of ground white pepper
1 large handful of baby spinach leaves, washed
2 heads of green-stemmed pak choy, washed and sliced
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and finely diced
FOR THE SWEET AND TANGY DRESSING
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon groundnut oil
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon runny honey
1/3 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and very finely chopped
1 medium green chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
1 To make the sweet and tangy dressing, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice, groundnut oil, caster sugar and honey in a bowl. Whisk to make the dressing and then add the cucumber and chilli. Stir and set aside.
2 Heat a wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. Add the beef to the wok and stir-fry quickly. Add the rice wine or sherry and cook for a few seconds. Add the chilli flakes, soy sauce and white pepper. Cook to your preference – less than a minute for medium, or a minute longer for well done.
3 Dress the serving plates with the spinach leaves and pak choy. Spoon some of the chilli beef in the middle, spoon generous amounts of the dressing over the top and sprinkle over some finely diced mango. Serve immediately.
‘Mee-fun’, or ‘rice noodles’, made their way to Singapore via travelling Fujianese Chinese traders – rice is predominantly grown in this sub-tropical Chinese province. On Singaporean soil, rice noodles were fused with ingredients like turmeric and curry powder used by other trading Indians and local Malays, and thus this delicious stir-fried rice noodle dish was born. It is a takeaway favourite all over the world and one of my favourite brunch dishes. The bacon is not traditional but is a good substitute for Chinese Char-siu roast pork. Don’t let the long list of ingredients faze you, it’s worth it to create the layers of flavours!
Singapore-style noodles
SERVES 2
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1–2 tablespoons turmeric
175g/6oz raw tiger prawns, shelled and deveined
100g/31/2oz diced smoked bacon
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 handful of julienne carrot strips
1 handful of bean sprouts
100g/31/2oz cooked chicken breast, shredded
250g/9oz dried vermicelli rice noodles, pre-soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
1 teaspoon crushed dried chillies
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon clear rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 egg, beaten
a dash of toasted sesame oil
2 spring onions, sliced lengthways
1 Heat the groundnut oil in a wok and stir-fry the ginger, chilli, mushrooms and turmeric for a few seconds.
2 Add the prawns and stir-fry for 1 minute until they start to turn pink, then add the bacon and cook for less than 1 minute. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, then add the cooked chicken and stir well to combine.
3 Add the noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then season with the chillies, soy sauce, oyster sauce and vinegar and stir to combine.
4 Add the beaten egg, stir gently until the egg is cooked through (less than 1 minute) and then season with sesame oil. Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve immediately.
This is a naughty starter – I like to marinate very fine shreds of pork in rice wine and then I dip them in cornflour and shallow-fry them until crispy. Once they are cooked, I sprinkle on a seasoning of spice mix and serve them on a salad. If you are not a fan of pork, you could use chicken, turkey or duck. If you are vegetarian, cut long thin strips of fresh bean curd, dust in some cornflour and shallow-fry until crisp, season with light soy sauce and then follow the rest of the recipe.
Sichuan crispy chilli pork on lettuce
SERVES 2
350g/12oz finely shredded pork fillet
1 teaspoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablespoons cornflour
200ml/7fl oz groundnut oil
1 small handful of dried vermicelli mung bean noodles
2–3 pinches of sea salt
2–3 pinches of ground black pepper
1–2 pinches of crushed dried chillies
TO SERVE
2 Little Gem lettuces, washed and leaves separated
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cucumber, grated
1 small handful of bean sprouts, roughly chopped in half
1 small handful of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, finely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 Put the pork fillet into a bowl, add the rice wine or sherry and marinate for 10 minutes. Just before cooking, add the cornflour and coat the pork shreds well.
2 Heat a shallow pan or small wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. Add the pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes until crispy, then drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
3 Add the mung bean noodles to the pan or wok and fry until doubled in size and opaque. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
4 Put the salt, pepper and crushed chillies into a bowl. Add the pork to the spice