Well I'm pleased to report that we did successfully make it to Brighton last weekend. Fuelled by the Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad and Lolz's pear tart, not to mention an army of Jelly Babies, we negotiated rain, shine, hills, bike jams and even some brake issues before we caught sight of Brighton beach at around 6:30. It wasn't quite 15 minute meals standard but I think I'd thoroughly earned the greasy chicken and chips from the beachfront caff which I ate before heading home (in the car, obviously, although Lolz did make me drive). A busy week meant this was my first post bike ride opportunity to return to my 15 minute meal challenge and with various other trips away over the next few weeks I knew I'd have to make this weekend count - I will be aiming to add three meals to my tally before returning to work on Monday.
First up was this Asian inspired noodle and burger dish - a curious combination which Jamie describes as East meets Essex - the beef and black bean combo being classic Chinese and I guess the humble burger being the closest thing that Essex has to a culinary speciality. The recipe looks straightforward but my only worry was how my food processor would cope with all the slicing involved - the slicing attachment has become rather delicate particularly for high-volume, quick-fire slicing that this recipe calls for. The burgers got made and went into the pan without any dramas but may have got neglected slightly as I turned my attention to making the salad and slicing the veg for the noodles. Meanwhile I was concerning myself with how the noodles and sliced veg would cook in what was a very small amount of liquid.
I needn't have worried as they turned out fine, but I couldn't help that the dish was a little confused. There wasn't enough liquid for it to really be considered a broth, so instead it turned out to be just a bit wet. The pickled salad was nice but got a bit lost amongst the myriad of veg in the noodles. The black bean burgers were very nice but slightly burned.
My biggest problem though was the presentation. I strongly believe that if something looks nice, it always tastes better and I've struggled with some of these noodle dishes to make them look terribly appetizing. I've still got a few left to do, so maybe I'll start looking out for some interesting serving bowls before I attempt another...
Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Difficulty rating 6/10.
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