Savoy cabbage, roasted cauliflower and cashew chilli noodles (mì xào chay)

There is something so moreish and savoury about butter and fish sauce. Get everything prepped beforehand and stir-fry at the last minute before serving. Serves 2.

cauliflower 250g, sliced into 1cm-thick florets
vegetable oil ½ tbsp
sea salt ¼ tsp
fish sauce 2 tbsp
chilli flakes 1 tbsp
maple syrup 1 tbsp
egg noodles 300g
sesame oil 1½ tsp
butter 30g
round shallots 2, halved and sliced into rings
garlic 3 cloves, sliced
savoy cabbage 100g, sliced into 1cm strips
coriander 20g, roughly chopped
cashews a handful, roughly chopped
lime wedges to serve

Preheat the oven to 210C fan/gas mark 8. Roast the cauliflower with the vegetable oil and a sprinkling of salt for 20-25 minutes.

Mix the fish sauce, chilli flakes and maple syrup in a jar or bowl.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Fresh noodles will take 2 minutes, dried about 6 minutes.

Drain, reserving some of the cooking water, then rinse with warm running water. Toss with the sesame oil.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Turn the heat up to high, then add the garlic, cabbage and 3-4 tablespoons of noodle water and stir-fry for 2 minutes before adding the roasted cauliflower. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add the cooked noodles to the frying pan with the coriander. Pour the fish sauce, chilli and maple syrup around the pan, stir-fry and toss to cook for a further 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Serve with a generous sprinkling of chopped cashews and finish with a squeeze of lime.

From Vietnamese by Uyen Luu (Hardie Grant, £22)

This article was originally published on 29 January 2023