Satay Soba ‘Slaw

I was so surprised at how well all these flavours work together, and even if you aren’t a massive peanut butter fan this dressing isn’t too over powering.
Also a great leftover dish for the next day lunch.  Original recipe here

~ Bring a pot of water to the boil
~ Cook a small bunch of soba noodles (1/3 of a packet) for 2-3 minutes
~ Drain and rinse in cold water (so they don’t overcook and become sticky)
~ Set aside for combining into the rest of the ‘slaw later

In a food processor:
~ 1/4 red cabbage – sliced
~ Green/Chinese Cabbage (same quantity as the red) – sliced
~ 6 brussel sprouts – sliced
~ 2 med carrots, peeled – grated

For the dressing, combine in a medium bowl:
~ 2 tbsp peanut butter (Mayvers or Pics are great)
~ 2 tbsp honey (warm these for 15 sec in the microwave to make them easier to mix together)
~ 3 tbsp white wine vinegar/rice wine vinegar
~ 3 tbsp sesame oil
~ 3 tbsp soy sauce/tamari
~ 1 tbsp grated ginger (peel it and keep it in the freezer to use when needed)
~ 1 clove garlic, minced/finely chopped

Assemble the coleslaw  by mixing part noodle, part vegetable, spoon of sauce and building until you get the consistency you like
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and chopped peanuts/cashews

Beef & Black Bean

Making black bean sauce is easier than I thought – most recipes say to use fermented black beans but I found using a normal tin of black beans in brine to be just as easy.  The sauce makes quite a bit so you can freeze it for using later.

Place the following in a bowl to marinade while you prepare the rest of the dish:
~ 500g beef strips
~ 2 tsp cornflour
~ 1 clove garlic, crushed
~ 1/4 cup soy sauce

Place the sauce ingredients in a blender:
~ 1/2 tin black beans, rinsed and drained
~ 1/3 cup chicken stock
~  1/4 cup soy sauce
~ 2 tbsp oyster sauce
~ 2 tsp brown sugar
~ 1 tsp sesame oil

Blend until a paste/sauce is formed – there may still be chunks of beans throughout which is fine

Prepare the following vegetables:
~ 1 brown onion, halved and sliced
~ handful of green beans, halved
~ 15 button mushrooms, quartered
~ 1/2 broccoli head, cut into florets
~ 1 tsp grated ginger

Heat a large pan/wok to high, add a little peanut oil
Fry the beef (including the marinade) in two batches and set aside
Fry the onions until soft and set aside with the beef
Cook the veges & ginger in a little more peanut oil (you may need to add some water during the cooking so the veges soften)
Add in the cooked beef and onions and stir
Spoon in 3-4 tbsp of the black bean paste/sauce and keep cooking until the sauce thickens

Serve with brown rice