There are countless afflictions and ailments that effect human kind, not to mention phobias, rational or otherwise. I for one cannot stand heights, this may stem back to my big sister trying to lift me over the railings at the top of the Eiffel Tower when I was four years old in an effort to get some attention, eclipsed by the precious only boy. Subsequently I believe my fear of vertiginous situations to be rational and just, the terror I harbour and release when a moth approaches however, is not.
The aforementioned reside within our psyche and are open to theoretical debate and psycho analysis - In the red corner, weighing in at 220 pounds, Erik Erikson and his theory of psychosocial development! In the blue corner, the reigning champion who wants to make love to at least one of his parents, Sigmuuuuund . . . . . Freud!
What isn’t open to debate is the physiology of the human body (unlike my aversion to moths, the winged spawn of Satan), if you’re allergic to nuts, you simply can’t eat them. If you’re afraid of nuts, then you’re a nutcase. Worse still though, you could fall into the most unfortunate of categories, you could be allergic to shellfish, and to these people my heart goes out to, as to go through life without experiencing the joy of a prawn would be very sad indeed.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
20 Indonesian tiger prawns, cut down the back, veins removed
1 pack of sprouting broccoli
1 pack of asparagus
1 pack of young thin carrots
2 pak choi, leaves cut off and hearts cut into 4
2cm root ginger, finely chopped
½ a red onion, roughly chopped
½ red sweet pepper, roughly chopped
Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped, a little for garnishing
1 large red chilli, chopped into wheels
Enough Soba noodles for 4 people
Chilli oil
Ground nut oil
Dark soy sauce
For the Pak Choi Hearts:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tspns light soy sauce
1 tspn dark soy sauce
1 tspn Japanese satay marinade
1 tspn chilli flakes (I’ve started crushing my own as the supermarket ones are weak)
Small handful of crushed cashew nuts
For the Prawn and Vegetable Sauce:
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 lime
You’ll need a Wok and a griddle pan for this one.
Method:
1. Steam the broccoli, asparagus and carrots for 6 – 7 minutes so they still have a bit of crunch, set aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the pak choi sauce together, excluding the cashews, put the hearts in a bowl and pour over the sauce, make sure it gets in between all the gaps and put to one side.
3. Mix the prawn and vegetable sauce and coat the prawns in their own bowl with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce.
Step 4 AND 5 to be done together
4. Boil the noodles for 5 – 6 minutes until slightly undercooked, strain and sift to stop them sticking together. In the wok heat a slug of chilli oil and fry the onion, the red pepper, and half the chopped red chilli together for a couple of minutes, throw in the noodles and stir fry for a couple of minutes before adding a dash of dark soy and frying for another minute. Position the noodles on 4 plates.
5. Whilst the noodles are cooking heat a griddle pan over a high heat and add the pak choi hearts, cook them on all three sides for a few minutes each and pour over the excess sauce from the bowl as you do. The noodles should be boiled and fried in about the same time it takes for the pak choi to cook completely, plate them alongside and crumble the cashews over the top.
6. Quickly wipe out the wok and return it to the heat, add a couple of slugs of ground nut oil and fry the pak choi leaves and ginger together, the leaves will wilt fairly quickly, throw in the broccoli, carrots, asparagus, prawns, and the rest of the sauce. Stir fry over a high heat for a few more minutes but don’t let it get too sloppy. It can completely ruin the food if there’s no crunch to it.
7. Take it off the heat, stir through half the coriander and whack it on the plate, garnish with the remaining coriander and red chilli wheels.
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