Tahini and gochujang noodle broth with turkey

The creaminess of tahini with the sweet spice of gochujang is a great combination in this recipe from Dr Rupy Aujla, and works really well with the mince and crunchy snowpeas. Black sesame seeds add an unusual colour contrast, and a slightly deeper flavour but feel free to use regular white sesame seeds that also add extra calcium and protein.

Tahini and gochujang noodle broth with turkey. Credit: Andrew Burton / Ebury Press

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 200 g lean turkey or chicken mince, or finely chopped boneless thigh or breast
• 150 g shiitake mushrooms, torn into pieces
• 100 g spring onions, sliced diagonally, plus extra to serve
• 150 g snow peas (mangetout), sliced diagonally
• 100 g ready-to-eat konjac (shirataki), rice vermicelli or udon noodles

For the broth

• 2 generous tbsp tahini
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
• 3 tsp gochujang
• 300 ml just-boiled water
• Salt and pepper

To serve

• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 10 g black sesame seeds
• 2 tsp chilli oil

Instructions

1. First make the broth. Add the tahini, 1½ tablespoons of the soy sauce and the gochujang to a large saucepan over a low heat and gradually whisk in the just-boiled water. Cook gently until heated through, and smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 3 tsp of the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium–high heat. Add the mince or finely chopped meat and cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it down into small pieces with a spatula, until browned in places and starting to crisp, then scoop it out with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside.
3. To the same pan, add the remaining oil and the mushrooms and cook over a medium–high heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden. Add the spring onions and snow peas (mangetout) and cook for another 2–3 minutes until just tender. Return the meat to the pan and toss through the vegetables with the remaining soy sauce and heat through briefly.
4. Add the noodles to the pan with the creamy tahini broth, stir to combine with the liquid, then heat through briefly over a low–medium heat. Transfer the hot noodle broth to serving bowls. Spoon the mince and vegetable mixture on top and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over, the extra spring onion, sesame seeds and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Extracted from The Doctor’s Kitchen: Healthy High Protein by Dr Rupy Aujla (Ebury Press, $49.99). Photography by Andrew Burton.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.