1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Put a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirl it around, and immediately add the pork and sprinkle it with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Cook undisturbed until the pieces brown and release from the pan easily. Then add the garlic, ginger, and chile and stir frequently, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes total. Remove the meat mixture from the pan and the pan from the heat.
2. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. Start checking them after 3 minutes. Drain the noodles, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water, and toss the soba with the sesame oil.
3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the asparagus along with 1/4 cup water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the ­bottom of the pan. Cook until the asparagus is dry and beginning to  brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add a little more water if necessary to prevent them from burning.
4. Stir in the soy sauce, noodles, and a small splash of the noodle-cooking water; return the pork to the skillet. Cook, stirring and adding just enough water to keep everything from sticking, until the pork and noodles are hot, no more than 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce if necessary. Garnish with the scallions and serve hot or at room temperature.

—Recipe from The VB6 Cookbook