The secret, truly, is in the sauce. It's a HUGE reason why I've been graviting toward Asian cooking lately. These no-cook sauces are so flavorful, and, hey, no cooking. You can save a heck of a lot of time when you don't need to cook up anything or let your sauce simmer to develop flavor. Simply mix together a few ingredients and BOOM! Instant awesome sauce. Just a bit of heating. This particular sauce consists of chicken stock, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, chili paste and a bit of garlic powder. You can use any chili paste you prefer, though an Asian style garlic-chili paste is ideal, or, if you're like me and would like a bit of extra heat, try this homemade habanero chili paste recipe for a bit of an extra kick. Bring on the heat, baby!

 

½ cup chicken stock

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chili paste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons chili oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 serrano peppers, chopped

8 ounces chickpeas

8 ounces lightly smoked brisket, chopped

1 cup prepared egg noodles

Juice from half a lime + wedges for serving

Chopped parsley for serving

 

1. Whisk the first 7 ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.

2. Heat a wok or large pan to medium heat and add chili oil. Heat through, then add carrots. Cook about 7-8 minutes to soften.

3. Add serranos and chickpeas. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring.

4. Add brisket and your sauce mixture. Stir and cook a couple minutes to heat through.

5. Remove from heat and stir in egg noodles.

6. Serve into 2 bowls, then squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top. Garnish with lime wedges and parsley.

7. Enjoy!