Black bean beef noodles with cauliflower

Ingredients

Method

1. 1Pat 360 g british beef steaks dry. Season both sides with the sea salt and black pepper and leave at room temperature while you prep.
2. 2Cut the cauliflower into small bite-size florets. Trim and slice the spring onions, keeping white and green parts separate. Rinse the fermented black beans, then roughly chop. Finely chop the garlic cloves.
3. 3Put a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over a high heat until it is smoking hot. Add 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil, then lay in the steaks and leave undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until deeply browned with dark grill marks.
4. 4Flip and cook 2–3 minutes more for medium-rare (or until a probe reads about 52°C and the meat still gives softly). Rest on a plate, loosely tented, for 5 minutes.
5. 5Meanwhile bring a stockpot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the medium egg noodles until just tender, then drain and toss with a drop of sunflower oil so they do not clump.
6. 6Heat a wok over the highest heat until smoking. Add the remaining sunflower oil, tip in the cauliflower and stir-fry 3–4 minutes until the edges are browned and the stems are crisp-tender.
7. 7Add the garlic, fermented black beans, spring onion whites and chilli flakes. Stir-fry 30–45 seconds until the garlic smells sweet and the beans smell deep and savoury.
8. 8Splash in the soy sauce, sugar and 3 tbsp water. Tip in the drained noodles and toss hard for 1 minute so every strand is coated and glossy.
9. 9Slice the rested steaks thinly across the grain. Add the beef and any resting juices to the wok with the toasted sesame oil and spring onion greens. Toss once or twice just to warm through, taste, and add a splash more soy if needed.
10. 10Divide between two warm bowls and serve straight away while the noodles are still slick and the beef edges are still pink. Finish with a squeeze of lime to lift it.