Jade: Bitemyudon

I have an aunt who balks at the mere thought of eating noodles. Once, as I was happily slurping up twirls of thick, dark hokkien mee, she gave me a look of utter distaste and said: "How can you not feel like you're eating worms"; I never said she was tactful... And in any case, it did nothing to diminish my love for a nice big bowl of slurpy noodles.

Noodle preference of the week: fat chewy strands of Udon. I couldn't decide between black pepper udon and my take on Wagamama's Amai udon, so I did what any carb lover would do. I had both ;)

Black pepper udon

~ a hot and fiery antidote to the disgusting weather we've been having

1 packet udon [Mine came tightly packed in a little plastic bag, so I ran it under a hot tap to loosen it up]

3 cloved garlic, minced

Baby anchovies

Fishballs, sliced

Wood ear fungus, soaked and julienned

Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

Napa cabbage, julienned [ and any other veg or meat you have on hand really...it's a great way to

use up leftovers on a weekend]

1 1/2 tbsp black pepper sauce, I think mine's lee kum kee

1 tbsp oyster sauce

stock/ water

1. Heat up some oil and fry garlic and baby anchovies till golden brown, taking care not to burn

the garlic

2. Add the fishballs, mushrooms and vegetables. High heat always helps with flavour when it comes to stir fries.

3. Add the sauces and some water to get a thick gravy

4. Throw in the noodles and toss to coat

5. Dish up, garnish with some picked chili and slurp it all up as loud as you possibly can :)

Wagamamawannabe Amai udon

1 packet udon

3 cloves garlic, minced

half an onion, sliced

mushrooms

fishballs, sliced [ do use chicken or prawns..I just couldn't be bothered to make a trip to the shops]

whatever vegetables you have on hand

1 tsp tamarind pulp, soaked in a little bit of water and mashed into a paste

sugar and fish sauce to taste

splash of rice wine vinegar

chili flakes

crushed peanuts

spring onions, chopped

1. Fry garlic and onions in hot oil until golden brown

2. Add meat and veg and toss in noodles

3. Add sauce ingredients, tasting as you go along. What you want is a really nice balance of sweet, sour and savoury with a spicy kick at the end...akin to what you would expect from a really good plate of Pad-thai.

4. Toss everything together, plate, and top with crushed peanuts and some lovely green spring onions. Who says you have to go out for good food ;)