Beef Pad Thai With Peanut Sauce & Asian Noodles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/3 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons asian fish sauce (If vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce or regular soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon tahini paste
1 teaspoon red chili sauce (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon lime juice
lime zest
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger (you can find this in the oriental section of your grocery store) or 1 teaspoon sliced ginger in a jar (you can find this in the oriental section of your grocery store)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 -4 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced or 1 cup shiitake mushroom
1 onion, sliced small onion, into long thin slices work best
1 lb lean beef steak, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips (such as sirloin tip or flank)
1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped scallion (3-4 scallions, white & green parts)
8 8 ounces soba noodles, noodes or 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

Preparation

Thai Peanut Sauce Preparation: Place the first 12 ingredients (from the peanuts to the lime zest), in a blender. Blend until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water. Do a taste test for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, and more chili sauce &/or red pepper flakes, if not spicy enough. If too salty, add another squeeze of fresh limejuice.
Beef Pad Thai Preparation: Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep warm.
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic - cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the sliced onions & mushrooms, stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the beef and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Next, add the teriyaki sauce & a 1/2 cup of the Thai peanut sauce, stir all together, and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
Transfer the noodles to the beef mixture & toss to combine. Serve on individual plates topped with the peanuts and scallions. The leftover peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave for about 3 minutes on LOW before using.