Crunchy stir-fried vegetables with noodles and peanut rayu
Overview
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Serves
2
Ingredients
For the sauce
1½ tbsp peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, it doesn't matter)
2½ tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dry or medium sherry
For the vegetables and noodles
150g dried egg noodles
1 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
150g carrots, peeled then cut into matchsticks
½ large red pepper, seeds removed, sliced into strips
3 heads of baby pak choi, quartered
100g sugar snap peas, halved lengthways
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
3-4 tbsp peanut rayu
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
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The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘Astonishingly good value' – the best supermarket tofu, tasted and rated
This test helped me realise just how much I truly love tofu, even cold. Like all deceptively simple products, such as wine, coffee and chocolate, tofu's character is rooted in its terroir: the soil, biodiversity, climate, plant species and production process. Most tofu is made by curdling soy milk with nigari, a coagulant made from magnesium chloride, which is naturally derived from seawater. It's an ancient method still used across Japan and south-east Asia. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. To keep things fair, I tasted each tofu cold, straight from the packet, then boiled and fried (without pressing or seasoning) each one to observe its flavour, structure and performance. Boiling showed that all the tofus held their shape, while frying brought out major differences in colouring, crust and bite: some crisped up beautifully, others stayed soft and chewy, so if you mainly fry your tofu, that's worth bearing in mind. It's also worth noting that organic tofus are GMO-free by definition. 89p for 180g at Aldi (49p/100g)★★★★★ A small, beige block with rounded edges and a sweet, familiar soya aroma. It's a super-firm tofu with a dense, satisfying bite that holds up brilliantly to cooking, especially frying. Made with 57% EU-grown organic soya, it's very high in protein (14g a serving) and astonishingly good value. A real standout. £1.34 for 300g at Sainsbury's (45p/100g)★★★★☆ A great blank canvas with a subtle aroma and gentle, sweet taste. Firm but moist, and transformed by frying to a golden-crusted, deep flavour. Made from organic, non-EU soya (34%), it's high in protein and excellent value. Though a little lower in soya content, it delivers fantastic performance in the pan and at an incredible price. £2.90 for 396g at Ocado (73p/100g)£3 for 396g at Waitrose (76p/100g)★★★★★ Distinctively marbled and off-white/grey, this has a subtle aroma and a clean, complex flavour. Very firm and reacts well to frying, forming a satisfyingly thick crust. Made with 35.8% organic soya, using a mix of EU and non-EU beans, it's high in protein and has strong sustainability credentials. A well-rounded option that's a very close runner-up to the best overall. £2.30 for 280g at Sainsbury's (82p/100g)£2.30 for 280g at Tesco (82p/100g)★★★★☆ An irregularly marbled block with a deep umami, almost smoky aroma and a lovely firm bounce. One of the densest, less traditional tofus tested, with a chewy bite. When fried, it forms a good golden crust with loads of flavour. Made in Yorkshire using organic soya from EU and non-EU farms. Great Taste Award-winning, very high in protein (16.5g per 100g) and a bold, characterful choice. £2.50 for 300g at Ocado (83p/100g)★★★★☆ A uniform block with a sweet, subtle aroma, a soft bite and a gentle soya flavour. Holding its shape and forming a delicate, uniform golden crust when fried, this has one of the best textures in the whole test group. Made from organic, non-EU soya, it has 34% soya content and a respectable protein level. Strikes a solid balance between taste and texture. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion £2 for 300g at Morrisons (67p/100g)£2.55 for 300g at Ocado (85p/100g)★★★★☆ A uniform block with a sweet, neutral aroma, a soft bite and a creamy mouthfeel. Flavourful and pleasantly sweet, it's perfectly crunchy and delicious when fried, with a consistent golden crust – perhaps the best overall for frying. Certified organic with non-EU soya, it's been handmade in Devon since 1984 and holds a Taste of the West Gold award. £1.95 for 399g at Tesco (49p/100g)★★★☆☆ A uniform, cream block with a sweet, clean smell and a gentle flavour. Its soft texture makes it satisfying to eat raw, though it doesn't crisp up easily when fried, hence the lower score (instead, it develops a chewy, caramelised edge with a spongy interior). Made from organic, non-EU soya (34%), it's a good source of protein and exceptional value for organic tofu. £1.95 for 300g at Waitrose (65p/100g)★★★☆☆ A gentle, savoury aroma and a soft bite with a slight sweetness. The texture is on the delicate side, especially when boiled, and it doesn't fry especially well (pressing first will help). Made with 34% organic, non-EU-grown soya, it's certified organic, but lacks firmness. Decent value, but there are more versatile options at a lower price point. £3 for 400g at Ocado (75p/100g)★★★☆☆ A white block with a soft bite, this has a sweet, subtle aroma and a clean soya taste. Despite being one of the softest in the test, it crisps up surprisingly well when fried, forming a light but satisfying crust. However, it's the only non-organic product tested, and made with just 16% soya – far lower than the others. Limited provenance or sustainability information, so with such strong competition, it offers less value for money. £5 for 500g at Ocado (£1/100g)£29.94 for 6 x 500g at Amazon (£1/100g)★★★☆☆ An irregular, mottled, off-white block that looks hand-shaped, and that's full of bubbles. One of the firmest to bite with a complex, soya-forward flavour. Fries very well, forming a great crust. Certified organic with non-EU soya, it's the only product tested with a fully reusable and recyclable container. Owned by Windmill Organics, a great company committed to organic farming, which earns it a bonus point.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Make di world dey eat less rice?
