WHO’S FOR NOODLES?

From zingy salads to warming broths, they’re a tasty, quick-fix way to spice up midweek meals

MANGO AND RICE NOODLE SALAD WITH CRAB

Crab might be a treat, but a little goes a long way in this full-flavoured salad – with sweet mango balancing sharply dressed noodles.

SERVES TAKES TIP

2 less than 15 minutes 200g straight-to-wok rice vermicelli noodles

½ large, ripe mango, peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons

2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal small handful of mint leaves small handful of Thai basil leaves small handful of coriander leaves

100g white crab meat, fresh or tinned (drained)

FOR THE VIETNAMESE-STYLE SWEET & SOUR DRESSING 1½ tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp caster sugar

1½ tbsp water

1 fresh red chilli, diced

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then cool.

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Tip the noodles into the dressing and toss to coat a few times.

Add the mango, most of the spring onion, all of the herbs and 1 tbsp of the crab meat. Toss very gently to work all of the ingredients through the noodles.

Divide the noodles between bowls or plates then top with the rest of the crab meat and scatter with the remaining spring onion.

For salads, cook or soak the noodles so they are ready to eat, then rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drying on kitchen paper is a good way to avoid watery salads and diluting the dressings.

CHINESE-STYLE SHREDDED DUCK, CLEMENTINE AND NOODLE SALAD

Supermarket ‘fakeaway’ cheats never tasted so good.

SERVES TAKES

4

10-40 minutes (depending on the duck)

2 confit duck legs or ½ aromatic crispy duck 350g straight-to-wok egg noodles

300g tin clementine or mandarin segments

50g soft salad leaves – pea shoots, lamb’s lettuce, baby spinach, or a mixture ½ cucumber, deseeded and sliced into half-moons sharing bag of prawn crackers

FOR THE DRESSING

1 tbsp of the juice from the tinned clementine or mandarin segments 100ml hoisin sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar black pepper

Cook the duck following the packet instructions.

Cook the noodles following the packet instructions then drain and cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Drain the tinned fruit over a bowl to catch the juices. Put the tablespoon of juice into a jug with the hoisin sauce and rice vinegar. Season with pepper and whisk together. Stir the dressing through the noodles.

When the duck is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bones in bitesize chunks. You can discard the skin, or shred the crispy bits to use in the salad, too.

Use your biggest platter to build the dish, layering the dressed noodles and handfuls of leaves with the duck meat, citrus segments and cucumber.

Crunch a couple of handfuls of prawn crackers over the top, and serve the rest on the side.

PEANUT BUTTER PUMPKIN CURRY WITH CRISPY NOODLES

This is great for entertaining – add some jasmine or basmati rice to serve, if you like.

4 less than 45 minutes 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep-frying

150g fresh or straight-towok medium egg noodles 350g round shallots, peeled and trimmed

125g crunchy peanut butter 2 tbsp tomato purée

2 balls stem ginger, grated, plus 1 tbsp of the syrup 2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

150ml coconut cream 800g hunk sweet pumpkin (eg, delica or crown prince) or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into big chunks

100g spinach leaves salt and pepper

¼ tsp red pepper powder or chilli flakes, to serve

FOR THE CORIANDER RELISH small bunch of coriander 3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp sunflower oil

Fill a high-sided wok or saucepan with oil to a depth of 8cm-10cm. When a cube of bread dropped in the oil immediately starts bubbling fiercely, you’re ready to fry. Line a tray with kitchen paper, then use metal tongs to carefully add a small bunch of noodles at a time to the hot oil, frying for 10-20 seconds until pale golden and crispy. Drain on the kitchen paper.

Bring 1 litre water to the boil in a large saucepan, add the shallots and, once boiling again, cook for 4 minutes. Remove the shallots from the water with a slotted spoon.

Whisk the peanut butter, tomato purée, grated ginger and 1 tbsp syrup, soy sauce, lime juice and the coconut cream into the saucepan of water. Bring the broth back to a simmer, then return the shallots with the pumpkin and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Stir through the spinach and season.

To make the relish, whiz the coriander, stalks and all, with the lime juice, water and oil to a loose pesto-like texture in a food processor.

