DIY Pot Noodle

The boy doesn’t get to have junk food. It’s not that he isn’t allowed it, but I try to feed him enough good things so that he doesn’t need to be tempted by rubbish.  He has a distant but too fond memory of pot noodles and is salivating at the prospect of this River Cottage version.

1 nest of thin egg noodles

1tsp Marigold Bouillon powder

A pinch brown sugar

1 small carrot, peeled and cut in fine julienne

3 spring onions, finely sliced

A handful of peas

2 leaves pak choi, finely chopped

½ tsp ginger, grated

½ clove garlic, grated

¼ green chili, finely chopped (no seeds)

2tsp soy sauce

Juice of half a lime

This has to cook instantly so very fine chopping is essential. The boy is so excited at the prospect of pot noodle that he’s helping, though his chopping needs re-chopping. All the grating is done on the finest microplane.

Put everything (except the soy and lime) in a bowl. Plastic for extra authenticity – we are using one from a picnic set. The soy is Kikkoman, which, funnily enough is where our microplane grater came from. We sent off for it from a promotion they once had.  Pour boiling water over to cover everything. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Push things down with a fork and stir it a couple of times. Pour over the soy and squeeze in the lime. Hand it to the boy with a fork and spoon. Happy face.