Asian Noodle Salad with Grilled Five Spiced Venison Flat

For the Venison, flat iron:

• 3 12oz pieces of venison flat iron
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon ground star anise
• 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon whole toasted chili, ground

For the dressing:

• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 3 tea bags of Chinese black tea
• 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chili
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

For the salad:

• 3/4-pound ramen noodle (or another favorite noodle)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 12-ounce cucumbers, sliced thin into coins
• 8 large green onions, halved lengthwise, cut on diagonal
• 1 bunch fresh mint, picked
• 1 bunch cilantro, picked
• 3 shallots sliced thin into rings
• 1 Carrot peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• Lime wedges
• Whole roasted chilies for garnish

Method

For dressing

Combine 1 1/4 cups boiling water and tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Place peanut butter in a medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup tea, soy sauce, lime juice, and ground chili. Whisk dressing to blend well. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing. Mix in cilantro and mint.

For Venison

Season Venison Flat Iron with salt. Separately blend all spice ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For salad

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. rinse with cold water; drain again. Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Mix in sesame oil. Heat grill pan or large ridged cast-iron skillet over high heat 4 minutes. Working in batches, grill venison until just brown outside but rare inside, about 1 minute per side. transfer venison to cutting board and dust liberally with your spice mixture and allow to rest. The moisture from the resting meat will allow the spice to bloom and will become very fragrant.

Add cucumbers, green onions, carrots and shallots to the bowl with the cooled noodles. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper. Add mint and cilantro just before serving. Mound noodle salad in the center of a large serving platter. Slice the spiced venison flat iron against the grain of the meat into thin slices. top with Venison. Garnish with peanuts, chilies and lime wedges.