Peanut & chilli noodles

I am a big fan of the discount bit in the supermarket, as god knows I love a bargain. I've done very well out of it in the past, but I'm also guilty of just grabbing things and then wondering later what on earth to do with them. Such as the pack of pork mince I bought recently. 84p! I would have been a fool not to!

But then it got popped in the freezer, taking up space, as I wondered what I could make out of it. Pork mince is a bit weird. It hasn't got a huge amount of flavour - I've made burgers out of it before and been a bit disappointed as they were rather nothingy. So I thought, stubbornly, that this batch of mince must be turned into something GREAT. Pinterest came to my rescue, as usual, and I mixed and matched a few different recipes to create... this.


It's full of flavour - fresh ginger, chillies, garlic and lots of veg. Oh - and PEANUT BUTTER. Yeah, you're interested now, aren't you? Don't get put off by the long ingredient list, as chances are you'll have most of the items on hand already - it's mostly spices. And the items you might not have, like sesame oil or rice wine vinegar, are totally worth adding to your shelves. They work in so many oriental inspired dishes!

I recommend prepping everything in advance and you'll find cooking time takes no time at all. The result is a little like Pad Thai, and it's awesome. And way more guilt-free - a portion of this is 12 Weight Watchers points! Woop.

I think this would taste great with turkey mince or quorn mince instead of pork mince (which would lighten it up even more) if pork isn't your bag. I served the leftovers with this broccoli recipe, which was incredible. We love you, broccoli!

Thai Peanut Noodles

500g pork mince

85g smooth peanut butter

60g peanuts or cashew nuts

250g Tesco dried udon noodles

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water

Zest of one lime

2 carrots, grated

2 green chilli, chopped and deseeded

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 tsp dried coriander

2 spring onions, chopped

1 chinese lettuce, finely chopped

6 mushrooms, finely sliced

Serves 6 / 21 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion

1. Make your life easier - prep everything before you start cooking and chop up all that veg.
2. Cook and drain your noodles according to the package instructions, set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, one of the chillis, lime zest, brown sugar, coriander and water and stir together to form a paste.

4. In a large nonstick pan or wok, add the second tablespoon of sesame oil and the ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute or two until it starts to brown, then add the pork mince.
5. Cook until the mince is cooked through, then add the pepper, carrot, mushrooms and chinese lettuce. Stir until well combined.

6. Add the peanut butter paste to the pan, and stir through until everything's coated. You should have found the veg has released some water to help loosen the paste, but if you find it too thick, add a splash or two of water.


7. Add the nuts, the second chilli and the spring onions, then add the noodles and stir through. Let everything cook and mingle together for a couple of minutes, then serve.

8. Serve with a squeeze of lime and extra chillis, if you fancy. Fresh coriander on top would also rock your socks off.