BLACK-RICE NOODLES WITH SMOKED TOFU, GINGER AND PUMPKIN SEEDS
Serves 4 | 495 cals | 1.7g sat fat | 3.5g sugar | Prep: 30 mins
‘It’s worth boiling that chicken carcass after the Sunday roast,’ says Albinsson. ‘Chicken stock is one of the best sources of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid (HA). The nutrients in the spinach also help the body to produce HA and its folate helps us eliminate waste that can show up through the skin. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc, assisting in collagen production – and the vitamin C from the broccoli will also lend a helping hand.’
Ingredients:
½ broccoli head, broken into florets
150g sugar snap peas
320g black rice noodles 30ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil 200g organic smoked tofu, cut roughly into pieces 1cm thick
¼ tsp dried chili 1 red onion, sliced 3cm ginger, sliced ½ garlic, sliced 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
200ml organic chicken or vegetable stock
Zest and juice ½ lime
1 tsp ume shiso seasoning (optional)
Black pepper
150g spinach 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted lightly in dry pan
Few sprigs basil
Method:
1. Boil a pan of water and blanch the broccoli florets and sugar snaps for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water and set aside.
2. In another pan bring water to the boil, add the black rice noodles and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain, add a dash of oil and set aside.
3. Next add half the rapeseed oil to a frying pan on a medium heat and add the sliced tofu; after 4 minutes it should be nice and crispy. Just before taking it off the heat, add the dried chilli and toss for a second. Now remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
4. Lower the heat slightly and add remaining oil and onions, sweat for around 6 minutes until the onions become translucent, then add the ginger, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes before adding the stock, lime juice and zest, ume shisho and pepper.
5. Cook until the sauce starts to look a little thicker, then add everything else back into the pan – now’s the time to add the spinach too. Toss for a few minutes until heated through.
6. Serve with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, basil and a delightfully smug look.