Sweet & Sour Fried Rice

Knocked up a quick pescatarian (could be vegan if made with vegetarian oyster sauce) Sweet & Sour Fried Rice which I thought would make a great student meal.  Preparing the vegetables probably takes longer than the stir frying.

You will need a large wok to cook and stir this stir fry successfully.

Serves a greedy 4

500g cooked white or brown rice

400g block of firm tofu, grated 

2 medium carrots, grated 

Half a sweetheart cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons or a bunch of spring onions, chopped into 1cm pieces

4 rings tinned pineapple, chopped into 1cm pieces (optional)

2cm root ginger, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

6 tbsp tomato ketchup

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4 tbsp (vegetarian) oyster sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

If you don't have any cooked rice, cook a large mug of basmati rice before you start.  It only takes 20 minutes, whilst you prepare the vegetables.

Grate/chop the tofu, vegetables, ginger & garlic, pineapple.  Put them on separate plates as they are stir fried at different times.

Heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat until smoking.  Add the tofu and stir fry until you can see it start to go golden brown in places.

Push the tofu to one side as best you can and tip in the vegetables, ginger & garlic, and chilli flakes.  Push the tofu on top the vegetables so the vegetables are in contact with the hot pan.  Leave for a minute or so and then start stir frying.  After a minute or so of stir frying add in about 50ml of water to the wok to help the vegetables steam and soften, whilst still stir frying.

When the vegetables are softened to your liking, turn down the heat to medium and stir in the rice and the sauce ingredients.  Add a little water if the rice and sauce starts sticking to the wok.

Serve when piping hot

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Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

My partner bought a jar of Yeo's Black Bean Sauce last weekend to make Beef in Black Bean Sauce.  He used half the jar, so I used the rest to make Tofu in Black Bean Sauce.

Serves 4

400g firm tofu

300g colourful chopped veggies (carrot, red pepper, green beans)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1cm grated ginger root

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 250ml jar black bean sauce

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or sherry

1 tbsp sesame oil

Take the tofu out of it's packet and place it in a colander with a plate and a few cans on top of that to squeeze as much liquid out.

Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces, and prepare the garlic and ginger.

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat.  

Crumble in the tofu, but beware, if it is still quite damp it will spit a lot.

Stir fry the tofu for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, and vegetables.  Keep stir frying the vegetables for a few more minutes.

Turn the heat down and add the black bean sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil.  Mix the sauce in well and serve when the sauce is piping hot over cooked rice or noodles.

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Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce

Another recipe to tackle the ongoing lettuce glut at my allotment.  I am now searching the internet for different national lettuce recipes. Today, Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce.

According to Wikipedia, China is the world leader in lettuce production, producing half the world's lettuce.  Lettuce is a symbol of wealth and good luck in China, and served on birthdays, New Year's Day, and other celebrations. Lettuce is always cooked in Chinese cuisine.  It is served as a 'vegetable' accompaniment as I cooked it, stir fried with meat or tofu, or in a soup.

Serves 2

200g lettuce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (or mushroom/vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tbsp water

Wash the lettuce thoroughly. Most of the US recipes I looked at cooked long Romaine lettuce leaves whole.  I think my lettuce (the seedlings were gifted to me) was a Little Gem before it went to seed.  It was quite tatty and nibbled by pests, and whilst cooking would hide these cosmetic defects, I sliced it to make it more manageable to eat.

Wilt the prepared lettuce for 20 seconds in a pan of boiling water. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of water, and place in a serving dish.

In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium high heat. Once hot, tip in the crushed garlic, quickly followed by the soy sauce, oyster sauce and reserved 2 tbsp of water. 

Heat to a simmer, then pour over the cooked lettuce. Serve immediately.    

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Singapore Chow Mein Noodles

I ordered Singapore Vermicelli last time we had a birthday Chinese takeaway. So the next time I made a stir fry, I thought I'd try Singapore Noodles.  I prefer rice noodles, but I find them hard to stir fry without going sticky, so this was made with egg noodles

Serves 4

4 layers of noodles

1 tbsp mild curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

600g sliced stir fry vegetables (if slicing your own vegetables include an onion, and then a rainbow of colourful vegetables - red pepper, carrot, pak choi/cabbage, mushroom, sweetcorn, beansprouts)

250g protein (optional), choose from 200g firm tofu, 2 free range eggs, or 250g cooked prawns

1 red chilli, sliced (optional)

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Leave in cold water once cooked until ready to use.

