Beef Noodle Salad

This is another of our mid-week lunches that I made up out of what was in the fridge and pantry. Carlos made me beef empanada last Saturday and had some beef left over which I put in a marinade of ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce and ginger wine. Into the fridge it went on Saturday night. On Sunday night, after getting home from Father's day celebrations I fried off the beef and quickled some veg (quick pickled) - this was the most delicious thing! It's my first attempt at cold noodle salads and I can confidently say I will be making a lot more over the coming summer.

Recipe

Makes 4 serves

Cooking time 30 mins

Keeps in fridge 3 days 

Ingredients

100 grams rump beef, marinaded at least 4 hours

2 large cloves garlic, grated finely

1 large piece of ginger, grated finely

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

2 teaspoons of fish sauce

1 teaspoon of green ginger wine

4 cm wedge of red cabbage, chopped into thin pieces

2 carrot, grated 

3 ribs of celery, grated

1/4 red capsicum, grated

1/2 red onion

1 teaspoon of caster sugar

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup cashew nuts

rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in boiling water for 10 mins

Method

Place the rice vermicelli noodles in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 mins. In a small frying pan cook off the beef using a high heat until cooked to your preference. Set aside and let cool.

In a large food processor using a grating plate, process the cabbage, carrot, onion, celery and capsicum. When everything is chopped sprinkle with sugar and vinegar and mix well. Leave for a few mins and the squeeze the excess liquid out of the vegetables. Discard liquid.

Strain the noodles really well and place into a large bowl. Add the squeezed vegetables and mix through. Take the cooked beef and slice thinly, adding it to the salad. Add the cashews and toss well.

Serve.

Soy and Ginger Fish with Green Vegetables

Tonight I got home late after meeting with a friend for a 3 hour chat-sesh and needed to spend very little time on dinner. I had planned on using fish, so that was de-frosting in the fridge. I grew up in a non seafood household, which means I like to do as little preparation as possible; a frozen fillet of boneless white Basa from Aldi is perfect for a fish- squeamish cook like me.

I wanted to cook the fish in an oven bag with some ginger, garlic and soy. I had planned on preparing the vegetables separately, but once I looked at how large the oven bag was, I decided to go the super easy, least work route and chopped up my greens and put them in the bag to cook with the fish.

I chose to use all green vegetables for an iron boost, so broccoli, brussels sprouts and beans went into the bag, topped with the fish fillets (still a little frozen) and the grated ginger, garlic and a table spoon of soy sauce with a half teaspoon of fish sauce to plump up the fishiness.

ginger, garlic and soy

Ready for the oven

Recipe

Ingredients

2 white fish fillets (I used frozen Basa from Aldi - sourced in Vietnam from a farm)

2 head of broccoli

10 brussels sprouts, chopped in half

green beans, topped and tailed, about a handful

1 table spoon soy sauce

1.2 teaspoon of fish sauce

1 colve garlic, grated

1 piece of ginger, grated

Method

Preheat oven to 190C. Place everything into the oven bag, layering the vegetables on the bottom, then placing the fish on top, and finally spreading the garlic and ginger over the fish fillets and pouring the soy sauce mixture over the top. Tie bag closed and punch two small holes in it. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, and dinner is ready.

Notes

To Rice, or Not to Rice

In the house I grew up in, this meal would most certainly be served with steamed white rice. Up until a few weeks ago I wouldn't have hesitated to cook some basmati to have along side it, but it would have been a much larger amount than is recommended on the Low G.I. eating plan. At this stage I'm trying to get used to the idea of less rice, and making meals with no rice a way of getting familiar with that commitment. I'll re-introduce rice in a few weeks time as I move into more confidence with my power of choices.