Mushroom and cashew nut stir fry

 

It might look like a long list of ingredients - but it's incredibly quick, easy and tasty as soon as you have got yourself organised.

Chop all veg in advance, heat the oil to hot and off you go.

Peanut (or other veg) oil

Spring onion

Crushed garlic

grated ginger

Sweet chili sauce

Courgette

Broccoli

Mushroom

Pak choi

Tomato ketchup

Soy sauce

Cornflour, slaked in water

Wok noodles

Cashew nuts

Beansprouts

1.  Heat peanut oil in a wok, add chopped spring onion and stir fry quickly.

2.  Add other chopped veg, ginger, and garlic - stir fry a little longer - add a dash of water to steam fry until veg are less raw.

3.  Stir in sweet chili sauce and a splodge of tomato ketchup.

4.  Stir fry a bit longer, then add soy sauce, a little more water and cornflour to start the sauce.

5.  Add cooked noodles, cashew nuts and the pak choi leaves, stir fry again add beansprouts.

6.  When everything is heated through you are ready.

7.  Serve, scoff, seconds

Tofu veg stir fry

 

The veg dodger is away this week - so the veggie and I are indulging in veggie fare.  Infact, we are going towards entirely plant based - though reserving the right to go off piste if we fancy.

This veggie stir fry was chock full of veggies and tofu, with soba noodles.

Vegetable oil

Leek

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Carrot

Red pepper

Green beans

Broccoli

Tofu

Chinese 5 spice

Vegetarian mushroom sauce

Soashing rice wine

Soy sauce

Spinach

Soba noodles

Sesame seeds

1.  Chop all vegetables into quite small pieces - particularly leeks, as these are tougher than the sping onions which I would normally use for stir fries.

2.  Cut tofu into cubes and fry gently in sunflower oil, flipping so that each side are golden brown.  Turn off heat.

3.  In a wok heat sunflower oil - add leek and fry for a few minutes.  Add crushed garlic, ginger and chilli flakes.  Stir.

4.  Add remaining hard veg and stir fry.  Add a little water to steam fry.

5.  Add spices, sauce, rice wine and stir in.  Cook for a minute or two.

6.  Boil noodles in salted water.

7.  Add drained noodles, fried tofu and spinach - toss together.

8.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and scoff.

Pork stir fry with noodles

 

Well, folks, it has been a while!  My cooking mojo has taken a serious dip.  We've had dinners, obviously, but not that exciting ... and I've not been in a sharing mood.  So, in an attempt to get back at it - I've gone a little oriental (well, with what I had in the fridge and cupboard).

Coconut oil
Pork steaks

Spring onions

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Medium egg noodles

Carrots

Pak choi

Mange tout

Oyster sauce

Tomato ketchup

Rice wine vinegar

Shaoxing rice wine

Soya sauce

Cornflour

1.  Prep the meat and veg.  Cutting pork into small pieces, peel and slice carrots, thinly slice spring onions, crush garlic, grate ginger etc.

2.  In a wok, heat coconut oil to very hot, then chuck in spring onions and stir in the oil.

3.  Put a pan of water on to boil for the noodles.

4.  Add the diced pork to the spring onions, stir until a little coloured.

5.  Add crushed garlic, grated ginger and chilli flakes to the pork, keep stirring.

6.  Add noodles to boiling water - for about 6 minutes.

7.  Add chopped veg to pork mixture - carrots and pak choi stems first, stir fry for a minute or two, then add the softer bits.  Keep moving around.

8.  Add oyster sauce, a squirt of ketchup, rice wine vinegar, rice wine and soay sauce ... keep moving.

9.  Slake the cornflour.

10.  Add a ladle of water to the meat and veg, keep moving.

11.  Stir in slaked cornflour to thicken the sauce, stir in well.  Add more water if it's too sticky.

12.  Drain noodles and add them to the wok.

13.  Stir together for two minutes.

14.  Serve, scoff ... add more soya sauce to taste ...

Vegetable, cashew nut and noodle stir fry, with seared ginger soya steak

Steak

Peanut oil

Garlic

Ginger

Soya sauce

Spring onions

Garlic

Red pepper

Carrots

Mushrooms

Pak choi

Udon noodles (rice noodles)

Cashew nuts

Beansprouts

Rice wine

Rice wine vinegar

Oyster sauce

Tomato ketchup

Soya sauce

1.  Marinate steak, in crushed garlic, ginger, soya sauce and peanut oil.

2.  Chop the veg, into this slivers, for the stir fry, crush garlic.

3.  20 before due to serve - bring a pan of water to the boil, put a wok and a grill pan on to heat up.

