Wagamama's Spiced Scallops with Spinach & Sweet Chilli Dressing

Name: Wagamama's Spiced Scallops with Spinach & Sweet Chilli Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 150g straight-to-wok udon noodles; 1 tbs vegetable oil; 3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated; 2 cloves garlic, crushed and mixed with salt; a pinch Chinese five-spice; 1 tbs black bean sauce; 8-10 scallops; 2 handfuls spinach; 1 bunch fresh mint leaves; 50ml vegetable stock; 1 tbs soy sauce; a pinch sugar; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil; 2 tsp sweet chili sauce; 2 spring onions, sliced

Preparation time: 15 mins
Standing time: 0 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Total time: 20 mins

This light noodle dish from Wagamama contains some of my favourite ingredients: scallops, udon noodles, sweet chilli sauce, and other ingredients that I wouldn’t have thought to combine with them: mint and black bean sauce. The flavours work wonderfully together; it’s a particularly savoury dish which is complemented well by the sweet chilli sauce.

If possible try to buy fresh or good quality frozen scallops. Many frozen scallops tend to be small, dry and disappointing but on this occasion I decided to give Marks & Spencer a try. As well as being more cost effective, they are generously sized and don’t have cracks in them like some of the smaller scallops. If you defrost them thoroughly before use they are almost as good as the more expensive fresh versions and I’d happily buy them again.

As with all dishes cooked in a wok, make sure to prepare all of the ingredients first as the actual cooking only takes a few minutes. It’s imperative not to overcook the scallops or they will become rubbery and spoil the dish.

The original recipe specifies 100g of uncooked udon noodles but if you’re using precooked (straight-to-wok) noodles increase the amount to 150-200g.

Ingredients

Serves: 2

150g straight-to-wok udon noodles
1 tbs vegetable oil
3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed and mixed with salt
a pinch Chinese five-spice
1 tbs black bean sauce
8-10 scallops
2 handfuls spinach
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
50ml vegetable stock
1 tbs soy sauce
a pinch sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp sweet chili sauce
2 spring onions, sliced

Method

If you don't have straight-to-wok noodles, cook the noodles according to their instructions, then drain and rinse with cold water to prevent the noodles from cooking any further.
Heat the oil in a hot wok then stir fry the ginger, garlic, blackbean sauce, five-spice and scallops for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach, mint leaves, stock, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil then simmer for a minute until the sauce starts to thicken. Taste and add more seasoning if required.
Add the noodles to the wok and combine with the sauce until they have heated through.
Transfer to a plate or wide bowl then drizzle with sweet chilli sauce and top with the finely sliced spring onions.