Make the gado-gado salad first, but do leave the dressing on the side for the time being. I had to prepare the steak as a whole, just because of the amount of people I cook for. But by all means do follow this recipe below and just leave the noodles out if you wish to do so too. Potatoes and Noodles together is a bit too much to my liking. But hey, maybe you want it all, I say goooo for it! -enjoy-

Sizzling steak stir-fry

Ingredients (serves 4)

320 g tenderstem broccoli
2 x 250 g lean flank steak
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
250 g medium free-range egg noodles
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
6 cm piece of fresh ginger
olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 lime
1 fresh red chilli

Method

Trim the broccoli, cutting any larger broccoli stems in half lengthways, then place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Add a good pinch of sea salt and leave for 10 minutes, then drain and put to one side. Half-fill a pan with water and bring to the boil.
Slice the steaks against the grain into finger-sized strips and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Pound the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, or bash with the base of a pan, until fine. Sprinkle over the steak so they stick to it and give it a lovely, fragrant flavour.
Drop the noodles into the pan of boiling salted water and cook until just tender. Drain, then toss with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and return to the pan. Cover to keep warm.
Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic, then peel and finely chop the ginger.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat, then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for a couple of minutes, or until the onions have softened slightly.
Add the seasoned pieces of steak and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the broccoli and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour in the soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, toss in the pan until everything is well coated, then serve with the egg noodles.
Cut the lime into wedges for squeezing over, and finely slice the chilli (deseed if you like), then sprinkle over the top.

Gorgeous gado-gado

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salad:
400 g new potatoes
4 large free-range eggs
400 g firm silken tofu
sesame oil
½ Chinese cabbage
2 ripe tomatoes
1 handful of radishes
½ cucumber
2 handfuls beansprouts (ready to eat)
½ bunch of fresh coriander
prawn crackers , optional
1 fresh bird’s-eye chilli , optional
For the sauce:
1 clove of garlic
50 g palm sugar
120 g crunchy peanut butter
1–2 fresh red chillies
2 limes , juice of
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste

Method

Start by prepping all your salad ingredients. Scrub the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water for around 15 minutes, or until tender, then halve or slice up. Soft-boil the eggs for 6 minutes, or longer if you prefer them more cooked.
Cut the tofu into 2½cm chunks and fry in a splash of sesame oil for around 15 minutes, or until golden, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
Finely shred the cabbage if you want it raw or, if you’d rather cook it (which is traditional), cut it into 2cm slices, place in a colander and slowly pour a kettle of boiling water over the top. For me, this is the perfect amount of heat to soften the cabbage, but means you keep much of the delicious nutrients in there – feel free to apply this to any other seasonal greens you can find, too.
Cut the tomatoes into wedges, quarter the radishes and slice the cucumber (I use my crinkle-cut knife – you should get one!). Season everything from a height with a little salt.
Next, put all the sauce ingredients into a blender, peeling the garlic and grating in the palm sugar (if needed), then blitz until smooth. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning, making sure the acidity of the lime sings through, so tweak with more, if needed.
Traditionally, you’d take a little bit of everything, put it into a bowl and pour the sauce over the top, which is a fine way to serve it. I like to do the reverse, because I feel that once you pour the sauce over you can’t see the care and attention that has gone into the preparation of the ingredients. So I spoon the sauce between four bowls, spread it up around the sides, then divide the ingredients around the bowls, taking a bit of pride in making them look nice.
Pick over a few coriander leaves, add the prawn crackers and some finely sliced fresh chilli (if using), then show everyone what a celebration of food this is by getting them to toss together their very own portion.