Mix curry powder, turmeric, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl.

If using egg, beat the eggs in a mug.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/large frying pan over a medium high heat. Swirl the oil around when hot, and pour in the egg, cooking it like an omelette.  Turn the egg over after a couple of minutes and cook the other side.  Take out when cooked, chop into bite sized pieces, and leave to one side.

If using tofu or prawns, heat 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok over a medium high heat. Grate the tofu if using.  When the oil is hot, stir fry the grated tofu or prawns for a few minutes until slightly brown. 

Add another tbsp of oil after you've removed the egg, or when the tofu/prawns have been stir fried.  When hot again, add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until softened and starting to brown in places. 

Drain the noodles and add to the wok, along with the sauce mixture and egg. Stir-fry for a further 3-4 mins, mixing thoroughly and reheating the noodles.  

Serve with sliced chilli if you like some spice!

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Suzie Lee's Beef Fried Rice

Stumbled across Suzie Lee's (winner of BBC’s Best Home Cook 2020) recipes on iplayer on a quiet Friday night in.  Last night I made her Beef Fried Rice recipe, which went down a treat with my teens. Below is the recipe copy & pasted from the BBC website

Serves 4

4 eggs
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
40g of ginger
2 carrots
1 courgette (pak choi, peas, or edamame beans)
500g lean beef mince
500g cold cooked basmati rice
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 Spring onions to garnish
Pinch of white pepper
Vegetable oil

Start by chopping the onion. Peel ginger and mince garlic cloves. Peel the carrots and take the ends off the courgette. Slice spring onions for garnish and set to the side.

Heat a large deep pan or wok and fry off beef mince without adding any oil. Break the mince up in the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula so that it breaks into smaller pieces and cooks evenly. Add a tbsp of soy sauce and white pepper to the mince to season. When the mince is cooked, remove from the pan and place to one side.

In the same pan add some vegetable oil. Beat the eggs together in a bowl or jug. Add the eggs to the pan and cook them like an omelette, until you have a cooked ‘disc’ of egg. Be careful not to overcook the egg, slightly under is better than over. When the egg is cooked take it out of the pan and put to one side.

Add enough oil to the pan to coat it. Grate in the peeled ginger and add minced garlic. When you can smell the aromatics, add the onion and grate in carrots and courgette. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring them round until they soften and the liquid evaporates

Make sure the pan is on a high heat and make room in the pan for the cold rice. Add the rice to the pan and stir through. Add 2 tbsp of soy sauce and add the mince back to the pan. Pour the sesame oil in, making sure it hits the metal of the pan to release the flavour. Season with white pepper. Add the oyster sauce and stir through before returning cooked egg to the pan. Mix everything through thoroughly, breaking up the egg as you go. 

Garnish with spring onions.

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Indonesian Egg Fried Rice with Smoked Mackerel

A quick midweek Omega 3 rich family friendly fried rice, based on BBC Good Food's Indonesian Fried Rice with Mackerel.

For a fish dish, this went down really well with the kids.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp red curry paste

800g cooked basmati rice (about 250g-300g uncooked)

4 fat spring onions, sliced

140g frozen peas, edamame beans, or sliced cabbage

4 smoked mackerel fillets, flaked

4 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce),  or 2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar

Sriracha Chilli Sauce, to serve

Cook the rice if you don't have any ready cooked, and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a wok.  If using cabbage, stir fry this for a couple of minutes, then add the curry paste and fry breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the egg and swirl around as if making an omelette, then break up with the wooden spoon and push to one side.  Add the mackerel to the side of the wok you've just cleared, then add the spring onion and peas or edamame.  Stir and mix well then add the rice and stir everything through well.  

Once the rice is well mixed, cover and turn the heat down low for a few minutes to heat the rice through thoroughly.

Serve with a tablespoon of kecap manis per person, and Sriracha chilli sauce to taste.

