IF Easter has left you feeling a little bit chunkier around the waist, then this recipe for cinnamon beef strips with noodles from Pure Via (purevia.co.uk) might be just the thing to kick-start the diet.

INGREDIENTS

350g beef fillet, sliced into fine strips across the grain
2 tbsp sunflower oil plus more if needed
2 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into strips
300g medium rice noodles (soaked in boiling water as per pack instruction and drained)
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Sesame seeds, lightly toasted

For the marinade:

3 tbsp mirin or dry sherry
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tsp Pure Via
6 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

METHOD

First prepare the marinade. Mix together all the ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl then add the meat and toss together with your hands for total coverage. Put to one side to marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer if time permits. Heat the oil in a wok until hot, then add the pepper and cook on a medium-high heat. Stir around in the wok for about 3-5 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften, then remove and put to one side. Remove the meat from the marinade with a slotted spoon and drain (reserve the marinade). Add the meat to the hot wok, toss around the pan for just a few minutes to colour, then remove and put to one side. Top up with a drizzle of more oil if needed and when hot add the drained noodles and move around the pan to coat. Remove and put to one side. Add the spring onion and garlic and stir fry for a minute or two.

Pass the reserved marinade through a sieve and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add everything back to the pan.

Toss and add the sesame seeds and season to taste, then serve straight away.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Per Serving:
486 calories
10.5g fat (of which saturates 2g)
63g carbohydrates (of which sugars 5g)
Save 15 calories per serving