4.  When the grill pan and wok are hot put the steak in the grill pan, and start the veg stir fry in the wok - using ingredients from the list down to the pak choi (the white bits of the pak choi, save the green leaves until the last stage.  Put the noodles in the water to boil for 5 minutes.

5.  After 2 minutes turn the meat.

6.  Keep stir frying veg, add condiments and a spoonful of noodle water, keep moving in the wok.

7.  Take the meat out of the pan and leave to rest.

8.  Drain cooked noodles and add to the veg, add beansprouts, cashew nuts and the green tops of the pak choi - keep tossing together.

9.  Serve, scoff ... was delicious.

Meals in minutes: stir fries

We needed food fast, so this isn't a recipe as such - as it involved prechopped veggies and ready to wok noodles … however, it gave us two delicious stir fries - one featuring prawns and the other one cashew nuts.

Peanut oil
Garlic paste
Chilli flakes
Soy sauce
Ginger
Rice wine vinegar
Ketchup
Pre-prepared veg stir fry mixes (we had 1 x Chinese veg, 1 x mushroom stir fry & 1 x broccoli and butternut squash …) or chop up veg into bite sized pieces
Frozen prawns
Cashew nuts
Ready to wok noodles

1.  Make a paste from a couple of spoonfuls of peanut oil, garlic and ginger paste, a tablespoon of ketchup and chilli flakes to taste.
2.  Thaw frozen prawns by running hot water over them.
3.  In tow woks heat a little peanut oil until hot.
4.  Fling in veg - I used Chinese type in one wok, and the other two combined in the other one.
5.  Add the prepared mix to the Chinese mix, and a good splash of soy sauce.
6.  Add garlic paste and soy sauce to the mushroom etc mix, and a splash of rice wine.
7.  Toss the veg about for a few minutes, add a little water to help steam the veg.
8.  Add the noodles …. unknit them a bit with your fingers to make them easier to mix in.
9.  Toss around until veg is done and noodles are heated through.
10.  Serve, scoff … add more soy sauce/chilli sauce if desired.

Ten minutes, start to finish.

Gung hai fat choi

Happy Chinese New Year.  Even with the limited kitchen I love a good excuse for a food related celebration, so I managed this - szechuan noodle stir fry and steamed sea bream. OK - I cheated and bought the stir fry sauce, but cut me some slack, I've not got a kitchen.  The presentation is poor, the flavours were delicious.

Coconut oil
Spring onion
Mushrooms
Red pepper
Green beans
Water chestnuts
Szechaun stir fry sauce

Garlic
Ginger
Chili
Soy sauce
mirin
Sea bream

1. Chop the vegetables into stir fry sized pieces.
2.  Finely chop garlic, ginger and chilli and place in a microwavable bowl.  Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and about the same of mirin.  Put the fish into the marinade, making sure all sides have been flavoured.  Put cling film on the top, pierce, to let out the steam.
3.  Heat the "wok" (or 8 in 1 cooking thing for us) and melt coconut oil.
4.  Put the vegetables in to the "wok" and start stir frying, adding half a cup of water helps it steam cook at the same time.
5.  Nuke the fish for 4 minutes.
6.  Add the stir fry sauce to the vegetables, stir through, make sure it's all hot - you may wish to add a little more water.
7.  By now the fish has been nuked and stood for a couple of minutes - nuke it again for 4 minutes.
8.  Add the noodles to the vegetables, and stir in.  Heat through for a minute or so.
9.  Put the noodles into a dish, and the fish on top.
10.  Serve, scoff ... slightly smugly congratulate yourself for doing better than just take-away 6 full weeks into kitchen renovations.

