Drunken spaghetti (spaghetti pad kee mao)

Cook the spaghetti in water salted at about 1 teaspoon per liter.

Slice the Chinese broccoli stems thinly on a bias and roughly chop the tops; prepare the canned baby corn.

Pound spur chilies, Thai chilies, garlic cloves and a little finger root to a rough paste in a mortar.

Mix the sauce ahead: oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and a few drops of black soy sauce.

Cook the ground beef separately to get rid of the fat; remove from the pan.

In a clean pan with a little vegetable oil, fry the pounded paste, add the vegetables and the beef, and a splash of the sauce; turn off the heat if the pasta is not ready.

Taste the spaghetti for al dente and transfer it straight into the pan without draining.

Heat again; add the sauce and a little sugar, and dark soy sauce if wanted, and toss until the sauce is dry.

Turn off the heat and toss in plenty of holy basil to wilt in the residual heat; add white pepper.

Plate in a high mound; add a splash of stock or water for a saucier dish if wanted.

Let chilies sit in white vinegar 10 to 15 minutes and drizzle over the noodles.