Vietnamese dumpling noodle bowl

Alongside fish fingers, ready-made dumplings are one of my freezer staples, being versatile in soups, stir-fries, salads or as a snack. In this recipe, I share with you my take on Vietnamese bun cha gio, traditionally a noodle salad topped with spring rolls. Here, I use pan-fried gyozas to mimic the crispy spring rolls, bursting with fresh herbs and veg, drenched with the famous nuoc cham chilli dressing.

30 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY | LC

vermicelli rice noodles 2 nests (100g) carrot 1 cucumber ½

oil for frying

Itsu vegetable fusion gyoza (or another flavour from the range) 8 mint and coriander leaves 50g

salted peanuts 20g, chopped

NUOC CHAM DRESSING

garlic 1 clove, crushed

bird’s-eye chilli 1, thinly sliced

lime 1, pulp and juice

caster sugar 1 tbsp

fish sauce 4 tbsp

1 Start by soaking the noodles in just-boiled water – they will take about 10 minutes to soften. Next, cut the carrot and cucumber into matchsticks.

2 To make the dressing, mix all ingredients with 5 tbsp of water and set aside. Heat the oil in a pan, add the gyoza, turning to brown all over. Add a splash of water, cover and steam for

4-5 minutes or until cooked through, then remove the lid and cook for a further minute each side for extra crispiness.

3 Drain the noodles, then divide between serving bowls with the carrot, cucumber, herbs and crispy dumplings on top. Scatter over the chopped peanuts and spoon over the dressing.

PER SERVING 463 kcals | fat 10.3G saturates 1.5G | carbs 72.5G | sugars 16.3G fibre 7.1G | protein 16.4G | salt 8.5G