Quick noodles with steak (easy to make!)

Pippa: ‘When I no longer had the time and energy to make stock myself, I stopped eating them at home altogether, apart from stock made from cubes. But I began to miss them and experimented with different ways to make a good, flavorful stock quickly. You need a good basic stock here, but don’t worry: you can buy it anywhere if you don’t have time to make it yourself.

During the long, slow simmering process, fat and sinews dissolve into the stock and give it body, texture and a delicious meaty flavor. But braising beef is not quick, so here we use bavette for a truly speedy version.’

Heat 2 tablespoons of beef fat or oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir-fry the ginger, garlic and white part of the spring onions for 30 seconds, until they begin to release their aroma.

Stir-fry the onion and doubanjiang for 1 minute, then add the tomato. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until everything is well combined. Pour in the stock and add the soy sauce, sugar and black pepper. Stir well and leave to simmer gently while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat 1 tablespoon of beef fat or oil in a heavy-based non-stick frying pan until very hot. Fry the bavettes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned all over. Remove them from the pan and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and add the noodles and meatballs. Cook according to the instructions on the package. Add the pak choi for the final minute of cooking. Drain and divide the noodles, meatballs and pak choi among four bowls.

Taste the stock and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Ladle the hot stock over the noodles. Slice the bavette against the grain and place it on top. Garnish with cilantro and spring onion.