Sichuan venison with pak choi
Serves 4 Ready in 20 minutes
4 lean venison steaks, all visible fat removed
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, finely crushed (see tip) 250g dried medium egg noodles 4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
½ level tsp sweetener granules 8cm piece fresh root ginger, half finely grated, half finely shredded
6 garlic cloves, half crushed, half sliced
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped Low-calorie cooking spray 500g baby pak choi, quartered lengthways
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 8 spring onions, sliced
1 Season the venison steaks on both sides with the Sichuan peppercorns and some sea salt.
2 Prepare the noodles according to the pack instructions.
3 Meanwhile, make the dressing by mixing the soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, sweetener, grated ginger, crushed garlic and chilli in a small bowl. Spray a lidded non-stick wok or large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. Add the shredded ginger and sliced garlic and, as soon as it starts to sizzle, add the pak choi and 1 tbsp water and stir-fry for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and add another 3 tbsp water, then cover and steam for 4 minutes or until just tender. Season lightly with salt.
4 While the pak choi is steaming, place a non-stick griddle pan or frying pan over a high heat. When it’s smoking hot, reduce the heat slightly, add the steaks and cook to your liking (2-3 minutes on each side for rare, 3-4 minutes each side for medium and 4-5 minutes each side for well done). Lift the steaks on to a board and leave to rest for a few minutes.
5 Stir a little of the dressing, the coriander and most of the spring onions into the noodles and divide between plates along with the pak choi. Slice the venison and arrange on top. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the venison and scatter over the remaining spring onions to serve.