Forget turkey sandwiches. The food Ill be craving after the Christmas feast will feature noodles in a big way
Even people who love new recipe ideas hit saturation point at some time in the year. And thats usually about now. We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas entertaining all the different possibilities being shared left, right and centre, and then, right at the last minute, remember that the traditional festive meal is nothing more than a big roast dinner with all sorts of tasty trimmings. Thats when we realise that Christmas will still happen even if we dont transform into an entirely different cook from the one we are the rest of the year.
When you put on your apron to get ready for tomorrows main event, dont forget that everyone prefers a regular meal and a chilled-out host to some elaborate feast and a stressed-out cook. If you cook what you love to eat and eat what you love to cook, your day will be a happy one. Its this way of thinking that informs so much of what I cook, eat and share with family and friends all year round. Its also why Im as likely to be slurping on a bowl of noodles on Boxing Day as tucking into yet another turkey sandwich or chunk of stilton. Todays recipes are all about the ingredients Ill be craving over the next week.
Green tea noodles with lime and cardamom salsa, avocado and egg
Ill happily eat this at any time of day, and especially for a late weekend breakfast. You can get green tea soba noodles from large supermarkets and Asian food stores; regular soba noodles, which are even more widely available, are a good alternative.
For the perfect boiled egg, with a firm white and runny yolk, bring a medium pot of water to a boil on a high heat. Carefully lower in four room-temperature eggs (if your eggs are fridge-cold, theyll take longer to cook) and leave to bubble away for six minutes. Lift out the eggs and transfer to a bowl in the sink and leave under cold running water for a minute or two, to halt the cooking process. Just before serving, peel off the shell and cut or tear the egg in half. Serves four.
200g green tea soba noodles (or regular soba)
30g basil leaves, picked and roughly chopped
30g coriander leaves, picked and roughly chopped
70g pistachio kernels, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
tsp ground cardamom
3 limes finely grate one (to get tsp zest), squeeze another (to get 3 tbsp juice) and cut the third into quarters
3 tbsp groundnut oil
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Salt
2 ripe avocados, cut into 0.5cm slices
4 eggs, soft-boiled (see introduction)
tsp nigella seeds
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet (cooking times vary from brand to brand), then refresh under cold water and transfer to a colander to drain.
Put the basil, coriander, pistachios, cardamom, lime zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, chilli and half a teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Mix to combine, then add the noodles and divide between four bowls. Arrange the avocado slices on top of each serving, and top with two egg halves (peel and cut them just before serving). Finish with a sprinkle of nigella seeds, and serve each portion with a wedge of lime.
Rice noodle salad with cucumber and poppy seeds
Its easy to get stuck in our ways with apples. A granny smith is sweet and tart enough to work here, but why not try something new for a change? My local grocer, Parkway Greens in Camden, gets some of its apples from Brogdale in Kent, home of the National Fruit Collection, and I recently munched my way through eight varieties Id never tried before. They were as delicious and different from each other as bottles in a mixed case of wine. Serves six to eight.
60ml cider vinegar
30g caster sugar
1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
5cm piece ginger, peeled and julienned
150g flat rice noodles, broken into roughly 15cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
200g frozen edamame, quickly blanched, drained and dried
1 sweet, sharp apple, cored and cut into 2mm-thick wedges
2 large 400g cucumbers, cut in half lengthways, seeds scooped out and flesh cut into long, thin strips
2 red chillies, deseeded and julienned
10g mint leaves, roughly shredded
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp poppy seeds
Salt and black pepper
Put the vinegar, sugar and 60ml water in a small saucepan on a high heat. Bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for two minutes, until the liquid has reduced by a third. Put the onion and ginger in a small bowl, pour over the hot liquid and set aside for an hour, until the vegetables have softened.
Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside for 10-15 minutes, until the noodles are soft, then drain and put in a large bowl. Toss with a tablespoon of oil and leave to cool.
Add all the other ingredients to the noodles, including the pickled onion and ginger, and their pickling juices, and season with a teaspoon and a half of salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss and serve at once.
Black rice noodles and mango salad with soy roast salmon
Read more: www.theguardian.com