Pork satay with rice noodles

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
pinch of dried chilli flakes 
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges 
2 spring onions, cut into thin slices 

For the peanut sauce 
30g salted peanuts, toasted 
2 tbsps caster sugar 
2 bird's eye chillis, chopped 
1 tbsp fish sauce 
1 tsp sesame oil 
1 lime, juiced 

For the stir-fry 
2 strips of Pad Thai rice noodles 
2 tbsps stir fry oil (or vegetable) 
2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced 
300g pork fillet, cut into thin slices 
1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine  
1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
100g pak Choy, leaves whole, stalks cut 
1 carrot, cut into batons 
3 baby corn, cut into 2 or 3 depending on how big they are 
150g sugar snap peas 
1 tbsp light soy sauce 
30g salted peanuts, toasted 

Method
To make the peanut sauce, crush the peanuts in a pestle and mortar (or in a bowl with a rolling pin).  This will take a few minutes, stop before they become a paste. Add the sugar and chillis and crush again until incorporated, then add the fish sauce and sesame oil and continue to crush together until a thin paste forms. Add the lime juice and stir to mix well. Check you are happy with the seasoning and adjust to taste.   

Soak the noodles in warm water for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time to stop them sticking together.  Test after 5 mins and if still too hard, continue soaking for another min before checking again.  When you are happy with how soft they are, drain. Use warm and not boiling water so that they do not overcook and break up in the wok. 

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking, add the stir fry oil and carefully give it a swirl. Add the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds to release the aroma.  Add the pork don't stir for roughly 30 seconds so that they seal and start to colour. Stir so that the ginger does not catch and then ensure the pork pieces have all been turned over to brown the other side. 

Add the rice wine and the dark soy sauce and stir.  Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for a min or so until they look like they have softened.  Add the peanut sauce and stir and then the drained noodles, toss well and cook for another min until all the ingredients are well coated in the sauce. Take off the heat and season with the light soy sauce. Sprinkle in the peanuts and give it one last toss. 

To serve, divide the noodle mixture between two plates, top with the chilli flakes, lime quarters and spring onions. 

- Recipe taken from Wok On by Ching-He Huang