Want some Healthy and Quick Chinese meals?

Rice Noodles, Lettuce & Egg

This is a healthier version of classic instant ‘Doll’ noodles, which pack on average 550 calories for one (more than a Big Mac) because they are fried. A healthier alternative is to have instant rice noodles. Two of my favourites are the Mama brand bulk pack, which is a mere 190 for a slice. Some people might not find that filling enough but even for 2 which is a hearty bowl of noodles we’re only talking 380 calories. Another option is the Vietnamese style Pho Bo noodles. (see pic below)

 

If you prefer an egg noodle, the Sau Tao brand is a good one to go for (see pic below), the key words to look for on this range is ‘not fried’. These are around the 300-calorie range.

Then move on to pimping the instant noodles. At University my flatmates and I would often have lettuce, fried egg (with runny yolk) and frankfurters. This is still a great combo and if you haven’t tried this, I really recommend it. The classic Herta frankfurter is 98 calories per one, so a couple of these and an egg fried in oul and it’s a pretty hefty calorie count.

Instead you can still get the runny yolk effect by adding an egg directly into the soup noodles towards the end of cooking and take it off the heat before it gets cooked through, and you still get the runny egg yolk effect but without the extra calories from frying an egg in oil.

Iceberg lettuce is a classic student staple – it keeps for ages in the fridge and is cheap. For those who’ve never cooked Iceberg lettuce you’ll have a revelation, it’s so much nicer than in salad! Of course, most Chinese veg will work with this, but often I haven’t had chance to get some from the Chinese supermarket

Other healthy toppings I like are:
Shell-on prawns (a mere 68 calories for 100g – weighed with shell)
Seafood sticks (1 stick = 19 calories).
Or if you’ve been to the Chinese supermarket recently, prawn balls or beef balls are a good alternative.

I also like putting in fried tofu (all of these ingredients you can add in straight from the freezer – just make sure they are heated through prior to eating).

Then add lashings of chilli oil to taste – DIVINE (and healthier than a lot of microwave meals).

My ultimate low cal combo:

Mama Rice Noodles – 190
Iceberg Lettuce 100g – 10
2 x Seafood sticks – 38
Egg (size 2) – 89
Total: 327 (less than your average sandwich and so much tastier!)

By the way, if you don’t have instant noodle seasoning to hand (a lot of supermarkets sell this separately by the till for 10p a pack), I recommend liberal dashes of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and salt as an alternative (to taste).

Anyone else have suggestions for what low-cal/healthy/quick additions they chuck into their instant noodles?

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