Vietnamese Crunchy Peanut Salad

Ingredients

• 150g dried egg noodles
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoons sunflower oil
• 1 red pepper, chopped into matchsticks
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• quarter small red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 150g bean sprouts
• handful coriander leaves, freshly chopped
• 5cm cucumber, chopped into small chunks
• juice half lime
• 30g natural, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, if desired

Preparation

1. cook noodles according to pack instructions (times vary – typically 4–6 minutes), drain and immediately plunge them into cold water to stop them cooking further. drain again and then add to a bowl with the toasted sesame oil, mix well and reserve.
2. meanwhile, add the sunflower oil to a pan, then add the red pepper, ginger and chilli (if using), and stir for 2 minutes. next, add the spring onions and bean sprouts, toss for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
3. add the bean sprout mixture to the noodles, along with the coriander, cucumber, lime juice, and half the peanuts, and mix well.
4. serve as desired.