Edmame and cashew nut chow mein

 Ringing the changes with a bit of oriental influence.  Dead easy, once you've done the chopping, grating and crushing.  A little bit of lots of ingredients and, ta dah ....

Cashew nuts
Peanut oil
Spring onion
Garlic
Ginger
Chili flakes
Carrot
Red pepper
Brocolli
Mushrooms
Soy sauce
Rice wine
Rice wine vinegar
Edemame beans
Beansprouts
Cooked rice noodles

 1.  Roast the cashew nuts for a few minutes, set aside.
2.  Chop veg into quite small bite sized pieces - they need to cook quickly, and at about the same rate.
3.  In a wok stir fry spring onion, crushed garlic and finely grated ginger.
4.  Add other vegetables and keep stir frying, sprinkle in chili flakes.
5.  After 5 minutes add soy sauce, rice wine and wine vinegar to steam is a little and coat the veg, you might want to add a little water too, it helps the steaming.
6.  Keep tossing veg about for a minuute or so, then add edamame beans, beansprouts and noodles.  Toss about until it's all heated through.
7.  Top with cashew nuts.
8.  Serve, scoff.

(Gluten free and vegan if you use gf/vegan soy sauce)

Broccoli and tofu stir fry with noodles

I only stock three of tonight's ingredients at the market (garlic, tofu and chilli) - but I'm sure that everything else could be picked up from the veg stall outside, and the oriental stall inside - so this is a real Tod dinner.  It is quick to make and vegan as well.  Happy days.

Vegetable/peanut oil
onion
garlic
ginger
tofu
green beans
carrot
mushrooms
black bean and garlic sauce
chinese rice wine
soy sauce
ketchup
broccoli
chilli flakes
brown rice noodles


1.  Heat oil in a frying pan and fry tofu on all sides.
2.  While the tofu is doing prepare and chop all veg into smallish pieces.
3.  When the tofu is done take it off the heat, and put on a pan of water to boil for the noodles.
4.  Start the stir fry with the onions in hot oil, followed quickly by garlic and ginger.
5.  Keep veg moving and add the other bits of veg - except the mushrooms, stick them in a bit later.
6.  Toss the veg about a bit, then add a big spoon of black bean sauce, a splosh of rice wine, a splosh of soy sauce and a pinch of chilli flakes.
7.  Add a little water, and keep it all moving so that it steam-fries.
8.  At this point stick the noodles in the water.
9.  About 6ish minutes later the veg will be done, and the noodles will be soft.  Drain the noodles and swish under cold water.
10.  Add the noodles and the tofu back into the veg, toss about a bit.
11. Serve, scoff

This is absolutely on everybody's "do again" list, which is very pleasing, as I am not always totally confident with oriental stuff - and it's entirely seasonal UK veg.

Chili and garlic squid, black bean vegetable, noodle, stir fry

Chinese New Year - and into the year of the sheep we go.

So, tonight we had garlic chili squid and a black bean, vegetable and noodle stir fry.

Noodles are traditional for a long life, I believe.  Rice noodles, in our case, to keep it all gluten free.




Chili and garlic squid

Peanut oil
Squid tubes - cut into rings
chili flakes
Crushed garlic
spring onion
salt
cornflour
water

1.  Cut squid tubes into rings, mix with chili, garlic and chopped spring onion.
2.  Make a batter (quite liquid) from cornflour and water.
3.  Dip squid into batter and fry in hot oil.

Scoff!

Black bean and vegetable noodle stir fry

Peanut oil
Black bean paste
Garlic paste
Fennel
Spring onions
Pak choi
Radish
Japanese mushrooms
bean sprouts
soy sauce
Chinese rice wine
Tomato ketchup
Water
Rice noodles

1.  Prepare all the vegetables, chopping into bite sized pieces.
2.  Heat oil in the wok, add spring onion and black bean paste.
3.  Stir fry, add veg ... from harder to softer, so they cook in time.
4.  Meanwhile cook noodles according to packet instructions.
5.  Taste veg and add soy sauce, rice wine and ketchup to taste.
6.  Add a little water if it's looking dry.
7.  When noodles are ready, drain and add to veg.
8.  Sprinkle chopped spring onions over the top.

