I love getting leftovers to cook with. Surprising, as I used to hate it! But now, it seems to be a skill of mine, to be able to make leftover chicken or lamb from a Sunday roast to last more than one meal. It’s a great way to cook and to budget. Having a roast every Sunday if there are just two of you, or if you’re trying to budget, may seem a bit pricey, but if it lasts you 2 – 3 meals then it’s such great value.

I have mentioned in my previous posts about making a chicken last for at least 3 meals, by using it for a roast on Sunday, using the leftovers to make pie, curry or stew on the Monday and then creating a delicious stock with the bones for a soup or risotto for the Tuesday. Done. A £6 free-range chicken lasting for 3 meals.

I made a fantastic roast on Sunday, having roast beef and I made sure I bought a piece big enough so it’s enough for just me and my partner for two meals.

My recipe for Ginger and Chilli Beef Noodles is fantastic. It uses the leftover beef, but is crisped up in a little cornflour and stir-fried to create delicious crispy beef. It also uses a lot of store cupboard ingredients such as noodles, soy sauce, sweet chilli and something I always keep, chilli bean paste. It’s quick, cheap and packed with flavour and veggies.

 

Recipe (serves 2)

Leftover roast beef (around 3-4 slices) or you can use fresh steak if you prefer

1 tbsp cornflour

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 extra tsp for later

2 nests of medium dried egg noodles

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 inch ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, chopped ( I leave the seeds in)

1 red pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 leaves of Chinese cabbage, sliced

4 florets of broccoli, cut into smaller bite-sized pieces

1 tbsp chilli bean paste

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

100ml water

Start by prepping your noodles. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add your noodles. Cook for 2 minutes or follow the instructions on the pack. Drain, rinse with cold water and pour over the sesame oil, tossing them to coat well. These can now sit until needed.

Next, heat up the 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Slice your beef into strips, mix with the cornflour and season well, tossing until the beef is coated. Fry in the oil, turn regularly and cook until brown and crispy. This should take around 5 – 8 minutes. Dry on kitchen paper to remove excess oil and set to one side.

Next, heat up a wok or large frying pan until hot and add the 1 tsp of oil. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the vegetables and cook again until starting to catch (around 2 minutes on a high heat). Add the chilli bean paste, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and water, stir well and bring to a bubble. Cook until thickened and glossy. Add the beef and noodles and mix well. Serve and enjoy!