My mum all the time says our love of pasta comes from the noodle tradition we grew up with, and he or she’s spot on. Generally, I crave a buttery bowl of carbs, however one which’s layered with the daring, fishy flavours of Malaysia. This bucatini with prawns is considered one of my favorite meals when nobody is watching. And once I’m brief on time however craving squidgy carbs tangled with spiced lamb mince, the cuminy noodles are my self-loving pleasure. Utterly incorrect in its origins, however undeniably scrumptious.
Completely not ‘floor cumin lamb noodles’ (pictured high)
I’m heinously utilizing torn lasagne sheets as a fast repair for the gloriously thick, chewy ribbons of noodles that I like (particularly the cumin-heavy ones from Noodle and Beer in London).
Prep 10 min
Cook dinner 30 min
Serves 1
150g lamb mince
1½ tsp floor cumin
A pinch of MSG
1½ tsp pul biber, or aleppo pepper or gentle chilli flakes
Salt
4 dried lasagne sheets
Vegetable oil
3-4 Sichuan peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 tbsp mild soy sauce
½ tbsp darkish soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp chilli bean paste – doubanjiang or related
2–3 stalks choi sum, lower into 3-4cm chunks
To serve
Crispy chilli oil
Toasted sesame seeds
1 sprig coriander, leaves chopped
In a bowl, combine the lamb with a teaspoon of floor cumin, the MSG and a teaspoon of pul biber, then put aside.
Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil. Break the lasagne into tough shards and prepare dinner in line with the packet directions, till al dente. Reserve a splash of the pasta cooking water, then drain.
Warmth a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or deep frying pan, then add the Sichuan peppercorns and fry till aromatic and simply popping. Add the lamb mince combine and fry on a medium-high warmth till deeply browned and crisp on the edges; if the combo seems to be a bit dry, add a contact extra oil.
Stir within the garlic and ginger, fry till smooth and aromatic, then add the cooked lasagne items and toss nicely to separate. Stir via each soy sauces, vinegar and sugar, and add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it’s trying dry – it must be shiny and saucy, however not soupy.
Add the chilli bean paste and the remaining cumin and pul biber. Stir to coat the noodles, then toss within the choi sum and prepare dinner for a minute or so, till it simply wilts and turns brilliant inexperienced. Modify the seasoning to style, including chilli oil if you would like it spicier (although I all the time put it on high when serving).
Serve scorching, topped with toasted sesame seeds and recent coriander, and with chilli oil to style.
Butter sambal bucatini with prawns
Prep 5 min
Cook dinner 25 min
Serves 1
150g dried bucatini
Salt
6 shell-on prawns
30g chilly diced butter
2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 tbsp sambal belacan, or sambal ikan bilis, plus further to serve
½ tsp rooster inventory powder
½ tsp MSG
Lemon juice, to style
2 tbsp double cream
3 tbsp grated pecorino
1-2 sprigs recent dill, to garnish
Cook dinner the pasta in boiling salted water for about eight minutes, till al dente, then drain, reserving a few of pasta cooking water.
In the meantime, season the prawns with salt. In a wok or deep frying pan, soften a tablespoon of the butter, then add the prawns, garlic and sambal (or extra, to style), toss and fry for a few minutes, till the prawns are simply cooked, then tip right into a bowl.
Add the inventory powder, MSG, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt to the wok, regularly whisk within the remaining chilly cubed butter, till you’ve obtained a shiny emulsion, then stir within the cream.
Toss the drained pasta into the sauce with a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water, stir via a lot of the pecorino (avoid wasting for serving) and season to style.
Serve in a deep bowl topped with the prawns, a scattering of dill, the reserved cheese and further sambal on high.
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Sama Sama: Consolation Meals from my Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen, by Julie Lin, is printed subsequent week by Ebury Press at £28. To order a replica, go to guardianbookshop.com
