Black Pepper Sirloin Noodles with Cucumber & Spring Onion

It is quite rare to use black pepper as at the main flavouring ingredient rather than as a condiment. The only example I can think of is the ubiquitous and rather retro peppercorn sauce to go with a steak. Actually, this is partially where I got the inspiration for the dish, along with a faint memory of eating some cracking pepper-hot stir-fry dishes in Cambodia. I used fat Udon noodles here as I love them. Use whatever noodles float your boat. For two:

Ingredients:

Sirloin - 250g, trimmed of all fat and sinew, sliced finely

Spring onions - 1 bunch, finely sliced

Garlic - 3 cloves, peeled and sliced

Cucumber - 1/2, seeds removed and finely shredded

Onion - 1 small, peeled and finely sliced

Ground nut oil - 2 tbsp

Soft brown sugar - 1 tsp

Light soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp

Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp

Black pepper - 1 tbsp, crushed in a pestle and mortar

Noodles of your choice - 200g cooked weight

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until smoking hot. Str fry the beef quickly with half the oil until seared all over and cooked medium rare. Remove to a warm plate with a slotted spoon then return the pan to the heat. Quickly stir-fry the onion with the remainder of the oil until slightly softened and starting to brown. Add the garlic, the black pepper and the spring onions and fry for another minute or so. Toss in the noodles and fry hard for another minute or so. Add the soy sauce, the sugar, oyster sauce, cucumber and return the beef to the pan. Keep stir-frying to heat through and taste. Add more soy if required and serve - I like to reserve a little raw cucumber and spring onion as a garnish.