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Recipe: Beef noodles with black mushrooms.

Serves two.
Depending on size, take about seven to ten dried black mushrooms (“Shitake” in Japanese or “Het Hom” in Thai) and soak them in warm water until they’re limp. Discard the tough stems and slice the mushrooms into thin strips. Drain and set aside. Also reserve a cup of fresh straw mushrooms or button mushrooms sliced in halves or quarters. Cut six to eight stalks of spring onion (Ton Hom) length-wise into long strips and reserve.
Take 200 grams of filet beef and sliver it into bite size pieces. Put the meat in a bowl and add a tablespoon of dry or medium sherry, a tablespoon of fragrant sesame oil, a little chopped garlic, a dash of black soy sauce (Japanese will do) and two teaspoons of corn - or tapioca starch. Mix and let it stand for a while.
Meanwhile, bring some chicken stock to a boil, loosen the strands of four bunches of fresh wheat noodles and cook them briefly until just done but still firm. Pour them into a sieve, douse with cold water and drain.
Heat three tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok over a hot fire and add the marinated beef as well as the dark mushrooms. Stir for a few minutes and add the other vegetables. Stir and add the noodles. Mix. The best way to do this is with large kitchen chopsticks but two forks will also suffice. Add a tablespoon of oyster sauce and soy as well as sesame oil to taste. If you like things hot, add some large red chillies without seeds cut in strips. One may also serve the meat and mushroom mixture over the hot noodles. Serve immediately.