Chow mein

Ingredients

500 g beef mince

2 tsp oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, sliced thinly, diagonally

2 sticks celery, diced

1 small wedge cabbage, shredded

125 g green beans, sliced diagonally

2 tsp mild curry powder (optional)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp tomato sauce

3/4 cup water or beef stock

2 tsp cornflour

2 spring onions, shredded

Place beef mince in a bowl and mix in a little oil. Heat a large frypan or a wok, ensure it is hot. Crumble in half of the mince. Cook, stirring often until mince is beginning to brown. Remove the first batch, reheat the frypan, cook the remaining mince and then remove.
Reheat the frypan, add the oil, heat oil and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the cabbage and beans, cook for a further minute.
Return the mince to the frypan, cook for 1 minute. Push the mince mixture out to the side. Add the curry powder, cook stirring for 30 seconds. Pour in the combined soy, oyster and tomato sauces, water or stock and cornflour, stir as it comes to the boil. Stir to mix the sauce with the mince mixture for 1 minute or until hot. Spoon the mince into serving bowls, sprinkle with spring onions.

Buying and storing mince: refer to use-by-dates on packaged mince and use well within that time. Loose mince purchased from the butcher is best used within 1 to 2 days of buying it.
Mince can be frozen for 2-3 months. Lay it out flat to freeze, then it will defrost evenly and quickly.
Thaw frozen mince in the fridge, or in the microwave. Thaw it on the lowest shelf in the fridge, below and or away from any ready to eat food. If you thaw mince in the microwave it must be cooked right away.