With the arrival of soy sauce on tap in the shop I am discovering lots of new recipes and this sesame noodle bowl is a real stunner. Quick, tasty and satisfying it is everything I want in a meal and perfect for summer evenings.. The flavours go really well together (yes, even the desiccated coconut) and the whole thing took me less than half an hour to prepare. It’s true! Give it a try.

Plus all the ingredients are available in Crickhowell and the local area, so no need to go to a supermarket.  We got the chard, spring onions and peas from Moor Park Garden, fresh herbs from the garden, a few bits and pieces from Cashells and the rest from Natural Weigh…of course.

Ingredients
4 nests of noodles
100g cashew pieces
4 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tbsp desiccated coconut
A bunch of fresh coriander
A bunch of fresh mint
Large handful of rainbow chard (any leafy green will do)
2 spring onions
Sprinkle of chilli flakes
100g sugar snap peas
For the dressing:
3 tbsp soy sauce (refill in store)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil (refill in store)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (refill in store)
2 tbsp honey (refill in store)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic (grated)
A thumb sized piece of ginger (grated)

Method
Preheat your oven to 200g. While the oven is heating, cook the noodles in boiling water for 3-5 minutes (depending how firm you want them). Mix the dressing ingredients together. Once noodles are cooked, drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.

Put the cashew pieces on a baking tray and bake for 4 minutes. Add the sesame seeds and coconut and bake for another 4 minutes. The cashew pieces should be nicely golden. Make sure not to leave too long as they burn so easily.

Place the noodles in a large bowl and pour over half the dressing. Chop the coriander stalks and add. Thinly slice the chard and spring onions and finely chop the herbs. Add the chard, spring onions, chilli, sugar snap peas and herbs to the noodles and toss to mix. Finally, add the toasted nuts and seeds and pour over the remaining dressing.

Serve hot, warm or cold, this sesame noodle bowl is delicious however you eat it.