- Weekend Brunch Flatbreads – Recipe - 22 January, 2016
- Winter sea salt brownies – Recipe - 19 November, 2015
- Grilled Aubergine Bruschetta - 19 August, 2013
Healthy eating is hard. Shocking news, I know. After I spent the last couple of weeks marking essays, which essentially meant I inhaled a bag of Tangfastics on a daily basis, I have been trying to get back into the habit of actually eating some green things during the day. And let me tell you, it is ever so boring. Enter King Prawns.
I am not a natural salad eater. I blame my family for this. I was raised on the tales of my, by all accounts formidable, Prussian Great-Grandmother who lived to the ripe old age of 98 without ever touching a salad because according to her it was all rabbit food. So I have been trying to live by that example for the last 25 years, sneering at people who tuck into wilted boxes of lettuce during lunch while I chomp down on my sandwich or jacket potato. But frankly I have been getting a bit bored with my lunch option and, let’s be honest, most packaged sandwiches are not exactly four star meals. I have been trying to expand my lunch options somewhat, but even I hesitate to have a full cooked meal at lunchtime because realistically I would spend the next two hours sleeping it off under my desk.
I finally gave in and tried braving the dreaded salad. But obviously there is no need to go crazy with these things, so my perfect lunch time salad could not possibly contain lettuce because that stuff is just not edible as far as I am concerned. And it needed to contain some kind of carbohydrate because I did not fancy being absolutely ravenous about twenty minutes later. And some kind of protein. I ended up using king prawns because who doesn’t like a good prawn, but chicken would also work. The asparagus got added because it needed using, but I think it gives it a nice bit of crunch. The dressing is a slightly adapted Korean dipping sauce, because normal salad dressing just seems a bit weird with noodles.
For the dressing:
1 finely sliced spring onion
1 crushed or finely chopped clove of garlic
¼ tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
For the salad:
1 packet thin wok noodles or glass noodles
4-5 spears of asparagus
2 spring onions
1 handful spinach or pak choy
225g king prawns (the exact weight doesn’t really matter, just make sure you have a decent amount on both plates)
Half a lime for seasoning (optional)
1. Boil your noodles by following the instructions on the packet, it won’t take more than a minute or two. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. If your king prawns are raw, fry them briefly and then also set aside to cool.
3. Mix all the ingredients for your dressing together in a small bowl. I tend to start with the dry ingredients and then gradually add the liquid so it comes together nicely.
4. Using a potato peeler, slice your asparagus into ribbons (snap the tough ends off first). It feels a bit weird at the beginning but just carry on and you should end up with nice thin slices of asparagus.
5. Finely slice whatever leafy green vegetable you are using. Make sure you have washed it first obviously.
6. Split your noodles and vegetables between two plates then garnish with the prawns and thinly sliced spring onion. Pour over the dressing.
7. Squeeze lime over your salad and you are done!
