Tofu and Beef Noodles

Ingredients

500g lean beef, cut into strips

2x 300g packets firm tofu, cut into large cubes

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1.5 cm ginger, finely diced

2 medium zucchinis, sliced

2 medium carrots, sliced

150g rice noodles, prepared according to packet

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons chilli bean paste

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine)

1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1/4 cup warm water to form a paste

1 tablespoon Schezuen peppercorns

2 dried red chillies

Method

1. Heat up the wok and add Schezuen peppercorns. Dry toast until fragrant. Remove from wok, place in a mortar and pestle with the red chillies and pound to a coarse powder.

2. In the same wok, add a little oil, the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry until the onion starts to soften.

3. Add the beef and fry until it starts to brown. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, chilli bean paste, sugar and Shaoxing wine.

4. Add vegetables and fry for 1 minute. Add rice noodles and stir fry for a further minute.

5. Add the cornflour mix and swirl it into the bottom of the wok. Add tofu carefully and stir fry gently for a further 2-3 minutes to heat the tofu. The sauce should start to thicken.

6. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Sprinkle the pepper and chilli on the top. 

Tips

• You can fry the tofu pieces before adding to stir fry if  you want them to hold their shape better and give the dish a bit of crunch. Coat the cubed tofu in flour and shallow fry until they start to colour. Drain on paper towels. Don't add tofu to stir fry, but add on top after serving.
• You can use any other vegetables you like, I only had carrots and zucchini on hand, but any Asian vegetables, broccolli, cauliflower etc will work very well.
• You can also substitute the rice noodles for hokkien, or omit noodles completely and service with rice.