Hangover noodles (charred broccoli soba)

30 MINUTES | SERVES 2 EASY |

“Guess what we are having for tea tonight?” said my friend, Hannah, in a recent message. “Your charred broccoli soba – AGAIN. It’s a staple in our house!” If you don’t have a griddle pan, preheat the grill, lay the broccoli on a baking tray and cook under the grill for the same length of time, turning halfway.

LC

tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli 200g, any leaves removed

dried soba noodles 100g (see cook’s notes, right)

toasted sesame oil 1 tsp

neutral oil (such as groundnut or sunflower) 1 tsp

red chilli 1/2, deseeded and finely chopped

garlic 1/2 a clove, finely chopped

radishes 2, sliced

spring onion 1, sliced

sesame seeds 2 tsp, toasted

ready-made crispy fried shallots fried egg 1, to serve (optional) SAUCE

light soy sauce 1 tbsp

chinkiang black rice vinegar

(see cook’s notes on p26)

chilli oil 1 tbsp

soft light brown sugar 1/4 tsp 2 tsp 1/2 tbsp

• Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.

• Heat a griddle pan on a high heat and lay the broccoli in the hot pan. After 4-5 minutes you should begin to smell a lovely charring aroma, at which point you should check the broccoli and turn it over. Keep an eye on it as it cooks and remove from the pan when it is evenly charred on both sides. Set aside.

• Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until al dente. Tip them into a colander and rinse under cold water – this removes any excess starch and keeps the noodles bouncy and separate. Add the sesame oil to the noodles while they’re in the colander, to coat them. Leave the noodles in the colander.

• Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over a medium-high heat and stir-fry the chilli and garlic for 1 minute, keeping them moving in the wok to avoid burning. Throw the broccoli into the pan, followed by the noodles, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the radishes and spring onion, then remove the wok from the heat. Pour the sauce over the noodles and use tongs to coat everything in the mixture. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and crispy shallots, and serve with a fried egg, if you like.

PER SERVING 360 KCALS | FAT 13.4G SATURATES 1.7G | CARBS 44.3G | SUGARS 4.5G FIBRE 5.3G | PROTEIN 12.9G | SALT 2.2G

• Add the fresh chillies to the pan and gently fry for 10 minutes, watching to ensure that nothing burns. Pour the remaining oil into the pan and heat gently, then add 1 tbsp of fine sea salt, the sugar, soy, chilli flakes, ground peppercorns and ground shallots. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

• Decant into a sterilised, airtight jar, seal with a lid and store in the fridge for up to two months.

PER TBSP 74 KCALS | FAT 7.4G SATURATES 0.5G | CARBS 1.1G | SUGARS 0.4G FIBRE 0.4G | PROTEIN 0.4G | SALT 0.4G