SWEET SUMMER SLAW VERMICELLI

The name and adaptation of this recipe comes from one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s amazing vegetarian creations. Yotam likes to make this ‘slaw’ as he calls it, with caramelised macadamia nuts and lots of papaya, green cabbage, mint and coriander. Not being a fan of caramelising ingredients due to the high quantity of butter and sugar used, I decided to opt for a relatively small amount of peanuts and raw shallots. You could serve this salad naked, or with vermicelli noodles like myself to make it more filling. Definitely a summer salad for the hot steamy Brisbane weather! 

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• the juice of 2 small limes 
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons water 

Salad

• 150g rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2 a red cabbage, washed & finely shredded
• 2 large carrots (around 300g), finely grated
• 1 medium mango (around 100g), diced 
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil / coriander, torn 
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• Optional- 1 ripe avocado, diced 

METHOD 

1. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl. 

2. Fill a large heatproof bowl with boiling hot water and place the raw vermicelli in it. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, then drain well with cold water. Place the cooked vermicelli in a large serving bowl and toss the red cabbage, carrot, mango, spring onion, basil, peanuts, dressing and avocado, if using, in the bowl. Serve cold. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / max 10 minutes 

x Emily 

GINGER BEEF with VERMICELLI NOODLES

Another vermicelli salad & meat dish; like I said in my last blog post I could eat this type of food for the rest of my life. You can swap the vegetables in the ingredients list around for what you have in your fridge; perhaps carrots, red cabbage, beans and / or radishes could make the list. I cannot eat vermicelli without a dressing of some sort, so here is my simplest, lowest calorie dressing for you. Again, this started out as a Michelle Bridges recipe, however it has been greatly adapted to fit the ingredients available in my kitchen and to lower the calorie intake.

Ingredients

• 60g vermicelli noodles
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice bran oil / sesame oil
• 400g lean beef fillet, cut into even strips
• 1 lebanese cucumber (150g), finely chopped
• 1 tomato (120g), finely chopped
• 70g bean sprouts
• 10g green shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves (10g), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1 lime, juiced 

Cooking 

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add noodles. Cook, breaking apart the noodles with a fork for a few minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and drain under cold water. Set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the ginger, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon oil in a medium bowl. Add the beef strips and stir well to combine. Leave to marinate for 5 minutes. 

3. Whilst the steak is marinating, toss the cucumber, tomato, sprouts, shallots, coriander and cooked noodles in a large serving bowl. Make the dressing by stirring the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl. 

4. Once the steak has been left for 5 minutes, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add the other teaspoon of oil. Add the steak to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the steak is rare. Turn off the heat and leave the steak to cook for a couple more minutes in the pan. 

5. Add the cooked steak to the noodles and drizzle the dressing on top. 

Serves / 2 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

Total Calories / 459 a serve 

x Emily 

ASIAN CHICKEN PATTIES with VERMICELLI SALAD

If I could eat fresh Asian vermicelli salads all day every day, I would. I doubt I’d miss Western food at all. This Michelle Bridges recipe has been adapted to include red capsicum, which is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B6 and magnesium. I removed snow peas from the ingredient list for convenience sake, as they needed to be cooked which added to the cooking time.

I have also replaced Bridge's favourite oil, olive oil, with rice bran oil. I do not like cooking with olive oil, due to its much lower smoking point than other oils. A smoking point is the temperature at which fats begin to break down and become smoke. When olive oil reaches its low smoking point its beneficial compounds are not only damaged but in addition harming compounds potentially form. Bridges loves to use olive oil in her recipes however I prefer to use several other oils for high temperature cooking, such as rice bran oil. Rice bran oil is removed from the germ and inner husk of rice. I love using this oil as it has a very high smoke point and is therefore a great choice for high-temperature cooking. It is a wealth of vitamin E and phytosterols, which are thought to lower cholesterol as well as being largely monounsaturated. But enough of the oil lesson- enjoy this fresh, crisp dish! 

