Inspired by the awesome Malaysian noodle dishes I ate recently at GB Oriental Cafe in Nottingham (read more here) I felt the need attempt to rustle up some thing similar at home

I reached out to the bookshelf and found myself perusing the rather excellent cookbook LEMONGRASS AND GINGER by Lemei Tan

The dish I attempted was the PORK AND MUSHROOM NOODLES a relatively simple affair being made up primarily of the two ingredients in its name

I was using it as an excuse to highlight some fabulous pottery that I found at Ocean Studios in Plymouth where I bought this noodle bowl. The best bit being the built in groove for your chopsticks!

To cook this for one person (two really 🤣) stir fry a finely chopped clove of garlic and a handful of soaked mushroom (porcini, shitake, or Chinese) sliced into thin strips.

Add a small pack of pork mince, fry to brown then add in the liquid that mushrooms had soaked in and cook a little longer.

I also went rogue and added in some freshly sliced woodland mushrooms for a bit more of a meaty bite. I like the way that they soak up the juices

Then just cook some noodles and add to a bowl, top with mince, bean sprouts, and sliced spring onions, then drizzle (or pour) the sauce over the top and scoff.

The delight of this dish is the sauce made up of honey, light and dark soy, sesame oil, and balsamic vinegar that you drizzle over the dish. It is sweet, nutty, salty and tart all at the same time. One for the tastebuds to enjoy

Bean sprouts and spring onions add crunch, dried mushrooms add potency in flavour, the pork mince lends the joyous fatty element and a bit of meatiness to the whole affair

I love and live for noodles and this dish fed my belly and my soul. All that was missing was a spoon of sambal. I shall rectify that omission next time I cook it 😎🤓

BASIC INGREDIENTS reduced for one OR tWO

This really is a very easy to cook and quite delightful dish to eat and one that I have cooked many times over the last year.

The inspiration came from the cookbook Lemongrass and Ginger by Lee mei Tan published back in 20212 that I have had for ages. Last time I looked it was still on the shelves at Waterstones and is available on Amazon