Dipping sauce

Soy sauce
peanut oil
sweet chili sauce

Mixed to taste

Oh ... I am so full ... roll on the year of the sheep.

Peanut spicy vegetable casserole with cheesy noodles

Years ago I was cooked something similar to this by a Nigerian friend.  It had chicken in it, and it was very very hot - and it was served with rice.  A few years later (and still some years ago) I was served a veggie version (green beans, tomatoes and peanut butter with chili) with the added cheesy noodles.  It is now a real "go to" comfort food - the lovely silky mild noodles with the spicy and sweet peanutty sauce/casserole (with or without chicken).

olive oil
chopped onion
chopped celery
chopped mushrooms
chopped green beans
chili flakes
peanut butter
garlic
chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
lime juice

noodles
grated cheese
butter

Sweat off onions and celery, in olive oil, until a bit soft.   Then add other veg, chili flakes, peanut butter and garlic.  Add some water and cover.  Simmer until softish, then add tomatoes.  Stew until soft and delish (you could steam the green beans and toss them in the sauce later, for a different texture).

Cook noodles.  When cooked stir in grated cheese and butter until noodles are all coated.

Serve, and squirt with lime juice.

Spicy beef stir fry with noodles

A stir fry is not the best thing to make when you have a hurty hand as there is too much chopping involved, and vigorous stirring and flipping can be a challenge - but I managed.

I used peanut oil, cos I had some, but any neutral flavoured vegetable oil would be fine, avoid olive oil.



1 tbsp peanut oil
about 100g steak - in bite sized strips
1 small leek
Fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
Chili flakes
1/2 red pepper, in strips
1/2 Kholrabi, peeled and chopped into strips
Small handful green beans
4 mushrooms
Chinese rice wine
Chinese rice wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Sweet chili sauce
1/2 tbsp cornflour
1 cup water
Beansprouts
Shredded chinese leaf
1 nest noodles
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

1.  Heat wok, add peanut oil.  Sear beef in hot oil.
2.  After a couple of minutes flipping meat about add chopped leek, garlic, ginger and chili. (set smoke alarm off)
3.  When leek is slightly softened, chuck in harder veg - beans, kholrabi and pepper.
4.  Splash in chinese rice wine, chinese rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Keep stirring around for a couple of minutes, add sliced mushrooms.
5. Add water, and boil quickly.
6.  Slake cornflour in water and stir in quickly to thicken sauce.
7.  Chuck in cooked, drained noodles, beansprouts and shredded cabbage.
8. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, scoff.

Vegetable soup with noodles

We are on a health kick.  What with the sponsored swimming and sensible food we should be skinny in about 10 minutes.  It's also turned a bit cold, so I thought soup might be in order... bit of a chili kick, and it hit the spot.







Serves: 4,  Calories per portion:  approx 270;  Price:  approx 75p per portion.


Vegetable soup with noodles.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
2 carrots
150 g green beans
100g mushrooms
Good pinch of chili flakes
4 blocks of noodles
miso soup mix
2 pints chicken (or veg) stock
1 tsp marmite

1.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil.
2.  Chop other veg finely and chuck into pot with onions.
3.  Add crushed garlic, chili flakes and stir.
4.  Add 1 sachet mixo soup mix, tsp of marmite and 2 pints of chicken stock.
5.  Simmer unit veg is soft, probably about 12 minutes.
6.  Add noodles and simmer for another few minutes.
7. Taste, season, scoff.

Prawny stir fry with noodles

An interesting day all round.  Victim may have the opportunity of an adventure of a lifetime, but we can't say much yet.  A mate has had an amazing invite to an International trade thingymajig... but not allowed to say anything about that either!  There was a traffic jam on the way to the pool, so swimming training was stalled for the day (only 160 lengths this week.. smug grin).  Then, we were going to go out for dinner, but couldn't decide where to go - and came to the conclusion that it is usually quite disappointing, so opted for a nice spicy prawny treat  instead.  Victim didn't say much - but I think that is mostly down to me insisting on a Corrie overdose rather than a reaction to the dinner - cos it was all eaten.

