Pantry staples. I love you. Yesterday, I got home after going to work in the morning (and only sleeping about 2 hours), I was famished. So, as I was wondering if death would come swiftly, I turned to my pantry/fridge and saw some of my staples. Garlic (tons of garlic), yellow onion, ground beef, pasta/noodles, sambal olek (I had some gochuchang, but I used it all up. Note to self, time. to go back to the asian market). I made this easy, quick spicy sambal noodles in less than 30 mins!

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil 
1 lb ground beef
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 onion, finely diced 
1 can of tomatoes
13 oz noodles (it can be ramen, rice noodles, pasta, etc)
finely sliced spring onion (scallions), to serve 
chilli flakes, to serve (optional) 
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce ingredients

3 tbsp oyster sauce 
2 tbsp sambal oelek or gochujang. (If you dont like spicy food, begin with a tablespoon and check the seasoning)
1 tsp of soy sauce
2 tsp dark sweet soy sauce 
a pinch of sugar

How to:

1. For the stir-fry sauce, mix the ingredients in a small bowl. 
   
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan (I used my 12 inch non stick pan) over high heat. Add the beef and spread it out in the pan. Leave it to sear for 5-6 minutes or until very dark (like you were making smash burgers) Then mix and break up the beef with your spatula. Now add the garlic and onion and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. 
   
3. While the tomato-beef mix stew, cook the noodles until just al dente (if using pasta, say spaguetti, cook for 2 mins before the box). If the sauce is not ready, rinse them under cold running water to stop them cooking. If the sauce is ready, transfer them straight into the sauce. 
   
4. Toss the cooked noodles through the sauce. Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with spring onions, sesame seeds, and chilli flakes!

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