POT NOODLES UK RECIPES

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus marinating. Cook time: 35 minutes.

Begin by making the marinade. Mix the hot water and the sugar in a medium roasting dish, stirring to allow the sugar to melt and the water to cool. This should only take a few minutes.

Add the soy, ginger, garlic and chilli and mix well.

Next, add the chicken and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. You don’t have to marinate at all if you are in a rush, but if you are cooking for the next day, then marinate in the sauce overnight and this will really soak into the chicken. Even a few hours will make a difference, if you have the time.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, until cooked through.

Take the chicken pieces out of the roasting dish, leaving the marinade behind. Add the 5 nests of noodles, flipping them over to coat them in the liquid. If your marinade has become quite dry, you can add up to another 300ml of hot water.

Put a piece of chicken back on top of each noodle nest and then put back into the oven for 10 minutes to allow the noodles to absorb all that moisture.

Take out and garnish with the coriander, spring onions, red chilli and sesame seeds, and your chicken noodles are ready to eat.

To make the spice paste, blitz the onions and garlic until pulsed but not a smooth paste.

Put the oil into a pan on a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 10–15 minutes, until the onions are brown. Now add the vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli paste, and cook until the mixture is a thick paste with no liquid. This should take about 20 minutes on a medium to low heat.

When the spice paste is cooked and cooled, put it into a jar – it should keep in the fridge for 2 months.

Now to make the noodles. Put a tablespoon of the spice paste into a 500ml jar, along with your portion of noodles and all the other bits. Leave it in the fridge, and when you are ready to eat, pour 300ml of boiling water into the jar and pop the lid on. I like my noodles brothy, but if you like a drier noodle, just add less water. These are great for home but also perfect for taking to work.

Noodle Variations

Chicken and Pea:
1 tablespoon spice paste + 3 tablespoons frozen peas + 3 tablespoons frozen onions + a small handful of cooked chicken + ¼ of a lime, squeezed, then dropped into the jar + 1 teaspoon dried dill

Beef and Kimchi:
1 tablespoon spice paste + 1 spring onion, sliced + 1 tablespoon kimchi + 2 strips of beef jerky, thinly cut with scissors + ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Soya Mushroom:
1 tablespoon spice paste + ½ x 285g tin of sliced mushrooms, drained + 4 tablespoons soya mince, dried or frozen + 1 cube of frozen spinach + a slice of lemon, squeezed and dropped into the jar

Egg Noodles:
1 tablespoon spice paste + 4 tablespoons mixed frozen veg + 2 eggs, cracked straight into the jar + 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed + 1 teaspoon dried dill

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus marinating. Cook time: 35 minutes.

Begin by making the marinade. Mix the hot water and the sugar in a medium roasting dish, stirring to allow the sugar to melt and the water to cool. This should only take a few minutes.

Add the soy, ginger, garlic and chilli and mix well.

Next, add the chicken and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. You don’t have to marinate at all if you are in a rush, but if you are cooking for the next day, then marinate in the sauce overnight and this will really soak into the chicken. Even a few hours will make a difference, if you have the time.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, until cooked through.

Take the chicken pieces out of the roasting dish, leaving the marinade behind. Add the 5 nests of noodles, flipping them over to coat them in the liquid. If your marinade has become quite dry, you can add up to another 300ml of hot water.

Put a piece of chicken back on top of each noodle nest and then put back into the oven for 10 minutes to allow the noodles to absorb all that moisture.

Take out and garnish with the coriander, spring onions, red chilli and sesame seeds, and your chicken noodles are ready to eat.