Slippery wide rice noodles tossed with seared beef, peppers and fermented black beans. The takeaway favourite rebuilt with rice noodles and tamari so it is genuinely coeliac-safe.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
15 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.05
Difficulty
medium
Fermented black beans are salted soybeans, not the tinned black beans of Mexican cooking, and they carry a savoury depth that no bottled sauce quite matches. Rinsing and crushing them releases that flavour into the oil.
Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon of the tamari and 1 teaspoon of the cornflour and set aside for 10 minutes.
Soak or boil the rice noodles according to the packet until just pliable but still firm - they will finish cooking in the wok. Drain, rinse under cold water and toss with a teaspoon of oil so they do not weld together.
Undercooking the noodles by a minute is the single best thing you can do for wide rice noodles.
Stir together the remaining tamari, the sherry, sugar, stock and the remaining 2 teaspoons of cornflour.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok until smoking. Sear the beef in two batches, about 90 seconds each, and lift out onto a plate.
Add the last tablespoon of oil, then the onion and peppers. Stir-fry over a high heat for 3 minutes so they blister at the edges but keep their bite.
Add the garlic, ginger and crushed black beans and stir for 45 seconds until the kitchen smells savoury and sharp.
Pour in the sauce and let it bubble and thicken for a minute, then add the noodles and toss with tongs until every strand is coated and glossy.
Return the beef and its juices, toss for 30 seconds and serve topped with the shredded spring onions.