I would have made this with brown rice had we had some, and possibly would substitute the red curry paste for garlic in ginger as in Nasi Goreng, Indonesian Fried Rice with Chicken & Pork I was taught years ago by someone who lived in Singapore.

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Pad Thai, Stir Fried Noodles

This recipe is a bit of a combination of a recipe from Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School I spent couple of days at in 1998, and a Jamie Oliver recipe 

Serves 4

4 rice noodle nests
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp chopped garlic

4 shallots, peeled & finely sliced

400g firm tofu, cubed

250g cooked peeled prawns (leave out if vegetarian)

2 eggs beaten

300g beansprouts 

4 tbsp tamarind sauce 

4 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes 

4 tbsp dried mint

4 tbsp peanuts, crushed

Cook the noodles following the instructions on the packet. Traditionally Pad Thai uses wide rice noodles but in addition to these sticking together too much when I cook them, vermicelli type rice noodles are much easier to come by. Leave soaking in chilled water until ready to use.

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat.  Stir fry the garlic and shallots for a minute or so.  Add the tofu, stir then add the prawns, Stir fry for a minute or so, boiling off any water. Pour in the beaten egg and stir around until it scrambles. Add the beansprouts, stir around and then add the drained noodles.  Once the noodles are hot, stir in the rest of the ingredients and serve piping hot (the crushed peanuts were added in the topping above as I have one family member who doesn't like them).

NB Aesthetically (and probably nutritionally), I feel this recipe could do with a bit more colour/green. The Chiang Mai Cookery School recipe does suggest chives or cabbage, and I do think a some spring greens could have been added after the garlic & shallots if I  had had some.

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Yakisoba, Japanese Stir Fried Noodles

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir fry noodles dish with pork and vegetables, and it’s seasoned with a sweet & savoury sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce.  We made a vegetarian version swapping pork for tofu.

Serves 4

4 layers medium egg noodles

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

1 bunch spring onions, chopped into 1 cm lengths (optional)

4 large mushrooms (optional)

4 large cabbage leaves, shredded

500g pork belly, sliced into bitesized pieces, leftover roast pork, or tofu

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional) 

2cm ginger, finely grated (optional)

5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and leave to one side.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then leave in cold water until ready to fry.

Prepare all the other ingredients.

Start by frying the pork (if using) in the sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan until no longer pink.  Tip on to a plate, wipe out the pan and heat another 2 tbsp sunflower oil.

Swirl it around the coat the sides of the wok.  Then in quick succession add the garlic and ginger, stir once, the add carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, then spring onions.  Splash in a few tablespoons of the noodle cooking water and cover the pan, leaving the vegetables to steam and soften for a few minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked to your liking (we like them crunchy, kids like them soft) mix in the cooked noodles and cooked pork and reheat. Once hot, stir through the sauce and serve.

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Thoran, Indian Stir Fried Vegetables

I rescued a lot of cabbage and kale leaves destined for the compost bin with this dish in mind. It's so simple.

Serves 4-6

250g shredded & destalked greens (cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts)
2 large carrots, peeled and grated

1 red chilli, finely chopped

5cm ginger, finely grated or chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely grated or chopped

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

100g desiccated coconut

Prepare all the vegetables before you start cooking.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds and the cumin seeds, and when they start to sizzle add the ginger, garlic, and chilli. Stir, then add the vegetables. Keep stir frying for 5-7 minutes, adding a little water they start to stick. Add the coconut, turmeric, and salt with about a mug of hot water. This is a dry curry, but I like a bit of water to wilt and soften the vegetables. Continue to heat until piping hot.

Serve with basmati rice.

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Special Prawn Fried Rice

My 15 year old daughter asked for a Chinese takeaway for one of her birthday meals. As usual, we had leftovers, but not enough for everyone. So I decided to try making some more...

Serves 3-4

1 mug brown rice
1 mug frozen peas
1 large carrot, grated

300g pack of cooked prawns

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

2.5cm root ginger, finely grated

1/2-1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

Handful of bean sprouts (optional)

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Brown rice takes about 30 minutes to cook. Basmati rice could be used if preferred, plus the cooking time is shorter.  Prepare all the ingredients before you start.

