Spicy Vegetable Satay

Packed with flavour, this prep-ahead and throw-together meal comes together in just a few minutes for a warm week night supper!

Now, Mr Dish is a die hard meat and potatoes kind of guy who would happily suck on a sausage for breakfast everyday without acquiring so much as one single furred artery or moment of remorse. He is, fortunately for me however, always game for testing out my experimental and generally meat - free cooking! So the vegan cheese and broccoli spread WAS a disaster, as was the squid and fennel stew, I openly admit, but on the whole, I have kept him on side with trying new dishes. He is such a sport to turn a blind eye when he realises I have bulked out his porridge with hemp seeds or finds I’ve blitz his morning macchiato with curly kale and cacao powder. He is my never complaining, ever ready willing participant and test tube!

It is in appreciation of all of this that I take great pleasure when Mr Dish gives my experimental cooking not only a thumbs up, but also a heart felt “That was delicious!” after a meal, and especially when it is NOT followed up by a trip to the fridge for an after dinner bacon sandwich!

This veggie stir fry is one of those experimental dishes that came about in my desire to use up all the veg in the fridge that was starting to look a bit bendy. It has enough stodge in it to make it a a great winter warmer! Mr Dish said it was delicious and there was no bacon sandwich follow up!

So do use up any old veg you have on hand, I’d say, and even chop it all up in advance, store in the fridge in a sealed container then throw it all together in a mere moments on the stovetop for a Wednesday evening.

You could make it vegan by ensuring you use vegan noodles or add some chicken if you dare!

You will need:

For the satay sauce:

3 tablespoons of peanut butter

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce

150mls of creamed coconut (NOT coconut milk)

For the stir fry:

Noodles, egg noddles or wheat noodles, enough for 3-4 people

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks, Julienne style

1 large pepper (red, yellow, or orange — colour of your choice!) finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 large handful of curly kale, finely chopped

150g fine green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

2 cloves of garlic, minced

5cm of ginger, minced or grated

1 red chili, finely chopped (or 2 for more spice; or use a pinch of chili flakes instead of whole chilis)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

To serve:

1 handful of dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)

1 small handful of fresh basil (optional)

Lime wedges (optional)

First make the sauce in a small mixing bowl. Mix all the sauce ingredients togther with a fork until smooth. Set aside. If making ahead, cover the sauce and store in the fridge overnight or until needed. It will probably keep for a day.

Next cook the noodles according to the instructions, drain and set aside while you get on with the stir-fry.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok. Add the ginger, chili and garlic to the hot oil and stir together for a minute.

Add the chopped veg and a tablespoon of water. Stir together over a medium heat and cover for a couple of minutes or until the veg has softened. Don’t leave it too long or it will go soggy!

Pour in the sauce and let it come up to a bubbling simmer then turn it down a bit. Add the noodles and mix it all together. I find using tongs for this helpful.

Serve up in bowls. Sprinkle with dry roasted peanuts, a few torn basil leaves and a just a little squeeze of lime juice.