Spring Onion & Black Bean Noodles with Chilli Oil

Ingredients

• 2 Bunches Spring Onions (about 200g), trimmed
• 100ml Vegetable Oil
• 400g Cooked Black Beans
• 3 Nests of Dried Medium Egg Noodles
• 3 to 4 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Japanese Rice Vinegar (or balsamic vinegar works too)
• 1 ½ tsp Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• Sesame Seeds and Crispy Chilli Oil, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Cut the spring onions into 5 cm, then cut each piece lengthways into strips. (This is the best way to cut them, but if you’re short on time just roughly chop them into 1–2 cm chunks.)
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Set aside a small amount of the spring onions to garnish, then add the rest to the oil with a small pinch of salt. Fry, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and fragrant and the beans are soft and broken down.
3. Just before the beans and onions are ready, prepare the noodles according to the pack instructions.
4. To the beans add 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons of the sugar and the sesame oil and stir together. Taste and see if you need to add more soy or sugar. Take off the heat and stir in the warm noodles.
5. Divide among shallow bowls and garnish with the reserved spring onions, some toasted sesame seeds and crispy chilli oil, if you like.