Chilli fish balls and dirty noodle heaven: wok to table in my new Tefal range

Gruelling work at the gym and feeble attempts to do a press up call for reward. Probably, no, definitely not the most logical choice in terms of health but it's hard gym sessions like I've had this week which warrant a little comfort food. (Come the colder weather I'll be inserting this as the latest excuse.)

I'm currently preparing for a supper club next week - which always means a little trip to Queensway or Chinatown (in this case both) to get the best ingredients. And as much as I want to resist, the first fridge always seems to have an array of fishballs. It comes before the vegetable section, so I can only assume it's a staple that I must buy...even when it's not on the menu for next week. Another justification I think is if there is an emoji available, then it must be eaten on a regular meal. I recently read of one fanatic who ate for a week only emoji food icons...dedication. 

My recent trip to Hong Kong definitely did not reach the dumpling and fishball quota, much to my dismay. The street hawkers have the best ones, with the lure of the spicy curry sauce smells that they're slathered in. Dirty and wicked in the best way. 

If you've never had these little bouncy balls of wonder, you really need to change that situation immediately and order some. Be it fried, chopped up, boiled or barbecued - you just have to get them into the belly as soon as possible. 

 

This post is the inauguration of my new Tefal ingenio range I've been kindly given from Tefal. A perfect little kitchen set, this stacks a wok, sauté pan, two saucepans and two frying pans neatly in the space of a cluttered cupboard. How? Detachable handles, which make it easy to pop into the dishwasher, from hob to oven and even then to the table. Having recently fallen amateur cooking idiot recently by heating a ceramic oven dish on the hob (and consequently leading to the dish smashing across the kitchen alongside scraps of Moroccan lamb making an escape for the door), I'm definitely a big fan of hob to oven cookware, which is definitely tricky to come by when you have an electric (and temperamental) hob. 

Perfect for stir frying, the pan heated up in no time, a common gripe with electric hobs and asian cooking which needs a hot pan quick. 

Had I not eaten the wok full of noodles in five seconds flat, the range also has Tupperware lids for the pans- so another handy quick win for leftovers. 

A nifty way to keep your cupboards uncluttered, I would highly recommend this set if you need some new cookware thrills.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 packs of fresh udon noodles 

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 inch of ginger, chopped finely

Handful of green beans, cut on the diagonal 

6 chilli fishballs, cut in slices 

 

Sauce 

2 tbs oyster sauce 

1 tbs sweet soy sauce (or add one tsp sugar if you don't have this) 

1 tsp soy sauce 

1 tsp sesame oil 

1/2 tsp turmeric 

1 tsp dark soy sauce 

4 tbs water 

In a colander, rinse the udon noodles in hot water to loosen them slightly. 

Heat a wok and add a tablespoon of oil once hot. Quickly stir fry the green beans, garlic and ginger for 30 seconds and add the fishballs. After a minute, add the noodles and fry for a further 3 minutes. 

Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a little bowl and add to the noodles. Set the heat to medium and make sure the sauce clings to the udons. Serve straight from the wok and enjoy.