Shanghai Noodles

• I start by getting the garlic diced and onions ready.
• I cut the onions in half, peel them, then cut into wedges. They go in just like that. Some of them will separate in the wok and others will come out as tasty little onion wedges.
• I cut some broccoli crowns and cauliflower into decent bite-sized pieces and finally slice up about 1/2 dozen good-sized mushrooms.
• Peel and devein your prawns.

Timing, steaming and cooking order is the trick to this dish. When I lived in Calgary a long time ago my landlord was a wonderful Chinese chef who owned an awesome restaurant. I did some deliveries for him and was always amazed at how skillfully and quickly he made incredible food with nothing but a few woks and some pots of boiling water.

• Turn on your wok and add a good amount of sesame oil. You want to cover the bottom and sides
• Add in your beef and garlic.
• Once they start to cook, add in the peeled prawns (the prawns are the only thing that you have to be careful to fully cook so add them early.)
• As the prawns start to pink up, add the cauliflower and broccoli,
• use about a 1/4 cup of wine and a 1/4 cup of water to steam everything with the cover on. Steaming will take about 5 minutes. You don't want the veggies soft but resist the urge to lift the lid every couple of minutes to check them.
• Once everything's looking great, stir in your mushrooms, water chestnuts and snow peas if you're using them and a package of noodles.
• Give it all a really good stir. Add a good amount of black bean sauce and about the same for oyster sauce. Another good stir to mix everything together and presto: amazing, fresh, healthy, quick and mouth-watering Shanghai Noodles!