- 5 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish)
- 1 pound lean sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into strips
- 10 ounces soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 3 cups dashi stock, made with dashi powder
- 1 sheet nori (Japanese seaweed), cut into thin strips
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Mix together 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the garlic, cornstarch, and wasabi in a medium-size bowl. Add the beef and stir until well coated; set aside.
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook 5 minutes or according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat a wok or heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until really hot. Add half of the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Toss in the red pepper, scallions, and mushrooms and stir-fry until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon. Drain the noodles well and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the wok. Add the beef and stir-fry until just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with the slotted spoon.
- Pour the stock and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce into the wok and add the noodles and vegetables with the nori and cilantro. Toss well, then add the beef and toss again. Pile the noodles, vegetables, and beef into bowls and spoon the broth over.