Suzie says: “XO sauce is a really luxurious ingredient. Legend has it that it was developed in the prestigious Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong, by a chef using high-end seafood products. Even though it is named after cognac, it does not have one drop of alcohol in it, rather the name is used to denote its high-quality ingredients. My mum used to make noodles with this sauce all the time as it is a quick way of adding flavour to any dish. Udon noodles are so easy to get hold of now, which is a bonus for me as I can create a quick dinner in minutes. The thick, chewy texture of these noodles is really moreish.”

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 200g packet udon noodles 
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced 
• 2 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 napa cabbage leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced or grated
• 1½ tbsp XO sauce 
• 1½ tbsp oyster sauce 
• ½ tbsp light soy sauce 
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 
• ¼ tbsp white pepper
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 large spring onion, sliced, to garnish

Method

Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, add the udon noodles, bring to the boil again and the noodle strands will separate. Drain in a colander and set to one side.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat, add the onion, mushrooms, cabbage and carrot and fry for a couple of minutes, then add a splash of water to help soften the vegetables. Move the vegetables to one side of the wok or pan, add the XO sauce to the empty part of the wok or pan and fry for a couple of minutes – this will make the chilli and aromatics come to life.

Toss the vegetables in the XO sauce, then add the oyster sauce and soy sauce and mix. Add the noodles, toss, cover with a lid and cook for a minute to soften the noodles, then drizzle over the sesame oil and add the white pepper and mix. Season to taste and finish with the spring onion to garnish.

Suzie says: “Fun fact: Singapore noodles actually originate from Hong Kong, not Singapore. It is said that this dish was invented by chefs in the 1950s and 60s when trade was booming in Hong Kong and spices such as curry powders were readily accessible. The name was just to give the dish some flair. This dish is on our Chinese takeaway menu and it is very popular! It is traditionally made with ham, chicken and prawns, but I have made this veggie only, which tastes just as good.”

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g vermicelli rice noodles or 250g dried noodles roughly 
• 4 tbsp of vegetable oil 
• 4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely cut into matchsticks
• 1 sweet (bell) pepper (any colour), deseeded and thinly sliced
• 100g baby corn, thinly sliced diagonally 
• 100g mangetout, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tsps curry powder (mild/medium/hot)
• 1 tsp chilli powder (mild/medium/hot) (optional)
• 1 tsp garlic powder/granules 
• 4 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Method

Soak the noodles in a heatproof bowl of boiling water for 1 minute, then strain and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat, add the beaten eggs and fry for a minute on each side, without stirring, until they set like an omelette.

Transfer to a plate, then cut into thin strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok or frying pan over a high heat, add the carrot, pepper, baby corn and mangetout with a splash of water to stop them burning and fry for a minute. 

Transfer to a plate. In the same wok or frying pan (you don’t need to clean it) add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then add the onion with a splash of water, the curry powder, chilli powder (if using – I use mild curry powder and leave out the chilli powder when I’m cooking this for kids) and garlic powder or granules and fry for a couple of minutes over a high heat until the aromas are released. 

Toss in the cooked vermicelli and put all the vegetables back in the wok or pan. Toss again so everything is evenly distributed. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and egg strips and keep frying and tossing until the noodles change to a golden yellow colour. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, add the spring onions and serve.

Suzie says: “This cold noodle dish is a real crowd-pleaser and is even better as leftovers. I always make extra to have for lunch the next day.”

Serves 4 (large portions)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• A handful of unsalted peanuts
• A handful of black or white sesame seeds 

For the base sauce

• 100g smooth peanut butter 
• 50g sesame paste (tahini)
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp salt 
• 1½ tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• ½ tsp white pepper 
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder

For the vegetables

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 green (bell) pepper, sliced into matchsticks
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally
• Sea salt and white pepper

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the rice or glass noodles and bring back to the boil for another 2 minutes. Strain the noodles using a colander and save at least 100ml of the noodle water, then rinse the strained noodles under cold running water until they are cool and set to one side.

Put the peanuts and sesame seeds in a dry, clean frying pan and toast for a couple of minutes over a medium heat until they are lightly browned and toasted. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Now make the base sauce. Put the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth, then add 100ml of the reserved hot noodle water and the vegetable stock powder to the sauce, whisk again and taste: if the sauce is really thick, add more noodle water. It should be tangy and quite rich in flavour because of the peanut butter and sesame paste.

Then throw the carrot, pepper and spring onions into the sauce. Add the noodles and toss. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding more rice wine vinegar for sharpness or salt and pepper or even more peanut butter or sesame paste. Finish with the toasted peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.

Top tip: the base sauce will keep in a jar in the fridge for at least a week and is delicious added to noodles or used as a salad dressing, or to spice up a coleslaw recipe instead of using mayo.