Pork Satay with Cold Noodle Salad

The number-one place on my list of towns to retire to is Bradford-on-Avon. It is so beautiful, unspoiled by masses of those dreadful 1960-esque council houses. We visited there yesterday in order to get out of Bristol, something we haven’t done for quite a while. The weather was perfect all day, as you can probably tell, and I highly recommend a trip there. What I was particularly excited about was the two old-fashioned tea/coffee houses there. At both the waiters/waitresses are dressed up in period costume. Alas we only managed to visit one, but the brownie was a triumph.

Funnily enough Bradford-on-Avon is where the man I did my dissertation on retired to. We went to visit his house – the Little Chantry. It was, however, anything but “little” – let’s hope I manage to retire there. I hope you enjoy the photos:

Now for the pork-satay adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. It’s truly delicious, really “zingy” and spicy. I guess the recipe is really for the satay, and not the pork, because it can be made using chicken, which would be just as delicious. I’m afraid it’s not part of my Asian-week, as that’s on hold – in fact this was cooked a while ago. However there are some really exciting recipes coming the way of my blog fairly soon – they all have very exotic names. Enjoy!

Pork Satay with Cold Noodle Salad {recipe}

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 pork chops cut into inch cubes

• Juice of 1 lime

• Good knob of ginger, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

• 1 red chilli finely chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, mashed

• 200g chow mein rice noodles

• 1 tbsp clear honey

• Half a pepper, thinly sliced

• 2-3 spring onions finely sliced

• Light soy sauce

• Seasoning

Method:

1. First we need to make the satay, so we can marinade the pork for as long as possible. Simply mix together the peanut butter, half the lime juice, ginger, half the chilli, garlic and 2 tsp light soy sauce. Now cover the pork cubes in this, allow to rest.

2. Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate over the top and allow to cook for a few minutes. Gently fry the peppers and spring onions in a pan, add the honey. Once the noodles are cooked drain them and quickly rinse them through with cold water. Toss together the noodles, spring onions and peppers. Then add the rest of the lime and chilli. Season and drizzle through a little soy sauce.

3. Skewer the pork on some bamboo sticks. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve over a bowl of the noodles, as pictured.

Cost: This dish should cost around £1.40-£1.50 per portion. It’s truly delicious, really worth it. Please give it a go!