Sizzling Beef & Pepper Noodles

Ingredients

• 500 g beef sirloin or rump steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 300 g egg noodles
• 2 mixed peppers, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Cook the egg noodles in well-salted water according to the pack — even with a sauce this punchy, the noodles need their own seasoning. Drain, toss with a few drops of the sesame oil to stop them clagging, and set aside.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey and chilli flakes together in a small bowl. Taste it — most of the salt comes from the soy, but you want sweet, salty and sharp all pulling their weight.
3. Pat the beef slices dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper. Wet meat steams instead of searing, and you want a proper crust here.
4. Get a wok screaming hot over maximum heat — you should see a wisp of smoke. Add the vegetable oil, then the beef in a single layer. Don't crowd it; work in two batches if you need to, because all at once and the pan drops temperature, water comes out, and you've boiled the beef instead of searing it. Leave untouched for 1–2 minutes until deeply caramelised underneath, toss for 30 seconds more — still pink in the middle — then lift out onto a plate.
5. Throw the peppers into the same hot wok and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just tender with proper char at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, no more — just until fragrant. Burnt garlic turns the whole stir-fry bitter, so watch it like a hawk.
6. Pour the sauce straight into the wok and let it bubble and reduce for 20 seconds — you want it glossy, not pasty. Return the beef and any resting juices, toss to coat, then add the noodles and toss for a minute more until everything is slick and heated through. Taste a strand: adjust now with a splash more soy or a squeeze of lime if you have one — at the end, not at the table.
7. Drizzle over the remaining sesame oil and tumble everything onto a warm platter. Scatter the spring onions and toasted sesame seeds across the top and bring it to the table straight from the wok, still hissing.