Tantalisingly tender sirloin steak with savoury sautéed garlic mushrooms floating in an umami-rich broth, sitting on slippery slurp-erlicious udon. This minimalistic broth is so good, it has me making up words just to describe it!

The foundation of any good noodle dish is the broth, and the secret ingredient to this flavour sensation of a broth is a good splash of my Luck Dragon Asian Sauce, which gives it instant complexity, deep umami flavours and just the right amount of heat, without having to laboriously layer ingredients and simmer for hours. Which means this beauty can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
Did you know? Udon literally means ‘wheat noodle’ in Japanese, so when you hear someone say Udon noodles, it’s like saying ‘wheat noodle noodle’. Udon is a favourite choice in Japan for its quick cooking and characteristic texture. They are thick noodles with a firm yet supple elasticity and a chewy yet soft bite, which is called a ‘mochi-mochi’ texture in Japanese. 
Chef Dylan's tips. 1. Make sure you do use Luck Dragon to flavour the broth otherwise it will be bland and boring. 2. Take your time to really sauté the mushrooms with the butter to make them nice and browned. 3. Don’t add the garlic too soon or it will burn; you want the mushrooms to really soak up the buttery goodness, then add the garlic. 5. Buy quality sirloin so it is tender and delicious. 6. You can get fancy with the mushrooms if you like by adding king oyster, enoki, shiitake and shimeji. 7. Cut the bottom 1/2 of the stems off the coriander and discard, place the remaining stems in a glass of water in the fridge with
the leaves exposed to keep the leaves from wilting and they will stay nice and fresh for
up to a week.
Memory Lane - Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 2004
The early evening heat still clings, the temperature a stifling 28°C. My stomach grumbles, looking forward to the Japanese Udon meal arriving soon. I clutch two crimson dice, their edges digging into my palm. "Vamos, Dylan!" David's voice, a fervent battle cry, echoes through the room. His dark curls cascade down his shoulders, his blue eyes shimmering with determination. “¡Defensa, amigo!" he urges, his enthusiasm infectious. I glance down at the sprawling world map spread across the worn dining table, amidst the remnants of the evening – half-filled ashtrays and discarded bottle caps. Regiments of red and yellow toy soldiers, miniature horses, and cannons lay siege to different countries. "Venga!" Antonio's voice, rich with anticipation, fills the air as he hurls three azure dice into the small plastic arena. "Cinco, cinco, dos," he says, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he rubs his hands together. I offer the dice a superstitious blow, then release them into the arena.
We all lean in, our collective breaths held, watching the fate of empires teeter on the edge of chance. "Cinco, cinco – a tie!" David's voice booms triumphantly. “Dios Mio," Antonio grumbles, placing both palms on his forehead, invoking the heavens for mercy. "Por favor, Padre," he pleads, his eyes fixed on the dice, already preparing for another throw. I reach for some solace – a sip of calimocho, the local concoction of chilled coke and regional red wine that seems to fuel the spirits of the young in this far-fetched outpost of the Spanish colony. Calimocho's sweet tang revitalises me, preparing for the climax of a four-hour battle. It's come down to this moment, where I, with only three soldiers left, must stop his three soldiers and thwart Antonio's ambitious plan of world domination. "Seis, seis, cuatro!" Antonio exclaims, his fist clenched, confident of victory, then transforming into a silent prayer of gratitude. "¡Defensa, defensa!” David's voice rises, urging me to hold my ground.
I blow on the dice for luck and cast them into the arena - four, three. "¡Vamooooooooooos!" Antonio shouts, his tone echoing a triumphant roar. My forces in Oceania dwindle; a single red warrior stands against the impending yellow tide. I reach for the dice, but now, there's only one left. One die against three – the odds, it seems, are insurmountable. Antonio begins his ritual, cupping the dice between his hands and blowing softly. David quickly rises, his hands begin massaging my shoulders, his words a soothing whisper in my ear. "Esta bien, hermano. Don't panic. You can still win this." Antonio, his eyes skyward, mumbles a prayer, hands now tracing the sign of the cross upon his heavily tattooed, naked chest. With a flick of his hands, the dice spin into the arena. "¡Cuatro, cuatro, cinco!" he declares, his voice laced with tension, hands sliding up and down his face. He pulls on his cheeks stretching the bottom eyelids, exposing his eyeballs. Time slows, the room seems to pulse, and I release the die. It bounces, ricocheting off every corner of the arena. Wide-eyed, I watch, my breath caught in my throat. We all lean in, our gazes fixed, and finally, the dice settle. Suddenly we all turn to the loud sound of the buzzer coming from the intercom to inform us our food delivery has arrived.
Prep 15 Cook serves 4
Ingredients
·      400g Udon noodle
·      1x 300g Sirloin
·      200g mushrooms, chopped
·      3 tbs butter
·      3 tbs oil
·      1 tsp salt
·      1/2 small brown onion, diced
·      4 cloves garlic, minced
·      2 litre beef stock
·      100ml Luck Dragon Asian sauce*
·      1/4 bunch chopped coriander
*Chef Dylan’s Gourmet Food Co.
 Luck Dragon Asian sauce
Method.
1.    Heat a large frypan on medium heat and add oil and butter. As the butter froths, add in the mushrooms and turn up the heat to medium high. Let them cook without moving them for ~2 mins to give good colour on one side, add salt, then toss to flip them over. Cook for another min.
2.    Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan, add some oil to the pan and add the onion, sprinkle the garlic on top of the mushrooms while the onions sizzle for 1 min, then stir to combine onion, mushrooms, garlic and cook for another
1 minute, stirring until cooked. 
3.    Scrape out the onion, mushroom mix into a big enough saucepan placed on the heat and add in beef stock and Luck Dragon Asian sauce and turn the heat down
to medium.
4.    Bring broth to a simmer then turn
down to low.
5.    While the broth simmers clean the frypan and heat to medium high and season and cook the steak to your liking. Then let rest.
6.    Add Udon to the broth and turn up the heat to medium high to bring to a boil then turn back down and simmer for 5 mins.
7.    Slice up the steak in thin strips and add juices to the broth.
8.    Use tongs to remove the noodles onto serving bowls then ladle the broth on top
9.    Add sliced beef and chopped coriander and serve hot.
10. Add some fresh chopped chilli if you like a bit more heat. ¡Buen povecho! enjoy!
For my gourmet range of handcrafted, all- natural seasonings and small batch sauces, visit www.gourmetfoodco.com.au.