Ingredients
- 75g raw or roasted unsalted peanuts
- 200g fine egg noodles or Thai rice noodles
- 150g French beans or mangetout, or a combination
- ½ cucumber
- 6 spring onions, trimmed
- About 12 basil leaves (ideally Thai), roughly torn
- A small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
- A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (optional)
FOR THE DRESSING
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lime, or ½ lemon
- ½–1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce, plus extra to serve
Herby, peanutty, noodly salad
A bright and zingy dressing, handfuls of herbs and crunchy peanuts pack loads of flavour into simple, easy-to-cook noodles. If you can only find salted peanuts, rinse the salt off and pat them dry. When it comes to the fresh herbs, the mint’s pretty much a must; the other two are desirable but optional.
Method
If using raw peanuts, roast on a tray in the oven (at 180°C/Gas Mark 4) for 8–10 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool, then bash lightly to break them up a bit.
For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and rinse under the cold tap. Add to the dressing and toss until well coated. Leave to cool completely in the dressing.
Cook the beans and/or mangetout in a pan of lightly salted boiling water till just tender and still a bit crunchy, 3–5 minutes for beans, 2–3 minutes for mangetout. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain well.
Halve the cucumber lengthways and slice thinly. Finely cut the spring onions on the diagonal.
Toss the cooled noodles with the peanuts, cucumber, spring onions, beans and/or mangetout and herbs. Serve with soy sauce on the side, for everyone to help themselves.
River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloombury, RRP $55. Click for more details
Submitted byHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Tips and Tricks
Store any leftover herbs in your fridge by popping the stems into a cup of water and covering with a plastic bag. Change the water every two days to prevent mildew and decay and refresh if needed by submerging in ice-cold water for 10-15 minutes.
This salad makes for great next-day lunches. Package the night before to have school or work lunches ready to grab in the morning rush.
Growing your own coriander can also be one of the most efficient, cost effective and waste-avoiding ways to supply your kitchen with fresh herbs. Simply grow it in your garden or on your windowsill and cut off what you need as you go.
