Peanut

The sun is coming out, and so it’s time to eat ‘cleaner’ food. I’m a huge fan of Japanese cuisine, but there’s something very appealing in Asian noodle salads from all over the continent. This Cambodian salad, from Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey, really hits my buttons. Best of all, it can be made in advance – perfect for Sunday evening when you’re trying to recover from the post-Sunday lunch blow-out!

Ingredients:

vegetable oil for frying

100g shallots

200g glass noodles

200g large raw peeled prawns

200g squid, sliced into 5mm-thick rings

100g minced pork (or meatballs, see the Notes)

25g dried shrimp
3 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp lime juice
20g mint leaves
1 Tbsp palm sugar
50g peanuts
1 red bird’s eye chillies

Method:

Pour 1cm oil into a large, deep, frying-pan. Add the shallots and fry over a medium heat until they are crisp and golden brown. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto plenty of kitchen paper and leave to drain. Reserve the frying oil.
Bring a large pan of unsalted water to the boil, add the noodles, take the pan off the heat and leave them to soak for 2 minutes. Drain well, roughly cut the noodles into a manageable length and set aside to drain even further. If there is a lot of excess water in the noodles, place some folded sheets of kitchen paper into the bottom of a bowl and tip the noodles on top.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the shallot-flavoured oil in a wok or large deep frying pan, add the prawns, season lightly with salt and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until just cooked. Lift onto a plate, add another 1-2 tablespoons oil to the pan and add the squid, season lightly with salt and stir-fry for 1-11/2 minutes until nicely caramelised. Add to the plate with the prawns. Finally, heat another 1-2 tablespoons il in the pan, add the minced pork and stir-fry for 1-11/2 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces as it browns.
Put the noodles into a large bowl and add the pork, prawns, squid, peanuts, mint, dried shrimp and chilli, and toss together well. Mix the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce together, toss through the salad and serve at room temperature.

Notes:

I had to use those fresh rice noodles, but they come with an oily film over them. I’ve tried washing it off in the past, but the result is not ideal. I’ve tried soaking them in juice too, but it’s not much better… The easiest solution I’ve found is to toss them for a few minutes in about a tablespoon of sesame oil. This compliments the overall dish, and adds a further level to the flavour combinations.
I didn’t use the squid, didn’t have any :0)
I found the pork mince a little… flaccid… I popped it into a hot oven for 5 minutes or so just to really give it a more roasted, and crispy edge – it much improved the texture
I did add some halved baby gem leaves too, for a little more texture, clearly that’s not authentic, but does improve the texture overall
The next time I made this, I bought mini meatballs instead, and pressed them down in the pan as I was shallow-frying them. I then popped them into the oven for 15 minutes. Chopped into quarters, they form a much better crunch than the mince (imho)

There are lots of other interesting recipes in Rick’s book >

I came across Pure Package in one of the red-tops – the company delivers pre-packaged food on a daily basis for those with specific dietary goals (whether it be weight loss, athletes in training, models etc). I wasn’t particularly interested in the service itself (I enjoy cooking far too much for that), but I was definitely interested in the nutritional aspect. Browsing through their website, I came across the following recipe from their cookbook, which instantly appealed. I love anything which uses squash, and as I had everything in my pantry (for once), there seemed no time like the present!

Ingredients:
1/2 small pumpkin – peeled, deseeded and cut into bite-size pieces
320g broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
160g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
600ml coconut milk
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
250g sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander

Method:

Tip the pumpkin into a non-stick roasting tray and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the groundnut oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a further 1 minute.
Add the curry paste and stir in the mushrooms, coating them in the paste. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice and tamari and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the blanched broccoli, sugar snap peas and roasted pumpkin to the curry and simmer for 5–8 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more lime juice or tamari if needed.
Add the coriander to the curry and stir through just before you are about to serve.

Notes:

The sauce was actually pretty rich, much richer than I anticipated. As a result I had to add another lime before serving… I’ll reduce the initial quantity of peanut butter in future (you can always add some in as you go along)
I added a few prawns to my curry, not for any nutritional reason, but because the 11yo likes them!

Pumpkin and Peanut Curry

There are more recipes in the Pure Package Cookbook >

Prawns, Pork and Squid Noodle Salad

Prawn, Pumpkin and Peanut Curry