Asian Spaghetti

Make it and people will make sounds when they eat this divinely simple dish.  Serving with chopsticks as the implement of choice is a must!

Start with browning beef in a little peanut oil.   Brown your beef and add nicely diced onion.  Now when this is all hot and the onions are soft, add sherry.  This should all be sizzling and steaming.  Reduced this until the puddle of liquid is gone from the bottom of your pan.  Now add your can of tomato paste.  Stir.  Add Soy sauce.  Stir.  Add Sugar.  Stir.  Now are your chili flakes.  Stir.  Taste!  Now season with Salt and Pepper as needed.  This is moist sauce not drippy or sloppy.  So if you have too much liquid cook that off.

To serve, arrange your linguini or spaghetinni in your favorite large pasta bowl.  Everyone should have an enormous asian bowl.  So, plate the pasta then add your sauce on top.  This is excellent as it is, but best to add slivered green onion and drizzle with a little sesame oil.  To take this a little further you can add some fresh crisp bean sprouts and finely slivered gherkins on top.  Also, I’ve made this by adding Hoisin sauce to all of this – it’s spectacularly delicious as an addition.

I promise, your people will love this.  And, the aromas while you cook this simple dish will make you happy, too.  Don’t forget your glass of wine.  You deserve it.

Recipe: In your favorite large bottom sauce pan – not a deep pan as you don’t want to steam your meat.  Browning and reducing is what we are doing here.

2lbs ground beef

Peanut oil (enough to drizzle in pan-  2-tbsp?)

a large diced cooking onion

1/4 cup soy sauce

small can tomato paste

1/2 cup sherry

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

chilli flakes

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown)

freshly chopped green onion

Sesame oil

Fresh cold crisp bean sprouts and finely slivered gherkins.

Variation: add Hoisin sauce

When you taste your beef mixture when all the ingredients are added, make sure to balance the flavors with salt and fresh black pepper.  As well salt your pasta water before you cook your pasta – this is a must.