Everything ready, heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering and starting to smoke, start to work quickly. Add the garlic and ginger, stir. Add the carrots and stir fry for a few minutes, then add prawns, and bean sprouts if using and stir fry for a few more minutes.

Add the rice and chilli and stir around to reheat thoroughly. You may wish to turn the heat down to stop it catching on the wok.  Serve when the rice is piping hot.

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Sticky Chilli Tofu

Trying to cook a vegan meal that isn't pasta or vegetable curry, I recalled various recipes for sticky crispy tofu.  This is my first attempt. I'm sure there is room for improvement in the future.

Serves 3

400g firm tofu
2-4 tbsp sunflower oil
2+1 tbsp cornflour
100ml apple juice
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 cm grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
3 chopped spring onions to garnish (optional)

Carefully open the pack of tofu, reserving the liquid.

Place the tofu on a plate, cover with a couple of layers of kitchen paper, then a clean plate with some weights (tins) on top for 10 minutes.  Pour off the liquid as it accumulates on the plate.

After 10 minutes, dab the tofu dry with more kitchen towel and cut into bite sized cubes.  Place 2 tbsp  of the cornflower into a small plastic bag with no holes and, holding the top of the bag tightly closed in your hand, shake the tofu in the bag to coat it with cornflour.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small non-stick pan over medium heat.  Carefully place the cubes of tofu one by one into the pan so they do not touch.  I got about a third on my cubes in the pan. Fry until the underside is golden brown. Using chopsticks, or a fork, gently turn each cube over onto what was once the top and brown that too.  You could brown all six sides but I did not have the patience. Place the browned tofu onto a plate with a dry piece of kitchen paper, and continue to fry the tofu in batches   until it is all browned. You may need to add a little more oil before frying each subsequent batch.

When the tofu is all browned, quickly stir fry the garlic and ginger in the oil remaining in the pan for a few seconds. Add the apple, chilli, and soy and bring to the boil.  Mix the remaining tablespoon with a tablespoon of apple juice and mix into the sauce in the pan to thicken it.  Return the crispy tofu   to the sauce to heat up again.

Serve with steamed rice and greens.

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Vegan Special 'Egg' Fried Rice

Vegan week continues, much to the children's dismay. Until they spotted the diced tofu which apparently 'is as good as meat'.

Serves 4

4 portions of cooked brown rice
1 block tofu, cubed
1 large grated carrot, or diced red pepper
1 mug of peas, or shredded green cabbage, broccoli, chard, spinach (not included above as didn't have  any!)
Handful of peanuts (optional, for texture)
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed or grated
2.5cm ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

Prepare all the ingredients before you start.

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering and starting to smoke, start to work quickly. Add the garlic and ginger, stir, add the spring onions, stir, then the other vegetables and tofu.  Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

Add the rice and stir around to reheat thoroughly. You may wish to turn the heat down to stop it catching on the wok.  When the rice is piping hot, turn the heat off and stir in the chilli sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce.

NB. I set out to make a vegan Egg Fried Rice with extra veg, but I used a block of extra firm tofu (Cauldron Organic Tofu) which didn't 'scramble' as anticipated.  Silken Tofu would probably scramble, but I've never tried.  The difference in planned texture was not noticed by my children.

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Vegan Sweet & Sour Noodles

I posted a vegetarian version of this recipe a few years ago, sticking closely to the recipe I was taught on a Thai cookery course in Chiang Mai.  However, the original recipe has fish sauce in, which is not vegan (nor strictly vegetarian).

Below is the recipe I normally make, without fish sauce, and with the vegetables more commonly found in my fridge.

Serves 4-5

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

5 large cabbage (spring greens, kale) leaves, finely shredded220g pineapple chunks (keep the juice)

1 tbsp cooking oil

4 layers of rice or egg-free noodles

1 handful peanuts or cashews (optional) 

       

Sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce, or sweet soy (kecap manis) if you can find it

6 tbsp tomato ketchup

50ml reserved pineapple juice + water or stock

1 chopped red chilli (optional) or 1 tsp hot chilli flakes

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Drain when cooked and leave in cold water to stop them cooking and sticking.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl apart from the juice/water.

Prepare the vegetables and have close to hand.

