WARM GLASS NOODLE AND EDAMAME

My sister in law Sonal has given me the cookbook of a lifetime!

The book is called Plenty  by Yotam Ottolenghi, a renowned chef and author who writes a weekly vegetarian column in London’s weekly  Guardian newspaper. Ottolenghi owns “haute couture” food shops in London, which are well known for innovative dishes, that are made using the best of ingredients.

This is a spectacular dish I recently made for a luncheon, which ended up being a favorite with adults and the kids alike.

WARM GLASS NOODLE AND EDAMAME

Serves 4

Ingredients:

7 oz glass (cellophane) noodles

Sauce

2 tbsp grated galangal or fresh root ginger

Juice of 4 limes

3 tbsp olive oil or peanut oil

2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar

2 tsp tamarind paste or pulp

2 tsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 tbsp sunflower oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 ½ cups shelled cooked edamame beans

3 spring onions, thinly sliced (including the green parts)

1 fresh birds eye chili, finely chopped (optional)

3 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus a few whole leaves to garnish

3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

4 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed as a garnish (optional)

Salt to taste

METHOD:

• Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes, or until soft (don’t leave them in the water for too long or they will go soggy).

• Drain and leave to dry.

• To make the sauce, simply whisk together in a small bowl all of the sauce ingredients as above and set aside.

 • Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan or a wok and add the garlic.

• When it starts to turn golden, remove the pan from the heat and add the sauce and noodles.

• Gently stir together, then add most of the edamame beans and spring onions, chilies and cilantro.

• Stir everything together while you return the pan to the heat for a few seconds, just to warm through.

• Taste and add more salt, if you like.

• Pile up on a large platter or in a shallow bowl and scatter over the remaining edamame beans and the sesame seeds.

• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

• You can also serve this dish at room temperature, adjusting the seasoning when it is cool.