Sticky Soy Beef Noodles With Pak Choi

Ingredients

• 500 g beef sirloin or rump steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 200 g pak choi, halved lengthways
• 300 g egg noodles
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the egg noodles to pack instructions. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop them cooking, and toss with half the sesame oil so they don't clag together. Set aside.
2. Stir the oyster sauce, soy sauce, honey and rice vinegar together in a small bowl until smooth — that splash of vinegar is what stops the glaze going one-note sweet.
3. Pat the sliced beef 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 or heavy stainless pan screaming hot over maximum heat — you want it smoking. Add the vegetable oil, then lay the beef in a single layer. Work in two batches if you need to: crowd the pan and the beef boils in its own juices instead of caramelising. Sear for 1–2 minutes without touching until the underside is deeply mahogany, then flip and cook for 30 seconds more. Lift out onto a plate; it should still be pink in the middle.
5. Drop the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger to the wok. Stir for 30 seconds until just fragrant and pale gold — don't let the garlic burn or the whole dish turns bitter. Add the pak choi and toss for 2 minutes until the leaves are bright green and wilted but the stems still have crunch.
6. Return the beef and any resting juices to the wok. Pour in the sauce and let it bubble and reduce for 20–30 seconds, swirling the pan so it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon — this is your pan sauce, not a paste. Taste it: most of the salt comes from the soy and oyster, but adjust now if it needs a final pinch.
7. Add the noodles and toss for a further minute, lifting from the bottom so every strand picks up the mahogany glaze and everything is piping hot.
8. Tip into bowls, drizzle with the remaining sesame oil, scatter over the spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately while the noodles are still glossy.