So, prawny stir fry with noodles:-

Serves 2:  Takes:  about 20ish mins - start to finish - 10 mins cooking time: Approx calories per serving:  395  approx price per serving: £1.90

Ingredients (indicative, not exhaustive - use veg you have available, amounts approximate to say the least)

1 tbsp peanut oil
Vegetables: spring onions, orange pepper, carrot, courgette, mushrooms, green beans, radish, beansprouts
handful of prawns
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger puree
1 finely chopped chili
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp rice wine
2 "cakes" of dried noodles
pinch of sesame seeds

Method:

1. Chop veg, and mince garlic and ginger, finely chop chili.
2. Put water on for noodles, heat peanut oil in large frying pan/wok
3. When the oil is hot chuck all veg in and toss around a bit.  Add garlic, ginger, chili and toss around a bit more.
4. After a couple of minutes add tomato puree, soy sauce and a splash of rice wine - and about half a cup of water.
5. When noodle water boils chuck noodles into it - and chuck prawns into veg (if you are using frozen prawns thaw them out in boiling water first - boil kettle pour onto frozen prawns, swirl about, leave for 30 seconds or so, check they are soft - then chuck into veg).
6. Chuck veg about happily, and a minute or so later add beansprouts.
7. Drain noodles and add to stir fry.
8. Toss energetically, sprinkle on sesame seeds, and more soy sauce if you think it needs it.
9. Scoff

Cheesy noodles with spicy bean casserole

As we were wandering aimlessly through the supermarket aisles, the victim declared a hankering for "Pot Noodle".... sheesh!  So, I tried to fashion something not to replicate, but to echo the best in the product, and minimise the processing... So, spicy bean casserole - nothing to do with the instant product, but savoury cheesy noodles to go alongside to provide the comforting (and ever so slightly slimy) texture.  Casserole:- Chop and sautee in olive oil:- onion, garlic, celery, courgette and roasted peppers (veg of your choice obv).  Add very finely chopped red chili and tbsp(ish) mediterranean herbs.  When vegetables are soft add tin of canneloni beans.  Stir through, add tin of chopped tomatoes and a cup of stock.  Simmer, season, simmer etc - until veg are all soft and flavour has developed (at least 30 minutes, but as long as you have really).  10 minutes before you are ready to eat cook noodles in boiling stock - I used 4 minute egg noodles in vegetable stock.  Don't swamp the noodles, you want the stock to soak in as they cook, so I started with about 200ml per noodle portion, and added a little more water when they looked dry.  When cooked, pull of the heat for 30 seconds, allow stock to soak in (if they are still wet drain off most of the excess stock) and stir in good dollop of cream cheese and a tbsp grated parmesan.  This makes the noodles slippy, deliciously stodgy and savoury.  Serve, with grated black pepper.  I think this was a success.  Victim slurped all noodles, but declared the bean casserole "too hot" - which is very odd, because it's usually me who wusses on spicy, and I finished mine no probs.  To avoid this catastrophe, be careful how much fresh chili is added!

Chicken, noodles and coleslaw

Rubbed chicken breasts in olive oil and hot sauce.  Roasted for about 25 minutes.  Meanwhile make coleslaw by shredding cabbage, red onion and carrot.  Squeeze in lemon juice and season.  Stir in half and half natural yogurt and mayonnaise.  Instant noodles - follow packet instructions, add handful of frozen peas!  Easy.  Not gourmet, but quite tasty.

Easy peasy noodle soup

I am not claiming that this is cooking - open packet of chicken noodle soup, boil in water as directed on packet.  Add packet of instant noodles and flavouring sachet, add handful of peas and handful of frozen sweetcorn.  Simmer, scoff.  (add sprinkle of chili flakes if feeling daring!)

