Dan Dan Noodles

Ingredients
•500 g (17.6oz) Rib-eye steaks
•1 tsp Szechuan pepper
•1 Pinch Chinese five-spice
•1 2 cm piece of fresh ginger
•0.5 Red chilli
•2 Cloves of garlic
•4 Limes or lemons
•1 Bunch fresh coriander
•150 g (5.3oz) Sugar snap peas
•2 Bok choi
•200 g (7.1oz) Sprouting broccoli
•1 tbsp Black bean sauce
•6 tbsp Chilli oil
•4 tbsp Soy sauce
•200 g (7.1oz) Beansprouts
•8 Spring onions
•400 g (14.1oz) Dried medium egg noodles
•1 Organic beef stock cube
•1 Squeeze of runny honey
•1 tbsp Olive oil
•1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
•1 Pinch of pepper
•1 Pinch of salt

Method :
TO START

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Fill and boil the kettle. Put a griddle pan on a high heat and a large saucepan on a low heat. Get out 4 serving bowls.

STEAKS

Put the meat on a wooden board and sprinkle salt & pepper from a height over the meat and board. Pound the Szechuan pepper using a pestle & mortar. Put a tiny pinch in each serving bowl, then sprinkle the rest over the meat along with a really good pinch of five-spice. Drizzle a little olive oil over the meat and board, then rub the meat all over the board so it picks up the flavours really well.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Pour boiling water into the large saucepan. Turn the heat up to high and cover with a lid. Fill and reboil the kettle. Pour 1½ to 2 tablespoons of chilli oil and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce into each serving bowl. Crush 1 unpeeled clove of garlic and divide the pulped flesh between the bowls.
STEAKS

Put the steaks on the hot griddle pan to cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, or until cooked to your liking. Use tongs to turn them while you get on with other jobs.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Get the garnishes ready. Put the beansprouts in a serving bowl with the coriander and take to the table.

GREENS

Season the boiling water with a pinch of salt and add the sugar snap peas. Flip over the board you dressed the meat on, then halve the bok choi. Trim the ends off the broccoli lengthways, then add to the pan with the bok choi and sugar snap peas. Put the lid on.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Trim and finely slice the spring onions and divide them between the serving bowls. (Don’t forget to check the steaks – they should be perfect now.)

STEAKS

Get a clean board, drizzle it with olive oil and lay your steaks on top. Take the griddle pan off the heat. Peel the ginger then finely grate it, with the chilli and garlic, over the steaks, just to flavour and perfume. Squeeze over the lime juice.

GREENS

Spoon 1 heaped dessertspoon of black bean sauce into the middle of a platter and spread around. Squeeze over the lemon or lime juice and drizzle over a lug of olive oil. Use tongs and a slotted spoon to fish out all the peas and greens, holding them up for a minute to let some of the excess water drip away, then pile on top of the black bean sauce. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and take to the table to toss and dress at the last minute.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Add the nests of noodles to the water you used for the greens, with 1 stock cube. Squeeze a few drips of lemon juice and a thimble amount of honey into each serving bowl.

STEAKS

Slice the steaks at an angle into 1cm strips, then toss so they mop up all the flavourful juices on the board. Tear over the coriander and take to the table.

DAN DAN NOODLES

Use tongs to divide the noodles between the bowls. Ladle over a little broth and take to the table. Get everyone to toss their noodles, then assemble their own bowl by pimping it with garnishes and adding a pinch of beansprouts, some coriander leaves, some greens, a few strips of steak and a squeeze or two of lime juice.