Asian Inspired Ragout with Rice Noodles

I came up with this dish because I am a big fan of Asian recipes. I thought I could spice up a traditional Italian dish a give it a little Asian kick. In total, it took me about 30 minutes to prepare. It is super easy to make and it tastes delicious!

You will need:

1/2 KG of lean ground beef
2 Onions chopped
1/2 head of garlic finely chopped
2 chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 Inch cube of fresh ginger
1 fresh chili
1 Tsp of oregano
1 Tsp of paprika
2 Tsps of ground coriander
1 Tsp of ground cumin
1 Tsp of olive oil
Salt to taste.
1 package of chinese rice noodles

For the ragout:

In a pan or wok heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Then, add the ground beef and cook together until meat starts to brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Let it simmer together for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, in a blender or food processor, add the ginger together with the green pepper and chili and blend together with a few tablespoons of water to form a paste. Then, add the paste into the pan and add all your spices. Let this simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes.

For the noodles:

Put the rice noodles in a bowl and fill the bowl with water and some salt. Put the bowl in the microwave and microwave for 5 minutes. Once this is done, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then, drain the water. I discovered that cooking the noodles this way, rather than boiling them, prevents them from becoming sticky and mushy. (Which sometimes tends to happen with these delicate noodles.)
Once the ragout is cooked, mix in the noodles.

Serve with your favourite glass of red wine and buon appetito!