Duck Noodle Salad & Cauliflower Tempura

I always find it odd going on holiday, as being away from the kitchen is so unnatural to me. But I have been away for a few days and not put up any recipes, so I will give you one that I cooked last week - its one of my favourites and is taken from a salad I used to have in Canary Wharf on my lunch break when I used to work there years ago.

I am not generally a huge fan of duck as I really don't like fat on meat. I know its an each to their own thing but, I just would prefer to have lean meat with the flavours added from spice/herbs and the like. I tend to buy duck fillet strips - no skin and no fat. They are perfect for this dish of Duck Noodle Salad with Cauliflower Tempura. Its one of those you can prepare earlier and cook quickly in literally a few minutes.

Ingredients:

175g sliced lean duck
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp. sesame oil
140g noodles (any type you like)
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 inch piece mooli, sliced thinly (optional)
1/2 small red pepper, sliced thinly
3 spring onions, sliced diagonally
80g mange tout sliced diagonally
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
sesame seeds to garnish

Marinade the duck for about an hour in the Chinese Five Spice and sesame oil until just before cooking. Cook the noodles in hot water for a minute or two and drain. Refresh under cold water, drain again and set to one side. Stir fry the duck for 4 minutes or until cooked and add the vegetables for one minute only. Add the hoisin and soy to the pan and mix quickly. Then plate up the noodles and pile the duck on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

For the Cauliflower Tempura:

1/2 cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
100g flour
1 tsp. turmeric powder
pinch of salt
175ml iced water
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying

Cook the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes in boiling water and drain on a tea towel. Leave to dry out a bit so that the batter sticks well to them.

Put the flour in a bowl with the turmeric and a pinch of salt, mix together. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and first whisk the egg yolks with the iced water and add them to the flour. The lumps of ice won't melt, but that's fine, it'll keep the batter cold. Whisk together to make a smooth batter. In a separate bowl whisk the egg white until stiff and then add them to the batter, gently folding in to prevent losing the air that you have whisked in. Add the cauliflower pieces to the batter and heat the oil to about 2 inch depth in a deep heavy based pan.

Fry the cauliflower pieces, only a few at a time, until crispy. Keep the cooked ones warm in a low oven. Serve with a dip made with half soy, half white vinegar and a dash of sesame oil.  Scatter with chopped spring onion for garnish and serve hot with the duck noodle salad. Yummy!

Note: You could also add some orange segments to the salad and a little orange juice to the dressing. I didn't have any to hand but would probably have done if they had been in the fruit bowl!