Szechuan Pepper & Lime Noodles with Coconut

Szechuan pepper is wonderfully fragrant without any heat and I love this Asian dressing.

This is the perfect dish to make when you are lucky enough to find yourself on a hot summers day or, like us here in the Southern Hemisphere, on a sunny and mild winters day with a tease of spring in the air.

I love buckwheat noodles and I use it often as one member in our family is gluten-free. It is however not the easiest noodle to cook with, if you find yourself not having to avoid gluten go for the easier to cook noodle options.

You can play about with any crunchy green things you have in your fridge, mange-tout, sugar snaps and broccoli would all work well.

If you are like me, in love with saucy noodles, double up on the dressing.

Serves 4

• handful coconut flakes
• 4 bundles noodles
• wedge red cabbage, very finely sliced
• 1 small bunch spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 pink grapefruit, peeled &  segmented
• 200g fine green beans, topped & tailed and cut into bite sizes
• 3 handful peas (frozen is 100%) or a mix of edamame & peas
• 2 big handfuls coriander, mint and basil, leaves only, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Lime & Pepper Dressing

• 1 tablespoon Szechuan pepper or black peppercorns
• 7 tablespoons good olive oil
• juice and zest of 3 limes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (more to serve)
• 1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce (or another tbspn tamari)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

1. Start with the dressing, toast the peppercorns in a small saucepan until fragrant, tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Add the pepper to a small bowl and add the rest of the dressing ingredients, stir and taste, finding and adjusting until you have the perfect combination of sweet, sour and salty. Keep aside.
2. Add the coconut flakes to the same pan and toast on a medium pan until toasty and lightly coloured. Keep aside.
3. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. (See kitchen note for cooking tips when using buckwheat noodles). When al dente drain and rinse under cold water until the water runs completely clear and the noodles are not sticking together. Add the noodles to a pretty serving dish. Add most of the dressing, tossing and coating the noodles generously.
4. In the same pan you used to cook the noodles, heat 1 cup of water and a good pinch of salt, when boiling add the beans and cook, covered for 3-4 minutes, by this time the beans should be bright green and soft but still crunchy. Add the peas and cook covered for 1 minute. Drain the veggies if any water is visible. Cool slightly.
5. To serve, add the veggies to the noodles and mix well, add half the coconut flakes, cabbage and the herbs, mix well, finally top with the grapefruit, spring onions and any leftover dressing. Scatter the remaining coconut flakes over or serve on the side. Serve with extra tamari on the side for everyone to help themselves too. Enjoy!

How to cook gluten-free noodles: 

Boil plenty of water, when at a rolling boil, add the noodles slowly, reduce the heat to a simmer. With a fork continuously detangle the noodles while they cook. The water will go very milky, don’t worry they’ll taste better than they look. Keep on tasting and detangling until al dente, drain in colander and start rinsing the noodles with cold water, detangling as you go. At this stage you can add a little toasted sesame oil (any oil) to the noodles to keep them from sticking or as is the case in our recipe with the Asian dressing (which has oil in it).