Stir Fry

Mange Tout and Pak Choi Stir Fry

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This is a quick, easy and tasty stir fry, perfect for a busy mid-week evening, packed with Pak choi, mange tout and daikon radish (also known as mouli), along with fresh herbs, a touch of soy sauce and a nutty addition of cashews.

Ingredients: 2 Shallots, 1 garlic cloves, 10g ginger, 1 pak choi, large handful of mange tout, 100g daikon radish, a few coriander stems.

From the larder: 175g noodles, 3 tsp sunflower or sesame oil, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, (optional: handful of cashews, prawns or chicken).

Instructions:

  • Prepare all the veg: peel and chop the shallot, garlic and ginger, thinly slice the daikon into batons, chop the pak choi, separating the leaves and stems.veg on chopping board 1600pxveg chopped 1600px
  • If using meat, prepare by peeling prawns or chopping chicken into pieces.
  • Bring a saucepan of water to the boil before starting to stir-fry the veg.
  • In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil on a high heat and if using, add meat, if using, and cook for a few minutes. Add shallots, and stir fry to soften. Add the ginger and garlic and then daikon, pak choi stems and mange tout. Stir-fry for around 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch and then stir in the pak choi leaves. Remove from the heat and add soy sauce.
  • While stir-frying the vegetables, cook the noodles for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water or according to packet instructions.
  • Drain the noodles and mix into the stir-fried veg. Serve immediately with coriander torn on top and an optional handful of cashews.stir fry with noodles 1600px

Cucumber Stir Fry

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We love this stir fry with cucumber, green beans and carrots adding the crunch and the peanut soy sauce adding a punch.

Ingredients: 2 round shallots, 1 clove of garlic, 10g ginger, 1 carrot, 1 baby cucumber, 100g green beans, 2 stems of Thai basil.

From the larder: 3 tsp oil, 175g noodles, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp peanut butter* and 2 tsp honey (optional extra: prawns, beef strips).

*Alternatively, use 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds.

Instructions:

  • Prepare all the veg: chop the shallots, and garlic. Grate the ginger, thinly slice the carrot and cucumber into batons, top, tail, and halve the green beans.chopped stir fry veg 2
  • Mix the peanut butter*, soy sauce and honey together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Bring a pot of water to the boil so that you are ready to cook the noodles according to packet instructions when you start stir-frying.
  • In a wok, or large frying pan, on a high heat, heat the oil and if using, cook the meat. Add shallots, ginger, carrot and green beans in that order. Fry for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch.
  • Add the cucumber and sauce and fry for 2 more minutes.overhead stir fry
  • Drain the noodles and serve immediately with stir-fried veg and torn Thai basil on top.

Tamarind Pad Thai

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Tamarind is found in the seed pods of the tamarind tree. We eat the fleshy pulp surrounding the seeds that tastes somewhat like a date with a delicate citrus note. Although tamarind is often used in Southeast Asian cooking, the Tamarind trees is in fact originally native to Africa. It is used in all sorts of sauces, curries, soups and marinades. In this dish, we use it to make a pad thai sauce accompanying stir-fried veggies, peanuts and spring onions.

Ingredients: 2 tamarind pods, 2shallots, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small head of pak choy, 70g chantenay carrots, 1 small courgette, small bunch of coriander, 1 spring onion.

From the larder: 175g rice noodles, 3tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp brown sugar, oil, juice of half a lime (optional: 1 egg, handful of peanuts).

Instructions:

  • Before you do anything, crack the tamarind pod open and pull out the fleshy inside. Place in a small bowl with 1/8 C warm water and let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the veg.tamarind out of it's podprepped veg angle 2
  • Bring a saucepan of water to the boil for the rice noodles and prepare all your veg.
  • Mince garlic, chop shallots and slice the stalk and leaves of the pak choi. Slice the carrots and courgette into batons, slice the spring onion and chop the coriander.
  • After 10 minutes, with your fingers, rub the flesh of the tamarind off the seeds pour into a bowl straining the seeds. Push as much flesh through a sieve so that you have tamarind-muddied water. Add soy sauce and sugar to the water and stir to combine. Taste and adjust portions so that it is a strong sweet and salty sauce.tamarind sauce
  • Add noodles to the boiling water and cook for 4-6 minutes. Drain and then run cold water through them.
  • Meanwhile, heat a wok on a med-high heat and add a glug of oil. Add the carrots and courgette, followed by shallots, garlic and pak choi. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes and then push veg aside, crack an egg into the wok and scramble. Mix in to the stir-fry and then stir in the sauce and the noodles.stir frying veg pushed asideveg and noodles.jpg
  • Serve with peanuts, spring onion and chopped coriander on top.

