Wonton Noodle Stir-Fry

Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, carefully add the eggs and cook 7 minutes for soft-boiled, or until your desired degree of doneness. Leaving the pot of water boiling, using a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully transfer the eggs to a strainer. Rinse under cold water 30 seconds to 1 minute to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, peel the cooked eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Halve the zucchini lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. Cut off and discard the stem of the pepper. Halve lengthwise; remove the ribs and seeds, then thinly slice lengthwise. Thinly slice the celery on an angle. Peel the ginger; finely chop to get 2 teaspoons (you may have extra).Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic.Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops.In a bowl, combine the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, and sliced white bottoms of the scallions.In a bowl, combine the black bean sauce, soy sauce, and as much of the sambal oelek as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be.

Separate the beef; pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned beef in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned and just cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

In the pan of reserved fond, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced zucchini in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the sliced pepper, sliced celery, and prepared ginger, garlic, and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, add the noodles to the same pot of boiling water, stirring gently to separate. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly.

To the pan of cooked vegetables, add the cooked beef, cooked noodles and sauce (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until combined and the noodles are coated. Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished stir-fry topped with the seasoned eggs. Garnish with the sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!