Charred Broccolini Noodle Bowl with Black Pepper Dressing -gluten-free + vegan-

I was at an event last week in Hamilton, celebrating the launch of Feast Waikato 2020 when I got chatting to one of my food writing friends who mentioned she’d been making this recipe (which first featured in Nourish Magazine late last year) and it reminded me that I’d been meaning to share it here for ages.

{Psssst, if you live locally or happy to travel, I’m running an intimate cooking class at my home in Raglan on April 3rd as part of the festival! For a little more info on the class, check out this post on Facebook}.

I often have people telling me they make my recipes and it never ceases to amaze me. As I’m constantly creating new recipes (for magazines, books, companies, this site etc) I don’t tend to spend much time with each recipe (unless it’s one that becomes one of my regulars), I test them 2-3 times, sometimes more if it needs a little more work, but then once it’s out in the world I often don’t make them again. Sure I make variations, re-use dressing and sauces in new dishes, but for the most part I sadly don’t have enough hours in the day, or room in my stomach to re-make and eat every recipe I’ve ever created. But I love that so many of my recipes find their way into your homes and weave themselves into your lives. To hear you’ve made one of my recipes and they’ve become part of your repertoire is the biggest compliment. I also love seeing (#mydarlinglemonthyme) and hearing all the riffs you guys do with my recipes too, after all, I think the best recipes are those that can be adapted to suit what you have on hand.

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Charred broccolini noodle bowl with black pepper dressing

Long before chillies were introduced into Asia, pepper was used to add heat to dishes. Here in New Zealand we tend to use black pepper mostly as a seasoning in small amounts, but it’s really nice to sometimes add it in amounts where not only is its taste more pronounced, but its heat is also present. To make this into a stand-alone meal, add some crispy tofu pieces or your favourite protein. Asparagus or broccoli would be great alternatives to broccolini. This noodle bowl can be served warm or at room temperature. 

Ingredients

• 250 g broccolini ends trimmed
• olive oil
• 1/2 400g packet rice noodles medium thickness
• 2 spring onions (scallions) sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup cashews lightly toasted
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds lightly toasted
• a big handful coriander leaves + tender stems roughly chopped

Black pepper dressing

• 1/3 cup soy sauce gluten-free, if needed
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or coconut sugar
• 1 small shallot finely diced
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper + extra to serve

Instructions

• Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine.

  Put jug on to boil and place noodles into a large bowl.

  Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add a touch of oil then cook broccolini, stirring often until just tender and charred in places. Pour boiling water over noodles to cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Drain well.

  Transfer drained noodles to a large bowl, stir through spring onion, cashews, sesame seeds and coriander. Add charred broccolini, then drizzle with enough dressing to coat generously. Serve immediately. If prepping ahead of time, dress right before serving.

Notes

This recipe was first created for + featured in Nourish Magazine.