftovers. Reheat on a medium low heat in a pan on the stove top. If you are using a microwave, warm in 30 second intervals and stir until heated through.

MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS RECIPE

This recipe started after one of those rare kid free days when my husband and I drove out of town, did some shopping, and ended up at a ramen bar after checking Yelp for somewhere to eat.

We became ramen lovers while living in Hawaii, and that bowl of noodles put me right back on a noodle kick. Later that week, I made something a little different at home and came up with this recipe! This tasty spicy sauce and marinade really brought this one to life!  

DO YOU NEED TO SUBSTITUE INGREDIENTS?

Use AI to adjust the ingredients as needed!

MADE THIS RECIPE?

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