Last week, I had so little inclination to bother cooking, I nearly had a packet of Batchelors Pasta 'n' Sauce for dinner, and was only prevented from doing so by the fact that I didn't have any milk to make it with. I think you will agree, this is a new culinary low.
In the end, I threw the various vegetable offcuts I had laying around my fridge into a wok with some tofu, ginger, chilli, garlic, fish sauce and rice noodles, finished with a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil and was so pleased with how delicious my half-arsed attempt at dinner, that I had to share it with you.
I think that using rice noodles in this dish, especially the flat, tagliatelle-like ones I happened to have, made this especially good, as it gave it a really authentic Thai feel, but whatever noodles you happen to have (not Super) would suffice. What really makes this dish is a few simple splashes of sauce (soy/fish) and the holy trinity of ginger, chilli and garlic. With regards to the rest, just throw in whatever veg you have, along with some tofu, or even an egg or some left-over roast meat.
I have sometimes found that stir frying noodles can be tricky as they clump together, but by making sure you use the biggest wok/frying pan you have, and cooking them for absolutely no longer than the packet suggests should help. I also find that dressing the drained noodles with sesame oil before adding to the wok helps a lot, as well as adding delicious flavour!
Ingredients (serves 2)
100g dried rice noodles
About 3 handfuls worth of fresh, crisp stir-fry veg such as broccoli (chopped small), carrots, peppers, baby corn, mange tout, green beans - whatever you happen to have.
1 block of fresh tofu - cubed
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 inch piece of ginger - peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 red chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
Directions
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions, drain and toss through sesame oil. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the veg oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the ginger, chilli and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the cubed tofu and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to brown.
Add the fish sauce, followed by the veg. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the veg becomes al-dente. Reduce the heat and throw in noodles. Stir well to combine.
Sir through the soy sauce and divide between two bowls.
Image via Mahanandi