Ginger Pork Rice Noodles

Ingredients

• 200g rice noodles, cooked
• 400g minced pork
• 25g fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
• 20g spring onion green tops, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 10g fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve

Method

1. Cook the rice noodles according to pack instructions until tender with a little bite — usually a minute less than the packet suggests. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cook, then toss with the sesame oil so the strands stay loose and separate rather than gluing themselves into a brick.
2. Whisk the tamari, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest and lime juice with 1 tsp sesame oil in a small bowl. Set it by the hob — once the pan is hot, things move fast.
3. Heat 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil in a large wok or heavy frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, then add it to the pan in two batches and press into a thin layer. Crowd it all in at once and water leaches out and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. Let each batch sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook until no longer pink and catching gold at the edges, about 4 minutes more per batch.
4. Return all the pork to the pan, push it to one side and add the remaining garlic-infused oil along with the grated ginger. Stir for 30 seconds, no more — you want it fragrant, not bitter. Garlic-infused oil tips from gold to burnt in a heartbeat, so watch it.
5. Tip in the red pepper and carrot and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until the pepper has softened slightly but still holds a proper crunch.
6. Pour the glaze around the edge of the pan so it hits the hot metal and bubbles immediately. Toss everything for 30–60 seconds until glossy and lightly reduced, coating the pork and veg in a sticky lacquer.
7. Add the drained noodles and toss gently with tongs, lifting from underneath so every strand picks up the sauce and warms through. Taste now — most of the salt comes from the tamari and fish sauce, but it may want another pinch, or another squeeze of lime to sharpen things up. Adjust here, not at the table.
8. Pile into bowls and finish with the spring onion greens, coriander, a scatter of toasted sesame seeds and a lime wedge tucked against the rim of each bowl for squeezing over.