Vietnamese-Style Chilli Lean Beef Meatball Noodles

Boil a kettle

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) your ginger

Top, tail, peel and chop your carrot[s] into thin batons

Roughly chop your roasted peanuts

Place your rice noodles into a bowl and cover with boiled water

Set aside for 12-15 min to soften

Once softened, drain the noodles and set aside

Add your mince to a bowl with half the chopped garlic, half the chopped ginger (save the rest for later!) and your beef stock mix

Mix thoroughly until fully combined – this is your beef mixture

Divide the beef mixture, shape them into 3 meatballs per person and flatten them slightly

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan and cook for 2 min on each side or until nicely browned

Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, covered, for a further 6 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!)

Meanwhile, combine the remaining chopped garlic and remaining chopped ginger in a bowl with your soy sauce, chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] sugar

Give everything a good mix up – this is your Vietnamese- style dressing

Once the meatballs are browned, add the sliced carrot to the pan and cook, covered, for 4-5 min or until starting to soften and the meatballs are cooked through (no pink meat!)

Once soft, add your sweet pea pods and cook, uncovered, for 1 min further

Add the Vietnamese-style dressing to the pan along with the drained noodles and a splash of the reserved starchy noodle water

Mix well until everything is nicely coated in the dressing – these are your Vietnamese-style chilli meatball noodles