Put the oil into a wok and fry the garlic for a minute or so over a high heat.

Add the onion and stir fry. Add  carrot and cabbage for a few minutes. Pour in a splash of noodle water and cover if you can to steam the vegetables  for a few minutes until the cabbage starts to go limp, and (sadly) lose a little of it's vibrant colour.  

Drag handfuls of the dripping noodles into the wok.  Don't worry about the extra water, its all good. Add the nuts and pineapple chunks, together with the sauce ingredients. and stir to combine. Add as much or as little of the reserved juice/water to make it the consistency you like and heat until piping hot, stirring to ensure the thick sauce doesn't catch. Serve immediately.

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Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Pork & Chicken Fried Rice)

I started off making Jamie Oliver's Egg Fried Rice (5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food)  but found it a little bland.

Then I remembered Nasi Goreng, a stir fried recipe left 34 years ago for an 18 year old me and my then boyfriend by his concerned mum when we housesat for a week.  It served me well into my student years and beyond.

It's great to use up small amounts of roast that get poked into the freezer from time to time, and quick to prepare and get to the table.

Serves 4

4 portions of cooked rice
1 handful cooked pork, chopped
1 handful cooked chicken, chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2cm ginger, finely grated or chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large free range eggs
Kecap Manis or soy sauce
Sriracha or Sweet Chilli Sauce

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Leave to drain whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

When everything is chopped and ready to hand on the kitchen counter, get out your wok or largest frying pan.  If using a frying pan you may need to cook this in two batches.

Heat the oil of a high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir around, then the cooked meats and stir around.  Add the spring onions, stir, then add the rice and stir around to heat.  You may need to add a splash or two of water to generate some steam to heat the rice.

After a minute or so make a hole in the rice right down to the bottom of the pan.  Crack in the eggs.  Leave for about 30 seconds then stir into the rice thoroughly, cooking the egg as you go.

Once the rice is heated through and the egg is cooked you are ready to go.  Serve with chilli sauce and Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce) if you can get hold of it, if not just regular soy sauce.

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Thai Minced Pork & Green Beans

I first had this dish in a student flat in Edinburgh in 1989.  My brother's then girlfriend's friend had returned from several months in Phuket studying the geology, much to the envy of her other geology student friend's trip to the mud flats of Aberdeen.

She did write the recipe down for me, but nearly 30 years and several house moves later, I can no longer find it.  It had an obscene amount of birds eye chillis and garlic in, but over time and with kids to feed I this been dumbed down a bit.  This is my most recent take/recollection.  My kids love it so much, my 12 year old has added it to her birthday food list.

Serves 4

1 tbsp sunflower oil
500g minced pork
500g green beans, cut into 1cm lengths
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1/8-1/4 tsp very hot chilli flakes
5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (or the zest of a small lime)
450ml boiling water
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp cornflour

Heat the oil a large saucepan or sauté pan and stir fry the minced pork, breaking up any large lumps.

Add the beans, garlic, and chilli.  Stir fry for another minute then add all the other ingredients apart from the cornflour.  Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes depending on how much crunch you like your beans to have.

When the beans are to your liking, add a little water to the cornflour to make it the consistency of single cream and pour into the pork and beans.  Stir over a high heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve with Thai or basmati rice.

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Hoisin Noodles with Pork &/or Vegetables

I have a large jar of hoisin sauce in the fridge, leftover from bbq ribs.  As I also had 3 small cooked pork chops leftover from this weekend, I thought I'd marry the two up.  It could of course be made without meat, with more vegetables and/or tofu.

Serves 4

4 layers of noodles
200g cooked pork or firm tofu (optional)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large carrot, grated
4 cabbage leaves, shredded (if not using meat or tofu)
1 small bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1cm root ginger, grated

Sauce Ingredients
1 large garlic clove grated
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  When cooked rinse in cold water until cool and leave standing in water until needed.  Prepare all the other ingredients whilst the noodles are cooking.

In a large frying pan or wok, large enough to be able to mix all the noodles and other ingredients easily, heat the oil over a high heat.  When smoking add the ginger and garlic, stir, and then add the onion and cabbage if using.  Stir quickly for a minute or so then add the pork/tofu and spiring onions and stir fry for a few more minutes.

