Beef Noodles with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

300g beef steak, sliced thinly
250g dried thick Chinese egg noodles
2 tbsp groundnut oil
225g asparagus spears, woody bases trimmed
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1cm length of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
4 tbsp beef or vegetable stock
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

For the Marinade:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp rice wine

Method:

Begin with the marinade. Lightly-whisk together the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Add the beef slices and toss to coat. Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for about 4 minutes, or until tender (alternatively follow the packet instructions). Drain, rinse with cold water then drain again and set aside.

When the meat has marinated sufficiently, heat a wok over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and when hot add the asparagus and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the beef (along with its marinade) and continue stir-frying the mixture fora bout 90 seconds, or until the beef is cooked to your liking. Remove the beef and asparagus from the wok by tipping into a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the wok and use to stir-fry the garlic, ginger and onion for 1 minute, or until the onion is just soft. Add the stock along with the rice wine and oyster sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

At this point return the beef and asparagus to the wok then add the noodles. Using two forks mix all the ingredients thoroughly, then stir-fry until the noodles are piping hot through.

Turn into a warmed dish, sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and serve.