SIZZLE & SCORE
WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE
S&S GAME PLAN

Thai Peanut Noodles
with Seared Skirt Steak

with Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper & Mushrooms in a Spicy Gochujang-Peanut Sauce

Tender seared skirt steak over glossy peanut noodles loaded with crisp vegetables and a spicy gochujang-peanut sauce. Big flavor, a little heat and absolutely nothing boring about this date night.

Date-night table for two with Thai peanut noodles, seared skirt steak, spring rolls, cucumber salad and Riesling
♨
SERVES
2
◷
PREP
20 MIN
♨
COOK
30 MIN
★
DIFFICULTY
★★☆☆☆

WHAT YOU’RE MAKING

Thai Peanut Noodles
with Seared Skirt Steak
Cool Cucumber
Salad
Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls
with Sweet Chili Sauce

THE DRINKS

Sake Bomb

PER PERSON
1 Japanese lager
1½ oz sake
1 shot glass
2 chopsticks
Pour the lager into a glass. Balance two chopsticks across the rim and set the sake-filled shot glass on top. Give the table a good tap so the shot drops into the beer, then drink it while it's cold.
Learning Point — Why It Works The Sake Bomb is the fun opener. Cold lager keeps it light, while the sake gives it enough kick to officially get date night started.

S&S Move: Have one together, then switch to the Off-Dry Riesling with dinner. We're starting the night—not trying to end it at 7:15.

WHAT YOU NEED

Thai Peanut Noodles + Skirt Steak

  • 10–12 oz skirt steak
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 8 oz linguine
  • 1½ cups small broccoli florets
  • ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil, divided
  • Chopped peanuts, for finishing
  • Lime wedges
  • Fresh cilantro, optional
Secret Weapon — Gochujang
Korean red chile paste brings heat, sweetness and deep savory flavor to the peanut sauce. Look for it in the Asian section of your supermarket.

Spicy Gochujang-Peanut Sauce

  • ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp gochujang
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • ¼–½ cup hot noodle water, as needed

Cool Cucumber Salad + Spring Rolls

  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, optional
  • 4–6 frozen vegetable spring rolls
  • Sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Drinks + Gear

  • 2 Japanese lagers
  • Sake
  • 1 bottle Off-Dry Riesling, chilled
  • Large skillet
  • Large pot for noodles
  • Mixing bowls
  • Tongs
  • Cutting board
  • Chef’s knife
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking sheet for spring rolls

BEFORE SHE GETS THERE

  • Make the peanut sauce. Whisk everything together except the noodle water. Cover it and leave it ready to go.
  • Get the cucumber salad chilling. Slice the cucumber and red onion, toss them with the dressing and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.
  • Prep the vegetables. Cut the broccoli, slice the red pepper, mushrooms and scallions. Get everything into separate bowls so you're not chopping while she's standing there.
  • Get the drinks cold. Lager, sake and Riesling all belong in the refrigerator. Warm Riesling isn't a personality trait.
  • Set the table. Bowls, chopsticks or forks, napkins, wine glasses. Put the sweet chili sauce in a small bowl instead of dropping the bottle on the table.
  • Clean the evidence. Cutting board away. Counters wiped. Sink empty. Nobody needs to know what happened here.
  • Clean yourself up. Shower, clean shirt, brush your teeth. Easy on the cologne — the peanut sauce is supposed to be the strongest thing in the room.
  • Hit the bathroom. Quick wipe-down, fresh hand towel and make sure there's toilet paper. You've come too far to lose points now.
Sauce ready.
Drinks cold.
You’re ready. It’s game time.

PLAY BY PLAY

  1. MAKE THE PEANUT SAUCE
    In a bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp gochujang, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 minced or grated garlic clove and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. It's going to look thick. Good. Leave it alone for now—the hot noodle water handles that later.
  2. GET THE CUCUMBER SALAD COLD
    Whisk together 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp toasted sesame oil and a pinch kosher salt. Toss with 1 thinly sliced cucumber and ¼ small thinly sliced red onion. Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes. Add cilantro right before serving if you're using it.
LEARNING MOMENT — CONTROL THE HEAT Gochujang brings more than heat—it adds sweetness, savory depth and a little funk. Start with 1 Tbsp and taste the sauce before you decide it needs more.

S&S Move: Want it hotter? Add another ½ Tbsp. You can always make it hotter. You cannot negotiate with your tongue once you've set it on fire.
  1. GET THE STEAK READY
    Pat 10–12 oz skirt steak completely dry and season both sides with ½ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Let it sit while you get everything else organized.
    YO DUDE!
    Before you cook it, look at which direction the lines in the meat are running. That's the grain. Remember it. Later you're slicing across those lines, not with them.
  2. GET THE SPRING ROLLS GOING
    Cook 4–6 frozen vegetable spring rolls according to the package directions. Get the sweet chili sauce into a small bowl and call this side handled. They're frozen spring rolls. We're not opening a restaurant.
  3. COOK THE NOODLES
    Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook 8 oz linguine according to the package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out ½ cup of the hot noodle water. Drain the noodles. Do not rinse them.
LEARNING MOMENT — WHY SAVE NOODLE WATER? That cloudy water has starch from the pasta. A little of it loosens the peanut sauce while helping it cling to the noodles instead of sliding straight to the bottom of the bowl.

