Super quick and easy beef noodle soup

I absolutely love the freshness of Asian cooking! The spices, the aroma, the zing…I have to admit that my travelling around China, South Korea and Indonesia involved a lot of eating. I was brave enough to eat street foods from rural areas, where English was not spoken, and that was the most delicious food I have ever had. I couldn’t get enough. Unfortunately, all holidays come to an end and I had to return home…but I brought back memories, knowledge and nostalgic hunger.

One thing that fascinates me about Asian cooking is how fast they make everything. None of this 5.5 hours of Boeuf Bourguignon preparation, although it tastes delicious. No, Asian meals tend to be quick…just what we need for a weekday evening. This meal took me 15 minutes to make, including all the chopping…Can’t get better than that!

Give it a go, leave me some feedback. I love to experiment with different flavours in the broth, so if you aren’t a fan of spicy food, reduce the chilli (although, I will question your living choices in that case…kidding!…not really..). Of course you can swap the beef for shredded chicken or prawns, or take them all out for a delicious vegan meal.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 300g Rump steak, fat trimmed
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 2cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 hot chilli (of your preference)
• 1/2 tsp Five Spice powder
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 3-4 mushrooms (use shiitake or just plain white button ones)
• 1 packet of hokkien noodles (or noodles you prefer)
• Fresh mild chilli, spring onion and handful of coriander, chopped for garnish

Preparation

Heat a griddle pan on a high heat until it’s very hot. Meanwhile make sure your water is boiled for your broth and ready to go.

Season the steak well on each side with salt, pepper and paprika. Put on the griddle pan and listen to that sizzle sound….mmmmm….ok back to reality. Fry the steak for about 3 minutes on each side, which will take it to medium/rare, cook it longer if you like it cooked more. And then about a minute on each side again. I know they say not to turn your steak…but it’s a myth. We want all the juices and flavours on our steak and not in the pan.

While the steak is sizzling, heat the olive oil and the sesame oil in a sauce pan to a med/high heat. Add the onion and let it fry for a min or two, add the ginger, garlic and chilli. Give it a good stir for couple of minutes. Now add the five spice and stir well for about a minute. We do this to wake up the spices. Smell the aroma? Now, that’s what I’m talking about.

Now add the soy sauce and watch the magic happen. I always feel like a wizard at this stage. Ok now that the steamy cloud is gone, add the fish sauce and boiling water. Add the carrot and let it cook for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and noodles. Your broth is now 2 minutes away.

Your steak should be ready now. Take it off the heat and let it rest until the broth is ready. Taste the broth. Is it up to your liking? Add a squeeze of lime for an extra zing.

Divide the noodle broth between two bowls. Slice the steak and place on top of the broth. Garnish with mild chilli, coriander and spring onion and serve immediately.

Asian broth with zoodles, bok choy and shiitake mushrooms

This is a super healthy soup packed with heaps of flavour. While I love my noodles, it’s good to take a break from the carbs. I am using zucchini noodles, or zoodles to replicate the traditional noodle soup. This is a vegan, gluten free recipe, but feel free to use shredded chicken and egg noodles, if that’s what you are craving.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1bsp sesame oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
• 1tsp Five Spice mix
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 lime
• 2 large zucchinis, grated into zoodles (you can use a special grater for that)
• 2 bok choy, leaves separated and washed
• 1 handful of shiitake mushrooms (if you are using dry mushrooms, soak them in boiling water for at least 30 minutes first)
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped to serve

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium to high heat. Add the onion and fry until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, fry for further 2 minutes. Add the five spice mix. Stir.

Once the spices are awake (you’ll be able to smell it), add the boiling water. Now add the soy sauce and the vegetables. This will literally take second to cook. Add the lime (you can grate in the zest if you want more flavour). Taste if it needs more seasoning. Add the spring onions.

Divide into bowls and sprinkle with coriander. Serve immediately.

Barbecue Black Snapper with Asian style dressing on a fresh salad

I often hear from people that eating healthy, sustainable and delicious food is expensive. Sure…if you shop at the wrong places. I picked up ingredients for this yummy dish from the local farmer’s market this morning for $4!!! And I managed to feed 2 hungry people. Yes that means getting up a bit earlier on a Sunday to visit your local market, but trust me, it is so worth it!

I added a baked potato to the dish, which didn’t make the picture, as it was still in the fire, but it was a great accompaniment. I just wrapped it in foil and chucked into the coals. Once ready, cross cut it and put a thin slice of butter in, sprinkle with salt and a bit of dill (my own little secret, but shhhh don’t tell anyone I told you)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 Black Snapper (you can use any other white fish of your liking) 500g approximately. Ask your fishmonger to clean it for you, but don’t fillet it.

• Handful of chives

• Handful of coriander

For the dressing:

• ½ cup sweet chilli sauce
• ½ cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

For the salad:

• Bunch of mesculin salad
• 5-6 halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 chargrilled sweet chilli (instructions below)

Preparation: 

First get you barbecue going. I use charcoal barbecue, which adds phenomenal flavour to the food. Of course if you don’t have one, you can use the regular barbecue (but it will not taste the same).

Once the barbecue is on fire, make the dressing. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously for 5 min or so. Set aside.

Now with the chillies (you can use capsicums if you wish). Hold a chilli over fire with some metal tongs (so you don’t burn yourself) until the skins are blackened. Set aside in a bowl and cover with a lid to let it cool. Once cooled, wipe off the black skin with a paper towel, and slice roughly. You can keep the seeds for a bit of heat, or discard them. Set aside.

I think our barbecue should be ready now. It should not have any flames, just the heat of the charcoal. Put the herbs inside the fish, season it and place on a double wire clip grill. It will allow you to turn the fish without breaking it. Brush the dressing over the fish and place it on the barbecue. Turn every 5 minutes or so, while brushing with the dressing with every turn. The fish will be ready once it’s flaking off easily and the skin is caramelised. Do not overcook it though.

Arrange the salad on a big plate by spreading the salad leaves, tomatoes and chillies. Carefully place the fish on top and drizzle with the remained dressing. Squeeze a lemon wedge over entire dish for an extra zing.

Bon appetit