Hot and Sour Noodles

I haven't posted a recipe for quite some time, so I thought I might share one of my favorite noodle dishes with you. I cook Chinese food a lot and this side dish is pretty popular in the Junior household. I usually serve it in small portions along with egg fried rice as an accompaniment to the main course, so this recipe should be enough for up to 6 people.

Ingredients
2 tsp cornflour
12 fl oz cold water
6 tbs yellow bean sauce
Few drops of chili oil (depends how hot you like it)
1 tbs light soy sauce
3 tbs rice vinegar
3 tbs sugar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbs of sesame seeds, roasted and lightly crushed
12 oz of fine noodles

Method
Gradually mix the cornflour and water then add the bean sauce, chili oil, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil.

Put the vegetable oil in a wok and heat over a medium heat, add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few seconds (don’t let the garlic brown) then add the spring onions. Cook for one minute then add the cornflour mixture, stirring until the sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling water, drain, stir in the sauce, add the sesame seeds, toss and serve.

P.S. If you don't have chili oil, you can use a red chili pepper instead - deseeded and finely chopped, fry it up with the garlic and ginger. For a fuller, more authentic flavor: if you can get hold of a jar of Ma Po sauce, substitute a table-spoon of that for the chili oil.

Political note: ABC has recipes for John McCain's Ribs and Obama Family Chili but nothing from Hillary Clinton - not even her chocolate-chip cookies.