This is my comfort food. A tasty mountain of delicious noodles. This recipe has it all. Tender ribbons of perfectly spiced beef, lots of bright veggies and a fist full of crunchy peanuts. Just follow the rule of all stir-fries and have all ingredients prepped near the stove. Always have near you a small bowl of water, extra oil than the recipe calls for, Justin Timberlake’s “can’t stop the feeling”, and no kids in the kitchen. You don’t want distractions when stir-frying. Just good energy and the eagerness of what you will be devouring very, very soon.

For the marinade

• 500 grams beef fillet, cut in strips
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 Tbs dry sherry
• 1 Tbs cornflour
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs soft brown sugar

For the sauce

• 1 Tbs dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbs oyster sauce
• 2 Tbs sweet chilli sauce
• 1 Tbs dry sherry
• 2 Tbs soft brown sugar
• 1 Tbs sesame oil

For the noodles

• 250 grams thin egg noodles or thin pasta
• 2 Tbs olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 hot chilli pepper, sliced (discard seeds)
• 1 carrot in ribbons
• 1 sweet red pepper cut into strips
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/3 cup, salted, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Method

Put beef strips in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients for the marinade and mix. Set aside while you prepare the reamining ingredients.

Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside, near the stove.

Cook the noodles in plenty of salted water 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

In a wok or large frying pan, add the oil over high heat. Stir fry the beef in 2 or 3 batches for about 1 minute until just cooked. Remove beef in a bowl.

Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chilli in the wok. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until onion is soft. Add the carrots and red pepper. Stir fry for a minute more until veggies are a bit softer but still have a crunch.

Add noodles, the sauce and cooked beef. Stir to mix and cook a minute longer. Add the spring onions and lime juice. Garnish with the peanuts and serve.