Ingredients

• 75g rice vermicelli noodles
• 400g free range chicken mince
• 4 shallots (24g), finely chopped
• 1/3 cups fresh coriander leaves (13g), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt reduced soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon rice bran oil (2.5ml/2.5g) 
• 120g red capsicum, thinly sliced
• 80g bean sprouts 
• 1 lime (50g), cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon salt reduced soy sauce 

Cooking 

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add noodles. Cook, breaking apart the noodles with a fork for a few minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and drain under cold water. Set aside. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the mince, shallots, half of the coriander and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a medium bowl. Shape into 6 even patties with wet hands. 

3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add the oil. Cook the patties for 4 minutes each side or until cooked through. 

4. Toss the cooked noodles, the rest of the coriander, capsicum, bean sprouts and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a large serving bowl and then divide into 2 smaller bowls. Place three patties on top of the each noodle dish and drizzle the lime juice from the wedges on top. 

Serves / 2 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

Calorie count / 495 per serve 

x Emily 

ASIAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN SALAD

Brisbane's Brown Dog cafés’ delectable Cashew Noodle Salad inspired this recipe. I was lunching there with a dear friend last week and this Asian-inspired salad and lime tea was the perfectly light lunch. I have made this recipe twice since then, perfecting the dressing ingredients and quantities (actually remembering to write them down helps, which I do not often do!). It looks like a lot of steps, however if you do not muck around you have had this salad ready in 30 minutes. I love the idea of baking meat in the oven instead of pan-frying it, as your meat is cooked much more evenly and always comes out insatiably tender. Also, the oven warms up my un-insulated house in winter.

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 500g free-range chicken breast, thinly sliced into even 5cm pieces
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce 
• 375g rice stick noodles (pad thai thickness)
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped / crushed
• 250g cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into even small pieces
• 1/4-1/2 cup tightly packed fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped, plus extra leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup cashews 
• Optional- fresh Chinese shallots, finely chopped 

Dressing

• the juice of 1 large lime
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water 
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the chicken, sweet chilli sauce and garlic in a medium bowl and stir well to combine. Place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water just over 1/2 full to the boil. When boiled add the noodles to the pan and cook, stirring frequently so they do not stick, for 5-6 minutes or until the noodles are just tender. Remove from the stove and drain & rinse well in a colander under cold water. 

4. Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking well to combine. 

5. If the chicken has been marinating for at least 10 minutes, place it on the prepared baking tray in a single layer. Cook for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven, leaving to sit and continue cooking for at least 2 minutes. Cut into the biggest piece of chicken you can see to make sure that it is no longer pink inside and is instead white in colour. 

6. Whilst the chicken is baking, dry-fry the cashews on a low heat in a small frying pan on the stove. Stir regularly to make sure that they do not burn. 

7. Combine the noodles, chicken, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, coriander and toasted cashews in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the noodles and toss well to combine. Top with extra coriander and/or chinese shallots, if you wish. 

Serves / 4 - 6 

From fridge to plate  / 30 minutes if you are fast / 40 for the more leisurely 

x Emily 

THAI BEEF SALAD

I have made so many different Thai Beef Salad's over the years; some with vermicelli noodles, some with kelp noodles, some with wildly different vegetables and some that were frankly just a soggy mess. After much fine tuning, I stick to the below recipe, only adapting slightly if need be. It is simple, extremely fresh and quick to make. I love cooking this meal when I've been a little off the rails with my food choices as this light dish helps me get back on track. 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 100g rice vermicelli noodles 
• 350g lean eye fillet steak, thinly sliced 
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 small tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium Lebanese cucumber or 1/2 a large continental cucumber, finely chopped
• 3 heaped tablespoons fresh chives and/or coriander, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 

Dressing 

• the juice of 1 medium lime
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
• 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds 

COOKING 

1. Soak noodles in boiling hot water for five minutes, then drain well with cold water. Place in a large serving bowl. 

2. Whilst noodles are soaking, combine tomato, cucumber, herb/s and chill flakes in the large serving bowl and toss well to combine. 

3. Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, including 2 tablespoons of water and stirring well. 

3. Heat the sesame oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and add beef slices. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is just browned and cooked to your liking (rare, medium-rare, etc). Taste regularly whilst cooking so you do not overcook beef and make it too chewy. Remove from heat when cooked and add the beef to the top of the salad. Drizzle dressing over the top and toss well to combine all ingredients. Serve while beef is warm and tender. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10-12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes maximum 

x Emily