Turn down to a medium heat. Add the noodles straight from the pan to the frying pan.  The dripping water off them is good!  Mix everything together in the pan and cover if possible to heat the noodles through.  If you hear sizzling, add a little more noodle water.  Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

When the noodles are warmed through stir in the sauce and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

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Tofu & Kale Stir Fry

Finally got OH's 'standard' stir fry recipe off him.  The vegetables change but the thicker, saltier sauce is roughly the same each time.

Serves 4

4 layers medium egg noodles, or rice noodles
1 large clove of garlic, grated
1 tsp grated ginger
200g shredded kale
2 medium carrots, grated
400g firm tofu, diced
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Sauce:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp  balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2-1 tsp hot chilli flakes
125ml chicken stock or water (I used the noodle water)

Cook the noodles according to the packet's instructions.  Rinse with cold water to stop them cooking, then drain.  Rinsing with cold water also stops them sticking together, but you can also toss them in a little sesame oil if you have no faith.

Whilst all the noodles are cooking, fry the garlic and ginger in a frying pan.  This can be done in a wok or a large frying pan.

Add the diced tofu and fry for a few minutes, then add the kale and carrot and stir fry for another few minutes.  Splash about half the water in and cover if at all possible to soften the veg to a child friendly texture.  Add the cooked noodles and sauce and mix thoroughly.  I often cut the noodles with scissors whilst sitting in the colander before adding to make it easier to mix, as well as for the kids to eat with a fork or spoon.  Cover with a lid again if possible until the sauce and noodles are piping hot.  Serve immediately.

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Curried Stir Fry Noodles

Tonight I experimented with Curried Noodles.  It was inspired by Jamie Oliver's Ham & Egg Curried Noodles in his new book 5 Ingredients, and Singapore Noodles. It was also a chance to use up some leftover Brussel sprouts, carrots, and turkey.  But this dish could easily be done with just carrot and cabbage, the meat could be left out, replaced with egg, and vegans could leave out both egg and meat.

Serves 4
4 nests of medium egg noodles
1 large handful leftover roast turkey, chicken, beef or pork
1 large carrot, grated
1 handful of Brussel sprouts, cabbage or leafy greens
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cm root ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Once cooked, rinse in cold water and leave in a pan on cold water.

Thinly slice the Brussels, onion, garlic, grate the carrot, finely dice the ginger, and cube the meat if using.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat.  Add the garlic and ginger, stir, then add the onion, stir again, then add the rest of the vegetables.  Keep stirring and then add the meat when the vegetables look like they have started to wilt a little.

Add the noodles to the wok straight from the pan, reserving the cooking water, and the curry powder. Add half a mug of cooking water and the soy sauce.  Mix thoroughly and heat through.  Serve immediately.

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Vegetarian Noodles with Szechuan Pepper & Peanut Butter

We are having a vegetarian week, so I've taken an old recipe of mine and quite simply left out the meat.

I also finally got round to grinding some Szechuan peppercorns, which even the kids agreed is a great addition.

Serves 2 adults or 3 children

2 layers Sharwood medium egg noodles
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tsp grated ginger
1/4  cabbage, finely sliced
1 medium carrot, grated
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Sauce:
2 tbsp sherry or white wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp  balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2-1 tsp hot chilli flakes
1 tsp ground Szechuan peppercorns

125ml chicken stock or water (I used the noodle water)

Cook the noodles according to the packet's instructions.  Rinse with cold water to stop them cooking, then drain.  Rinsing with cold water also stops them sticking together, but you can also toss them in a little sesame oil if you have no faith.

Whilst all the noodles are cooking, fry the garlic and ginger in a frying pan.  This can be done in a wok or a large frying pan.

Add the cabbage and carrot and fry for a few minutes.  Splash about half the water in and cover if at all possible to soften the veg to a child friendly texture.  Add the cooked noodles and sauce and mix thoroughly.  I often cut the noodles with scissors whilst sitting in the colander before adding to make it easier to mix, as well as for the kids to eat with a fork or spoon.  Cover with a lid again if possible until the sauce and noodles are piping hot.  Serve immediately.

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