Shimeji and Mouli Stir Fry

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A quick mid week meal, this stir fry is for a night when you’re on the run. We’ve thrown in some unusual shimeji mushrooms and crunchy white mouli to mix things up a bit and get the tastebuds going.

Ingredients: 2 shallots, 1 green chilli, 1 clove of garlic, 2cm ginger, 70g cavolo nero, 1 carrot, 70-100g mouli, 70g shimeji mushrooms small bunch of coriander.

From the larder: 175g noodles, 3 tsp sunflower or sesame oil, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, (optional prawns or chicken).

Instructions:

  • Prepare all the veg: chop the shallot, chilli and garlic and ginger, shred the cavolo nero and thinly slice the mouli and carrot into batons. Break apart the shimeji mushrooms.
  • If using meat, prepare by peeling prawns or chopping chicken into pieces.
  • Bring a saucepan of water to the boil before starting to stir-fry the veg.
  • In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil on a high heat and if using, add meat and cook for a few minutes. Add shallots and stir fry to soften slightly. Add the chilli, ginger, garlic and then cavolo nero, mouli and mushrooms. Stir-fry for around 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch and then stir in the soy sauce.stir-frying-veg-step-2-600px
  • While stir-frying the vegetables, cook the noodles for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water or according to packet instructions.
  • Drain the noodles and mix into the stir-fried veg. Serve immediately with coriander torn on top.

Pak Choi Stir Fry

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Fragrant lemongrass, ginger and garlic wind their way through this stir fry, and compliment the crunch of carrots and pak choi. A healthy start the new year.

Ingredients: Shallots, Thai chilli, garlic, ginger, pak choi, carrot, lemongrass, Thai basil.

From the larder: 3 tsp oil, 175g noodles, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp lime juice, (optional cooked prawns, chicken or pork)

Instructions:

  • Start by cooking the meat.
  • Prepare all the veg: chop the shallot, chilli and garlic. Grate the ginger, chop the pak choi (separating stalk and leaves) and thinly slice the carrot. Remove the tough outer layer of lemongrass and then thinly slice. Chop the Thai basil.chopped-veg-600px
  • Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
  • In a wok, on a high heat, heat the oil and add shallots, chilli, ginger, pak choi stalks, carrot and lemongrass. Fry for 5 mins, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch.
  • Add the pak choi leaves, Thai basil and cooked prawns or cooked meat. Fry for a further 2 mins.
  • Drain the noodles; add to stir-fry and mix, adding the lime juice and soy sauce to taste. Serve immediately.

Autumn Stir Fry

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Baby parsnips are the sweetest! Not only are they tiny and cute but also lovely and sweet to taste. Combined with the star anise, this is a delicious and slightly different stir fry perfect for this time of year. Just remember that those tiny chillies will pack a punch, so use a small amount and add according to taste.

Ingredients: 1 clove of garlic, 2 shallots, 12g ginger, 1 red thai chilli, 100g cavolo nero, 1 carrot, 4-5 baby parsnips, 1 star anise, handful of fresh coriander.

From the larder: 175g egg noodles, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, juice of ½ a lime (optional extras: prawns or steak and rice wine vinegar)

Instructions:

  • Prepare all your veggies before you start cooking. Finely chop the garlic, shallots, ginger and ¼- ½ chilli. Chop the cavolo nero and slice the parsnips and carrots into thin matchsticks approximately 3 cm long.
  • Start cooking the noodles at the same time as you start stir-frying the veg.
  • Heat a glug of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the star anise, shallots and chilli and stir-fry for about 1 minute and then add the steak or prawns, if using, and fry for about a minute.
  • Add the carrot and parsnips and continue stir-frying for another few minutes until softening but so they still have a crunch. Finally add the cavolo nero and stir-fry until wilted. Stir in the soy sauce and if you have it a small splash of rice wine vinegar.stir-fried-veg-600px
  • Drain the noodles, and stir into the stir-frying veg for a final minute before serving.
  • Remove the star anise and serve with a generous squeeze of lime and torn coriander leaves on top.