gajumaru

This is low glycaemic index, super tasty and incredibly filling. The key is the edamame noodles, which are high protein (a whopping 45g/100g dry weight) and have a firm, toothsome consistency which is a massive improvement on the easily-dissolved, gelatinous quality of a lot of other gluten free noodles (for instance, rice noodles). With the noodles providing as much protein per serving as high quality meat, you don't really need to add an additional protein source - so adding the tempeh and the peanuts makes this incredibly filling and sustaining.

As with all our recipes, this is gluten free, dairy free, and nightshade free. It's also mostly vegan, apart from the fish sauce; which we're both happy to eat, but which could be left out if you were serving it to someone else.

Ingredients (makes 8 portions)

Edamame noodles - 200g
Tempeh - 200g
Broccoli - 1/2 head, chopped fine
Chestnut mushroooms - 1 punnet, chunked
Red cabbage - 1/6 of a cabbage, chopped fine
Red onions - 4 small ones, chopped
Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped into little sticks
Ginger - 2 thumbs, chopped into little sticks
Peanuts - 1 handful, coarse chopped
Fresh coriander - 1 handful, coarse chopped
Lime or lemon - 1/2, quartered
Sesame oil - 4 tbsp
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Fish sauce - 2 generous sloshes
Chinese rice wine - 1 slosh
Tamari - 2 tsps ish
Star anise - 4 whole
Black onion seed - 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1 tsp, coarse ground
Coriander seeds - 4 tsps, cracked
Szechuan pepper - 1 tsp, cracked (optional)

Method

Grind the spices as specified, and slowly heat them with the ginger and garlic in the sesame and coconut oil in a large wok on a low heat while prepping the other veg.

Chop the tempeh into small cubes, turn up the heat and hot fry the tempeh in the fragrant oil for 3 minutes, until it's just starting to golden. Add the mushrooms to the fry, coat them in the oil and fry until they're just starting to darken. Add 2 tsps of fish sauce, and throw in the broccoli. Continue to fry and stir, keeping the wok on a high heat. Add another 2 tsps fish sauce.

Boil a kettle, add to a saucepan and cook the noodles, keeping them on a boil until they start to foam, then cooking for another 1 or 2 minutes until they are the right consistency. Drain the noodles.

Add the cabbage to the wok. After the cabbage has been stirfried for a minute or two, add the red onion. Give everything a good stir. Add a generous slosh of rice wine, the peanuts and tamari to taste.

Add the noodles to the wok and toss until they're well coated with flavour.

Serve with freshly chopped coriander and quartered limes.

Several of our friends have offered to bring us meals after we're newborn-enabled, which is very wonderful. I'm going to post recipes we like to make it easier. These are also good for feeding us on other occasions, or indeed if you have any other need for vegan, gluten free, nightshade free cooking!



( Moroccan chickpea, squash & cavolo nero stew )