Flank Steak, Sweet Potato Noodle & Vegetable Spring Rolls

Steak:
In a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, and rice wine. Add garlic and ginger to the soy sauce mixture. Whisk well. Add flank steak to the marinade and turn to coat the steak. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Place the flank steak on the barbecue and cook it for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until the flank steak is almost medium-rare. Remember, the internal temperature of the flank steak will rise an additional 5-10 degrees after you remove it from the grill. Even if you are someone who typically likes your meat medium to well-done, I urge you to try it with a little more red in the center. It makes the difference between a steak that is somewhat satisfying and one that is juicy and flavorful

Remove steak from grill. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes so that the juices can be absorbed back into the steak. If you cut into the steak before it rests, the juices will run onto your cutting board. More juices on your cutting board equals less juices in the steak. Thinly slice the steak across the grain and then ut each slice into thin bite-sized pieces.

Noodles & Wraps:
Bring a big pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the noodles. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place the cooled noodles in a large bowl and mix in about 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Make sure you taste it to decide if you want more of the oil or soy sauce. Using kitchen shears, roughly cut up the noodles in the bowl so they are not hard to deal with when putting them into the wraps.

Add the steak, vegetables, and mint to the noodle mixture and toss well.

Fill a container or bowl with hot water. Dip one spring roll wrapper into the water until it is soft, about 15-20 seconds.

Lay the softened wrapper on a cutting board and fill with about 1/3 cup of the noodle mixture. Fold in the sides. Fold up the bottom flap and roll.

Cover the completed rolls with a damp dish towel so that they don’t try out while you work.

We like to dip ours into gyoza (potsticker) dipping sauce, or some other similar Asian sauce. If you have a favorite Vietnamese dipping sauce, feel free to use that. Just make as many spring rolls as you need for you meal and eat the leftovers the next day. The noodles keep well, though may need a touch of soy sauce added to moisten them.