Rice pass more dan just food. For ova half di world population, na staple of daily life – na symbol of culture, tradition, and economic survival. "Rice na di absolute heartbeat of every Filipino dish. E pass staple food, na cultural cornerstone," Adriene Bianca Villanueva, one BBC World Service listener from Manila, di capital of Philippines tok. "Most Filipinos dey chop rice three times a day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even dessert. My favourite rice go probably be sticky rice, sake of say na every Filipino dessert, dem write sticky rice on top" she tok. But as climate pressures dey mount, one pressing question na: Make we dey chop less of rice? Global staple dish According to di UN Food and Agriculture Organization, e get ova 50,000 edible plant species, yet just 15 crops dey provide 90% of di world food energy intake. Rice, wheat, and maize na di top contributors. "Between 50 and 56 percent of di world population rely on rice as di principal staple," Dr Ivan Pinto, Director General of di International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) tok. E dey equal to nearly four billion pipo wey dey eat rice as dia primary food every day. Dem dey plant rice on large scale across South and Southeast Asia, as growing demand dey for Africa and varieties also present for Europe and Latin America. But rice dominance in global diets come wit a cost. A thirsty crop "Rice na very thirsty plant," Jean-Philippe Laborde, managing director of Tilda, one UK-based rice company wey belong to Spanish multinational Ebro Foods explain. "E dey consume between 3,000 to 5,000 litres of water per kilogram of rice grown, wey be a lot." Majority of rice production dey happun for flooded fields, particularly for South and South East Asia. Dis method dey support di crop but also dey create environment wit low oxygen, wey dey known as anaerobic conditions. "Wen fields dey flooded… microorganisms proliferate dey produce large amounts of methane," Dr Ivan Pinto tok. Methane na potent greenhouse gas, wey dey responsible for about 30% of global warming, according to di International Energy Agency. IRRI estimate say rice production account for 10% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Greener methods Tilda don dey try one water-saving method wey dey known as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). E involve to put pipe 15cm below di ground. Instead of di constantly flooding fields, farmers go irrigate only wen water no dey in di pipe. "Normally you get 25 cycles within your growth period," Laborde tok. "By applying AWD technique, you fit reduce dat to 20. So, by cutting five [flooding] cycles, you fit save methane emissions." In 2024, Tilda bin expand im trial from 50 to 1,268 farmers. Di results dey striking. "We fit reduce di water [usage] by 27%, di electricity by 28%, and fertilisers by 25%,"Laborde. E points out say yields in di meantime increased by 7%. "So, na not just to increase di revenue wit a higher cost, di increasing revenue wit lower cost," e tok. Laborde underline say methane emissions also dey drop by 45% and e believe say dis fit fall by as much as 70% if flooding cycles dey reduced even further. Climate stress While rice dey help feed billions – particularly through high-yield varieties like IR8 from di Green Revolution – climate change now dey threaten di production, as rice dey grow for regions wey dey experience intense heat, drought, heavy rainfall or floods. For India, temperature bin reach 53C during di rice-growing season for 2024. In Bangladesh, more frequent and intense floods dey spoil crops. IRRI dey turn to dia vast gene bank of 132,000 rice varieties to find solutions. One key breakthrough na gene wey dey allow rice plants to survive underwater for up to 21 days. "Dis varieties fit persist under flooded conditions long enough for di floods to recede, without affecting yield, "Pinto, add say dem dey increasingly popular in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh. Alternative staples Some govments don try to encourage populations to move away from rice. For Bangladesh, goment bin carry out one campaign 15 years ago as part of attempt to promote potatoes as alternative, as di price of rice bin dey go up steadily. "We love potatoes… but entirely to dey chop only potatoes instead of rice no be sometin pipo dey reason," Dhaka resident Shareef Shabir recall. China bin launch similar initiative to for 2015, promote potatoes as a nutritious superfood. Di kontri bin become leading producer of potatoes in di 1990s and for many parts of di kontri, pipo don dey used to eating potato as a staple food. Yet, di campaign still fail. "For south-west and north-west China, pipo there dey occasionally chop potatoes as staple," Jakob Klein, one anthropologist for SOAS University of London. But, e say, for many areas di potato dey linked wit poverty. "Pipo for di south-west of China tell me say dem grow up eating potatoes. Dat way na to say 'I grow up in poverty'. Stigma dey associated wit eating potatoes," e tok. Difficult choice Globally, rice remain deeply embedded in pipo lives. E dey tasty, easy to cook, store and transport. Di world dey consume an estimated 520 million tonnes of rice annually. In di Philippines, Adrian Bianca Villanueva admit say while she fit cut back, to give am up dey difficult. "Even if I no wan eat rice, if I go to party or different house, dem go always offer rice," she tok. "I think I go eat less rice – but not totally take am out, sake of say na part of our daily lives."