Serve the curry in deep bowls, scattered with crispy noodles and topped with a spoonful of the coriander relish and a sprinkle of red pepper powder or chilli flakes.

FISH FINGER KATSU UDON

Posh fish fingers make for a fab cheat’s katsu. Batch-cook plenty of the sauce so you always have a great dinner in the freezer.

SERVES TAKES

4 less than 40 minutes 8-12 good-quality fish fingers (depending on how hungry you are)

600g straight-to-wok udon noodles

FOR THE KATSU SAUCE 2 onions, thinly sliced 2 carrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced

½ apple, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp ginger paste

4 tsp mild curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric 400ml tin light coconut milk salt and pepper

TO SERVE a few sesame seeds or handful of coriander 1 cucumber, thinly sliced lemon wedges

Make the sauce by gently cooking the onions, carrots and apple together in a deep, lidded frying pan in the oil. When they’re soft and the onions are starting to turn golden, stir in the garlic and ginger paste for a minute.

Stir in the spices and give them another minute to toast, then pour in the coconut milk. Rinse out the tin by half-filling with water and pouring in, too. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, then purée to a smooth sauce with a blender. Season well and pour back into the pan.

Cook the fish fingers and noodles following the packet instructions.

Warm the sauce through, and bubble until nice and thick if it’s a little thin. Add the hot udon noodles and toss together to thoroughly coat.

Top the curried noodles with crispy fish fingers and a sprinkling of sesame seeds or coriander, and serve with the cucumber slices on the side and lemon wedges for squeezing over.

BRILLIANT BEEF PHO

Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, this herb-topped classic can be tweaked according to your tastes – try adding fresh chilli and lime juice.

SERVES TAKES

2 40 minutes 1 litre beef stock

1 onion, thinly sliced 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced (no need to peel)

2 star anise

2 tsp coriander seeds

5 black peppercorns 150g dried flat ribbon noodles 1 small fillet or rump steak, trimmed of fat

1½ tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp brown sugar (palm if you have it)

2 handfuls of soft herbs – a mixture of coriander, mint and Thai basil

Put the stock, onion, ginger, star anise, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a lidded saucepan. Place over a very low heat so the stock infuses as it comes to the boil – this might take up to 20 minutes. Once the broth is boiling, pop the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles following the packet instructions, cool and drain.

Put the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes to help firm it up, then slice as thinly as possible with your sharpest knife. Divide between two big bowls with the drained noodles.

Strain the broth into a jug – you want 600ml–700ml for two servings. If there’s not enough, top up with boiling water; too much, boil to reduce a little. Then use the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar to season – it may need a splash more saltiness or a pinch more sweetness according to how you like it.

Pour between the bowls – the heat from the broth will cook the beef. Serve scattered with the herbs.

For broths and soups, noodles will continue to soften as they hang around in the broth, so it’s important not to overcook them to start with.

TIP

MISO FRIED GREENS WITH UDON NOODLES

To up the protein you could add tofu or black beans in with the vegetables.

SERVES TAKES

2 less than 25 minutes 150g thin-stemmed broccoli 175g dried wide udon noodles 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sunflower oil

4 spring onions, cut into thirds 150g sugar snap peas or mangetout

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp mirin toasted sesame seeds and sliced red chilli, to serve

FOR THE DRESSING 4 tsp brown miso paste 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp mirin

1 garlic clove, crushed

Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute in a saucepan of boiling water – time from when the water begins to boil again. Drain and leave in the sieve until you start to stir-fry.

Mix together the dressing ingredients.

Refill the saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the noodles, cooking for about 4 minutes until tender.

Heat a wok with the sesame and sunflower oil. Add the broccoli, spring onions and sugar snaps or mangetout and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the veg starts to brown.

Drain the noodles and toss with the vinegar and mirin. Divide between two plates and top with the stir-fried veg. Drizzle half the dressing over each and scatter with the sesame seeds and red chilli.

Just like with Italian pasta, you don’t want to overcook noodles. Where you look for an al dente finish with spaghetti, most noodles should also still have a little bite.

TIP