Mid-Week Noodle Treat!

I can't resist a mid-week noodle treat! Char siu roast pork noodle soupis out of my latest book, Ching's Fast Food and once prepped and marinated is super-quick to cook - ideal for a mid-week after work indulgence. Enjoy x

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 20 minutes for marinating l Cook in: 20 minutes l Serves: 2

2 pork fillets

200g (7oz) dried udon (flat

wheat-flour) noodles

1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil

600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock

2 small pak choy, leaves

separated

1 spring onion, finely sliced

2 small handfuls of bean

sprouts

For the marinade

2 cloves of garlic, finely

chopped

1 tbsp of peeled and grated

root ginger

2 tbsps of yellow bean sauce

2 tbsps of runny honey

2 tbsps of light soy sauce

2 tbsps of Shaohsing rice wine

or dry sherry

½ tsp of dark soy sauce

2 tbsps of groundnut oil

1. Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl and stir

to combine. Add the pork and turn to coat, then cover the

bowl and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F),

gas mark 6.

3. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan on a high heat, and when it

begins to smoke, cook the pork for 2 minutes on each side

or until the outside edges are glazed and sticky. Transfer the

pork to a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 12 minutes.

Leave to rest for 5 minutes and then slice.

4. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling

water for 2–3 minutes until al dente, or according to the

instructions on the packet. Drain, then rinse under cold

running water and drain again. Drizzle with the toasted

sesame oil and toss together to prevent the noodles from

sticking to each other.

5. Pour the vegetable stock into a separate saucepan and bring

to the boil. Add the pak choy leaves and sliced spring onion

and remove from the heat.

6. Divide the cooked noodles between two bowls, add a handful

of bean sprouts to each bowl and ladle over the soup stock

with the pak choy leaves and spring onion. Top with the

sliced roast pork and serve immediately.