Chicken and vegetable noodle soup

OK Victim nearly had a soup refusal today - and then admitted having soup for lunch too (smoked haddock chowder).  So, I had to persuade with one of current favourites... well-ish... it could have been more chinese, but it was declared "yum" when every last drop was gone.  So, sautee onion, ginger and garlic in peanut oil,  add chopped chicken breast - then toss in chopped carrot, red pepper, green beans, mushrooms, radish and chili.  Add about 2 pints of chicken stock and liberal splashings of soy sauce and rice wine.  When veg is almost done add egg noodles, simmer for a minute add handful of frozen peas, sprinkle of chili flakes and good squeeze of lime, simmer then add handful of chopped kale.  Tasty, hot and sour, clean tasting and nutritious.  Victim declared yum. 

Peanut, vegetable and rice noodle soup... does this have an exotic name?

Get me for health giving soup !... but what to call it?  Peanuts are the crunchy garnish, and used sparingly ... but the single ingredient which makes it a bit more interesting.  Broth with some noodles and vegetables...?  So, it's a chinese(ish) rice noodle soup with peanuts and chili.  You need a good chicken (or vegetable) stock for this because most of the flavour is in the very "thin" liquor.  Right, so here we go.  I made chicken stock from roast chicken carcass, but chucked in star anise, szechaun pepper corns, sprinkle of Chinese five spice, cumin seeds and a pinch of fennel seeds - after a couple of minutes chuck in tbsp rice wine/ sherry, season til proper tasty but not over powering...this is now "broth", keep it hot.  Actually, it's probably worth mentioning that in this case the roast chicken was roasted with shed loads of garlic and lemon, and the stock made with additional celery, carrot, onion (and some more garlic).  Heat stock/broth back up to boiling point.  Meanwhile - chop and prep solid bits of soup - in this case spring onion, red pepper, carrot, celery (chop finely to avoid aniseedy overload) and mushrooms... and a red chili.  Then, cook noodles as per packet instructions and chuck in veg to soften at appropriate point... ie water boils - noodles say 5 minutes - chuck in noodles, stir, bring back to boil add veg (keep some chili and spring onion or other yummy veg (beansprouts, mange tout.... for garnish), bring back to boil for 3 minutes... drain.  When ready to serve pile noodles and veg in bowls (top with stips of chicken for extra yummy meatiness, and if you have some) ladel over hot broth.  Sprinkle on garnish - chili rings, spring onion, coriander, basil, chopped roasted peanuts, gold leaf... you choose  :).  I liked it, and had seconds, victim agreed the flavours are OK - but declares preference for egg noodles.  I get the point, as the thinner rice noodles are a bit slimey - but, from diet balance/ allergy/ variety etc... rice noodles are worth understanding and using where they are nutritiuous and tasty/ a carrier for tastes.

Anyway... clean, hot, balanced... but not victim's favourite.

Chicken and noodles in black beans

From scratch!   Bash black beans, garlic, chili and ginger to smithereens, add a little peanut oil to make a paste.  In a wok, or large frying pan, stir fry spring onion, black bean paste, chicken breast pieces, red pepper, mushroom and green beans.  Boil noodles for 4 minutes, drain.  Stir fry/ simmer chicken mixture in a splash water, for about 10 minutes, add soy sauce and rice wine, thicken sauce with slaked cornflour.  Stir in noodles, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve... feed to admiring victim.  Who was mostly complimentary except apparently there were too many mushrooms.

Steak and noodle stir fry

Boil noodles according to packet instructions.  Chop steak into bite sized pieces.  Chop veg and grate garlic and ginger.  Stir fry spring onions in peanut oil, then add steak to hot wok - stir fry for a couple or three minutes - then add veg - in this case carrot, red pepper and mushroom, add garlic, ginger, chili and tomato puree.  Stir about a bit then add soy sauce and rice wine, and maybe a spinkle of sugar.     After a few stirs add a mug of water and put a lid on to cook them through for about 5 mins.  Slake a spoon of cornflour with water and stir in until sauce is slightly thickened.  Add drained noodles, chopped chinese cabbage and big handfuls of spinach. Toss until everything is distributed and spinach is wilted.  Add small handful sesame seeds and stir in.  Next time I think I'll use sweet chili sauce in place of chili flakes, to add a bit of sweetness as well as the heat, and probably balck bean paste for depth of flavour.  Still not bad for less than 30 minutes from fridge to plate.