Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

Tofu and peanut bun cha

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I’ve spent a lot of my late twenties/ early thirties eating Vietnamese food. Heck, if we were tallying up take-aways and meals out, I would put a bet on pho being the front runner. I love it, it is my ultimate healthy eating comfort food (as long as it isn’t laden with MSG, I’m too old to deal with MSG hangovers now).

We live Shoreditch, a part of London with brilliant authentic Vietnamese eateries and shops; I honestly never tire of their offerings. We love it so much in fact that we went to Vietnam about 3 years ago, purely because of how much we love the food. (We now love the country too. What a place). My order will usually be along the lines of salt and pepper squid/ banh xeo and a pho. However occasionally I’ll mix it up a bit and order a bun cha. Perfect for warmer days, lighter meals and very easy to make at home (unlike pho where you need hours to get a good stock). Traditionally you’re looking at pork, prawns etc for your protein, but for this particular lunch I went tofu. It’s perfect for me during the day, a meal for one, easy to do, nutritious and delicious (albeit high in salt) and really quick.

Tofu and peanut bun cha
Ready to mix together

 

TOFU AND PEANUT BUN CHA

Serves 1 (multiply as needed)

You could use crushed, roasted (unsalted) peanuts on here instead of the peanut butter. But I like the creaminess it gave the tofu, and think it works well once dressed.

  • Handful of iceburg lettuce, washed and spun dry
  • 1 small or 1/2 a large carrot, peeled
  • A spring onion, washed
  • 4 sprigs of coriander, washed
  • 40g rice or sweet potato noodles
  • 4cm piece of cucumber
  • 75g fried/ firm tofu
  • Half a lime
  • A heaped teaspoon of crunchy peanut butter
  • A large clove of garlic, peeled
  • Groundnut oil
  • A tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1/4 – 1/2 a red chilli
  • A teaspoon of golden caster sugar
  • A tablespoon of rice wine or white wine vinegar
  • A tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 2cm piece of ginger, peeled

Start by prepping the veg. Shred the lettuce, finely slice the spring onion, julienne the carrot and cucumber and roughly chop the coriander. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and leave to one side. Make the dressing by mixing together the caster sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and 50ml of boiling water. Finely grate in the ginger and whisk.

Place a small non-stick pan on a medium heat and add a lug of groundnut oil. Finely slice the garlic, finely chop the chilli and chop the tofu into 2-3cm chunks. Add everything to the pan and fry until lightly golden all over. Add the soy sauce and peanut butter and coat the tofu, frying for a further 1 – 2 minutes.

Pour the dressing into a large bowl. Top with the noodles and then arrange the chopped veg and coriander all around it. Spoon the tofu into the middle and then toss everything together, with the squeezed lime half.

Mixed together bun cha
Mixed together bun cha

 

Maslin and banana pancakes with bacon

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I’m a little bit in love with maslin flour.

On a recent trip to the Lake District we made a pit stop at Booths, a Northern supermarket where you can do your average weekly shop whilst also discovering amazing local produce from small specialist suppliers. I make a beeline for this place whenever we are nearby, as I know we are sure to find some Northern food treasure.

This trip I came across maslin flour, a Medieval English blend which is a combination of wheat and rye flour from a local Cumbrian mill (Little Salkeld Watermill). It sounded interesting, so I bought a bag with our new found love of bread making in mind. However yesterday, whilst contemplating Saturday brunch (with one hungover husband), I thought I’d give our usual ‘pancake, bacon and maple syrup’ combo a revamp. Cue our new Medieval flour. The result were incredibly delicious, fluffy yet slightly nutty pancakes, that are low in gluten and light. I’m a maslin flour convert.

 

Rye and bananas pancakes with bacon
Rye and bananas pancakes with bacon

 

RYE AND BANANA PANCAKES WITH BACON 

If you haven’t got maslin flour, try replacing with a 1/3 rye flour and 2/3 plain.

Makes 6 pancakes (for 2-3 people)

  • A little olive oil
  • 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 large free range or organic egg, separated
  • 120g maslin flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • A heaped teaspoon of poppy seeds
  • 225ml semi-skimmed milk, ideally organic
  • Maple syrup
  • A grating of red chilli (optional)

Place a large non stick frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Lay out the bacon rashers and fry until golden and crisp.

Whilst the bacon is cooking make the pancake batter. Mash the banana in a large bowl with the egg yolk. Mix in the poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and maslin flour (don’t worry if the banana sticks in clumps). Whisk in the milk until smooth – the batter should be thick but pourable. In a separate clean bowl whisk the egg white until stiff peaks and then using a large metal spoon fold into the flour mixture. (I find it easiest to start with one spoon of the egg white, to loosen, then folding in the rest).

When the bacon is cooked, push to the side of the pan to keep warm and spoon ladles of the batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes in batches, until golden on one side and then flip over to cook through. Serve with the crispy bacon, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a grating of red chilli, if you like.