S&S Move: Save it before you drain. Remembering five seconds later while staring down the sink drain is surprisingly unhelpful.
  1. SEAR THE SKIRT STEAK
    Get a large skillet hot over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp avocado or vegetable oil. Lay in the steak and leave it alone. Sear about 2–3 minutes on the first side, flip, then cook another 2–3 minutes, depending on thickness and how done you want it. Move it to a cutting board and let it rest 8–10 minutes.
    S&S MOVE
    Don't keep flipping it, poking it or moving it around. You're cooking steak, not checking whether it's still alive.
  2. COOK THE VEGETABLES
    Bring the skillet down to medium-high. Add a little more oil if the pan is dry. Add 1½ cups broccoli florets and cook about 2 minutes. Add ½ thinly sliced red bell pepper and 4 oz sliced mushrooms. Cook another 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still have some life to them. We want dinner. Not vegetable baby food.
  3. BRING THE NOODLES TOGETHER
    Lower the heat to medium. Add the cooked linguine and peanut sauce to the vegetables. Start with about ¼ cup reserved noodle water and toss everything together until the sauce becomes smooth, glossy and coats the noodles. Add another splash of noodle water if needed.
    S&S SAVE
    Sauce too thick? Noodle water. Don't start dumping extra soy sauce into it. You'll fix the texture and accidentally turn dinner into a salt lick.
  4. SLICE THE STEAK
    Now go back to those lines you looked at earlier. Slice the rested skirt steak thinly across the grain. Pour any juices from the cutting board right back over the steak. You paid for those too.
    YO DUDE!
    Across the grain = tender steak. With the grain = you've made expensive chewing gum.
  5. PLATE IT
    Twirl the peanut noodles and vegetables into two bowls. Lay the sliced skirt steak over the top. Finish with sliced scallions, chopped peanuts, lime wedges and cilantro if you're using it. Cucumber salad alongside. Spring rolls and sweet chili sauce on the table. Pour the Riesling. Wipe the rims. Then stop screwing with it. It looks good. Bring her dinner.

THE TIMELINE

6:15
Make the peanut sauce. Whisk everything together except the noodle water. Cover it and set it aside.
6:20
Make the cucumber salad. Slice the cucumber and red onion, toss with the dressing and refrigerate.
6:25
Prep the vegetables. Broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms and scallions. Get everything chopped and ready.
6:35
Prep the steak. Pat it dry, season it and take a look at which direction the grain runs.
6:40
Get yourself ready. Shower. Clean shirt. Brush your teeth. Dinner is under control.
6:55
Final reset. Table set. Drinks cold. Music on. Kitchen looking suspiciously clean.
7:00
She's here. Door. Smile. Date. Nothing needs to hit the pan this second.
7:05
Sake Bomb time. Make one together. Have some fun before you disappear back into the kitchen.
7:15
Spring rolls into the oven. Follow the package timing and let the oven handle them.
7:18
Get the noodle water boiling. Salt the water and get the linguine ready.
7:22
Steak in. Hot skillet. Sear 2–3 minutes per side. Then get it onto the cutting board to rest.
7:28
Noodles in. Cook until al dente. Remember the noodle water before you drain them.
7:31
Vegetables in. Broccoli first, then red pepper and mushrooms. Keep some bite in them.
7:35
Bring it together. Noodles, vegetables, peanut sauce and enough noodle water to make everything glossy.
7:38
Slice the steak. Thin slices. Across the grain. Cutting-board juices go right back over the meat.
7:40
Finish the sides. Cilantro into the cucumber salad if you're using it. Spring rolls and sweet chili sauce onto the table.
7:42
Plate it. Noodles, steak, scallions, peanuts and lime. Pour the Riesling.
7:45
Dinner. Food hot. Wine cold. Phone away.

★ BONUS POINTS

  • CHILL THE RIESLING GLASSES.
    Put two wine glasses in the freezer for about 10 minutes before dinner. Tiny move. Cold glass. Crisp wine. You look suspiciously prepared.
  • PUT THE SAUCES IN REAL BOWLS.
    Sweet chili sauce in a small dipping bowl. Lime wedges on a little plate. Nothing kills the restaurant vibe faster than a half-empty bottle with a sticky cap.
  • LET THE STEAK REST.
    Those 8–10 minutes aren't wasted time. Finish the noodles while the steak hangs out. Slice it immediately and the juices end up on the cutting board instead of in dinner.
  • MAKE THE SAKE BOMB WITH HER.
    Don't have it sitting there waiting like a science experiment. Build it together and have some fun with it. The drink isn't the impressive part. The moment is.
  • SET OUT A FORK TOO.
    Chopsticks look great with the meal, but put a fork at each place too. Nobody should have to prove anything while trying to eat slippery peanut noodles. Date night is not a chopstick proficiency exam.

★ THE FINISH

The chopsticks can clock out now.
  1. Clear the table. Noodle bowls, spring-roll plate, dipping sauce. Get dinner out of the way and leave the kitchen for later.
  2. Refresh the wine. Another glass of Riesling if you want one. The Sake Bomb already did its job.
  3. Change the scenery. Couch. Patio. Balcony. Somewhere you're not staring at the skillet you eventually have to wash.
  4. Put the phone away. You got the food picture. Nobody needs a twelve-photo documentary of what happens next.
  5. YOU PULLED IT OFF. Steak cooked. Peanut sauce nailed. Dinner didn't come out of a takeout container. That's a pretty damn good night already.

    Good food leads to amazing nights.
THE S&S PHOTO RULE Looks like the picture?
No? Perfect!
If the noodles are glossy, the steak is tender and she reaches for another spring roll, nobody gives a damn whether your scallions landed at the correct angle. Our pictures are for inspiration—not intimidation. Honest effort, amazing food, and the night is young.
Thai Peanut Noodles with Seared Skirt Steak date-night dinner for two