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
I found the ultimate 10/10 gas BBQ – it's perfect for unpredictable weather and has space for 14 burgers
WHILST many of us love cooking over fire on a charcoal barbecue, a gas barbecue is a stress-free solution to outdoor grilling. With pretty unpredictable weather in the UK, the ability to turn a knob and be ready to cook al fresco in minutes is definitely a good option. 6 A gas barbecue also allows you to control the heat and some have useful side burners for warming sauces or searing a steak. Some models can be expensive - but there are some budget friendly gas options available. Lynsey Hope shares her verdict on the best gas barbecues under £150. Uniflame 2 Burner Gas BBQ 6 For less than £70, this is a very wallet-friendly gas barbecue. It didn't take long to assemble - less than 30 minutes - and it looks stylish with a black control panel and stylish chrome control knobs. The cooking area is easily big enough for 14 burgers and there was plenty of room to cook enough food for about seven people on this. It seemed robust and hard-wearing and lit easily. It cooked burgers evenly without charring them and it comes with a warming rack. For the price, I was really impressed with this. It was easy to wipe clean and it's a relatively compact design so easy to store, too. Performance: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Overall score: 10/10 B&Q Black 2 Burner Gas BBQ £100, 6 Difficult to put together, taking over an hour. The instructions were quite tricky to follow. Once up, it did a pretty decent job. It lit easily and seemed to cook food pretty evenly. It's not huge, but can cook enough food for around six people. It is compact so a great option for smaller gardens and it is resistant to rust if you need to keep it outside. For the price, it's a generous cooking area. No bells and whistles, but a basic model at a fair price that did a decent job. Everything that came off this grill tasted pretty good. Performance: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Overall score: 8/10 George Foreman Portable 1 Burner Gas BBQ £149, 6 A single burner gas barbecue that is ideal for camping or trips to the beach. It's easy to assemble though you will need a screwdriver for the lid and you have to screw in the thermometer. The fiddliest bit is putting together the regulator yourself. It's a bit of a faff as you have to lubricate the hose with water onto the regulator and the barbecue and then you use small hose clamps to tighten everything. The instructions were simple and clear, though it took me a while to get it done. Once set up, it's a dream to use. It gets to temperature in just five minutes and the temperature control is smooth. There were a couple of cool spots in the corners but otherwise it provided pretty even coverage, allowing you to cook food evenly no matter where it was on the grill. It's easy to move around and lift on to a table top for use. The cooking was pretty average but it produced good char lines and though everything was delicious some of the others cooked faster than this. Performance: 4/5 Value: 3/5 Overall score: 7/10 Argos Home 2 Burner with Side Burner Gas BBQ £72, 6 This took ages to put together, around 90 minutes, and the diagrams were unclear. Once up, it looked pretty flimsy and I felt the structure was wobbly. It's not very sturdy and though it's a wallet-friendly price, I don't think it will last long. The manufacturers say it's big enough to feed six to eight people but I thought the grill size was quite limited. I struggled to cook enough food on here for a family of five. There were hot and cold spots too. Only one section of the grill really got hot enough to sear on. The side burner was a great feature and I found it really handy for whipping up side dishes. But there is no higher warming grill, either. There is a storage shelf for keeping ingredients close at hand. The compact size does make it easier to store and the wheels mean you can move it around the garden with ease. Performance: 2/5 Value: 3/5 Overall score: 5/10 Outback Omega 250 2-Burner Gas BBQ £129.99, 6 A superb gas barbecue with easy-to-use controls and good cooking ability. It still took a while to put together but it seemed robust and has two wheels, making it easy to move to the perfect spot in your garden. It has a handy foldable side table and I loved the side burner, which was really handy for side dishes or cooking onions. It has a push-button ignition, a grease collection cup and a metal storage shelf at the space. It was light and easy to clean, perfect for both amateur and seasoned outdoor chefs. What I liked most was its ability to lightly cook sirloin steaks to a medium-rare consistency - nothing was overcooked.
