Happy Saint David’s Day!

The leek is a very important symbol in Wales.  Even today, the leek is still worn in the caps of every Welsh soldier each year on Saint David’s Day.

The leek is associated with the Welsh Saint David. During the Middle Ages when Saint David was alive the leek was seen as a healthy and virtuous plant. Extraordinary qualities were claimed for it. It was the original health food, high in fibre, good for purging the blood, keeping colds at bay and healing wounds.

Today is the perfect day to cook a recipe with leeks.  Saying that we enjoy leeks several times a week.  They’re liked by all the family so are a perfect addition to any dinner plate (or bowl!).

Tor and I chose a recipe and the lovely people at British Leeks sent us the ingredients.  I could add the photos of the cooking we did today, but I recorded a YouTube video.  I’ll embed it at the bottom of this post.

Leek & Tofu Noodle Bowl

*recipe copied from British Leeks.

This healthy light soup is full of fresh seasonal flavours with a punchy kick and plenty of protein to keep you energised.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

15g/½oz dried wild mushrooms, such as porcini or shiitake
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
350g firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 8 cubes
Cornflour for dusting
olive oil or coconut oil for frying
1 litre boiling water
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
200g straight to the wok rice noodles
100g shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 leek shredded
2 pak choi, roots trimmed, leaves separated and washed
large handful of fresh bean sprouts
2tbsp white miso paste
2 spring onions, trimmed, very thinly sliced
50g roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
Sliced red chilli, to serve (optional)
Fresh coriander leaves to serve
4 Eggs, free range

Method

1. Put the dried mushrooms in a jug and cover with a little boiling water. Allow to soak for 15 minutes then drain (reserve liquid) and chop finely.

2. Combine the tamari, vinegar and mirin in a shallow bowl and stir to mix. Place the tofu in the marinade and turn to coat. Leave to absorb the flavours for about 30 mins or more.

3. Scatter the cornflour over a plate. Remove the tofu from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and roll in the cornflour to coat all sides. Heat a wide frying pan over a medium-high and add enough oil to cover the base of the pan. Fry the tofu, using tongs to turn, until dark golden and crisp all over. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. Soft boil the eggs. Heat a medium-sized saucepan to a rolling boil. Use a slotted spoon to gently place the eggs in the water. Cook for 5-6 minutes and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water to prevent further cooking. Let cool until they are able to be handled and peel.

5. Place 1 litre of water in a medium saucepan with the reserved marinade and bring to the boil. Add the reserved mushroom liquid, dried mushrooms, shredded leeks, ginger, pak choi, mushrooms, and noodles and return to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 3-4 mins. Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste, bean sprouts and spring onions.

6. Halve the eggs. Divide between 4 bowls and place the tofu cubes and eggs on top. Scatter with chopped nuts and coriander leaves and a little sliced chilli if wished.

Nutritional Analysis per serving
Calories 287kcal, fat 11.5g, saturates 1.9g, carbohydrates 19.4g, sugar 6.2g, fibre 6.9g, protein 22.8g, salt 2.2g

Yummy!

As it was a snow day, we had all the children home so they also got to enjoy our spoils.  Tor wasn’t a huge fan of the mushroom, but the taste of the meal was delicious.  I will be cooking this again.  Thank you so much to British Leeks and thanks for reading (and watching).  You can check out more of my food posts here.  Also, another great resource for healthy recipes is Jo.