Rainbow stir-fry with prawns

I made this dish the first night of my dad's visit last week and it was a huge hit. For me, it made a nice change from the rich coconutty curries I usually make when cooking Asian food. And my dad liked it so much, it even inspired him to try cooking himself. At least he said so. Well, let's see what comes of that...

 

It was my first time cooking with soba noodles and it definitely won't be my last. They are a wonderful alternative to white rice as they're healthier, not as nauseatingly filling, and have got a lovely taste of their own.

Rainbow stir-fry with prawns

Serves 3

150 g/6 oz soba noodles
100 g/0.25 cup prawns
25 g/0.25 cup fresh ginger
Quarter a red and a yellow (bell) pepper
150 g/1 cup snow peas
100 g/1 cup cabbage
250 ml/0.5 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese chili garlic sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp Worcester sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp sesame seeds


Cook the soba noodles according to packet instructions, drain and put aside.

Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan without any fat or oil until goldish brown, then put aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and Worcester sauce, add the prawns, combine and put aside.

Diagonally slice the snow peas, and cut the cabbage and the (bell) peppers into thin slices. Peel and finely chop the ginger, then heat the sesame oil in a large, non-stick pan and sweat the ginger for a few minutes. Add the cabbage. After 5-10 minutes, add the (bell) peppers and, after another 10 minutes, the snowpeas. Pour in a bit of the stock and cook until the vegetables are tender, then pour them into a bowl and put aside.

Take the prawns out of the marinade and fry them in the now empty pan for a few minutes (you might need to add a bit more sesame oil). Add the vegetables and the noodles and fry for about five minutes.

Combine the vegetable stock and the marinade, and pour the mixture into the stir-fry. Cook for another few minutes, then serve with the sesame seeds on top.