Recipes / Mains / Air fryer
◆  Air fryer  ·  serves 2

Air-Fryer Beef & Broccoli Noodles

Steak strips, broccoli, carrot ribbons, baby corn — all blistered in the air-fryer basket, then tossed with stir-fry noodles and a quick soy-ginger sauce. The Chinese-takeaway dish made in twenty-five minutes without a wok, without an inch of oil.

15m
25m
2 servings
Easy

The beef-and-broccoli stir-fry is the lunchtime takeaway you order when you can't decide what else to have. It's reliable, balanced, and comes in a small white box. Making it at home in the air fryer means cleaner flavours and proper texture — the beef gets a real sear on every face instead of steaming, the broccoli stays toothsome instead of waterlogged, and the vegetables come out crisp-tender at the edges.

The trick is to cook everything separately or in stages. Beef strips first (5 minutes at 200°C) — they need direct heat to caramelise. Then the vegetables on top of the beef for the final 3 minutes — broccoli florets, baby corn, carrot ribbons. Toss everything hot into a pan with cooked noodles and the sauce (soy, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, a touch of honey). Stir for 60 seconds — done.

The photo shows the assembled bowl: a tangle of egg noodles coated in dark soy, beef strips visible between, broccoli florets and orange carrot ribbons twisted through, baby corn peeking out, chopsticks resting at the edge of the bowl. Eat immediately — noodles wait for no one.

Method

ii.
  1. 01

    Cook the noodles

    Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles 2 minutes less

  2. 02

    Air fry the beef

    Toss the beef strips with 1 tbsp neutral oil, salt, and pepper.

  3. 03

    Add the vegetables

    Scatter the broccoli florets, carrot ribbons, and baby corn over

  4. 04

    Make the sauce

    While the vegetables cook, whisk together all sauce ingredients

  5. 05

    Combine

    Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Tip in the cooked

  6. 06

    Serve

    Divide between two bowls. Top with spring onions and sesame