step 1 For the crispy shallots, heat 5cm of oil until hot in a wok. You will know the oil is hot enough when one piece of shallot sizzles as soon as it’s dropped in. Toss the shallot slices with flour, shake off excess and fry in the oil until golden. They fry quickly, about 1 min. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and set aside. step 2 To make the dressing, mix the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and garlic and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, pour boiling water over the noodles. Leave them for 2 mins or until they are just cooked, then rinse under cold water. Drain well, shaking the sieve numerous times to get out the excess water, then place back in the bowl. Add prawns, onion, chilli, cucumber and herbs. Pour the dressing over, mix, then sprinkle with the shallots and peanuts.
Mix the cornflour and 1 tbsp soy sauce, toss in the prawns and set aside for 10 mins. Stir the vinegar, remaining soy sauce, tomato purée, sugar and 2 tbsp water together to make a sauce. When you’re ready to cook, heat a large frying pan or wok until very hot, then add 1 tbsp oil. Fry the prawns until they are golden in places and have opened out– then tip them out of the pan. Heat the remaining oil and add the peanuts, chillies and water chestnuts. Stir-fry for 2 mins or until the peanuts start to colour, then add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 more min. Tip in the prawns and sauce and simmer for 2 mins until thickened slightly. Serve with rice.
STEP 1 - SOAK THE RICE NOODLES Soak the rice noodles overnight untill they are soft STEP 2 - BOIL THE RICE NOODLES Boil the noodles for 10-15 minutes and then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process of the noodles. STEP 3 -MARINATING THE SHRIMP In a bowl add the shrimp, egg, 1 pinch of white pepper, 1 Teaspoon of sesame seed oil, 1 Tablespoon corn starch and 1 tablespoon of oil Mix together well STEP 4 - STIR FRY In a wok add 2 Tablespoons of oil, shrimp and stir fry them until it is golden brown Set the shrimp aside Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the work and then add minced garlic, ginger and all of the vegetables. Add the noodles to the wok Next add sherry cooking wine, oyster sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame seed oil, 1 pinch white pepper, and soy sauce Add back in the shrimp To thicken the sauce, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of corn starch and 2 Tablespoon of water in a bowl and slowly add to your stir-fry until it's the right thickness.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (180C fan). Put the potatoes into a saucepan of cold salted water. Bring up to the boil and simmer until completely tender. Drain well and then mash with the butter and milk. Add pepper and taste to check the seasoning. Add salt and more pepper if necessary. For the fish filling, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the leeks and stir over the heat. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until soft. Measure the flour into a small bowl. Add the wine and whisk together until smooth. Add the milk to the leeks, bring to the boil and then add the wine mixture. Stir briskly until thickened. Season and add the parsley and fish. Stir over the heat for two minutes, then spoon into an ovenproof casserole. Scatter over the eggs. Allow to cool until firm. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the fish mixture and mark with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown on top and bubbling around the edges.
For the sweet onion, look for Vidalia, OSO Sweet, or Walla Walla. The super-sweet varieties are more suited to this stir-fry because at the end of cooking, the onion still has a slight crunch. Make the sauce: In a bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Cook the rice noodles: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the noodles, and use tongs to turn them so they are submerged. Cook for 2 minutes, or until they are tender but still have some bite (they will cook a little more once you add them to the skillet). Drain, rinse with cold water, and use scissors to snip the noodles several times to break them up into shorter lengths. Scramble the eggs: In a small bowl whisk together the eggs. Heat the skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut or canola oil. Add the eggs and scramble them for 2 minutes, or until they form large, soft curds. Transfer them from the pan to a plate or bowl. Cook the vegetables: Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the ginger, garlic, carrots, jalapeño, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Add the remaining ingredients: Sprinkle the vegetable mixture with the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the ham, cabbage, scallions, red pepper, and curry powder to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, for 3 more minutes or until the shrimp are bright pink and cooked through. Add the noodles in batches: Add the eggs, the sauce mixture, and half the noodles to the pan. Toss for 1 minute. Add the remaining noodles and continue tossing for 1 minute more until they are thoroughly combined and the mixture is heated through. Serve: Taste for seasoning and add more salt or soy sauce, if you like. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve.
Cut leaves and soft stems from the kale branches, them soak in a bowl of cold water for about 5-10 minutes or until finish with prep. Proceed to slicing the onions, mincing the garlic and dicing the tomatoes. Set aside Remove kale from water cut in chunks. Place bacon on saucepan and cook until crispy. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, stir for about a minute or more Add tomatoes; scotch bonnet pepper, smoked paprika. Sauté for about 2-3 more minutes. Finally add vegetable, salt, mix well, and steamed for about 6-8 minutes or until leaves are tender. Add a tiny bit of water as needed. Adjust seasonings and turn off the heat. Using a sharp knife cut both ends off the plantain. This will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain; peel only as deep as the peel. Remove plantain peel by pulling it back. Slice the plantain into medium size lengthwise slices and set aside. Coat a large frying pan with cooking oil spray. Spray the tops of the plantains with a generous layer of oil spray and sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper. Let the plantains "fry" on medium heat, shaking the frying pan to redistribute them every few minutes. As the plantains brown, continue to add more cooking oil spray, salt and pepper (if needed) until they have reached the desired color and texture. Remove and serve with kale
step 1 Nestle the fish fillets side by side on a large square of foil and scatter the ginger, garlic, chilli and lime zest over them. Drizzle the lime juice on top and then scatter the pieces of pak choi around and on top of the fish. Pour the soy sauce over the pak choi and loosely seal the foil to make a package, making sure you leave space at the top for the steam to circulate as the fish cooks. step 2 Steam for 15 minutes. (If you haven’t got a steamer, put the parcel on a heatproof plate over a pan of gently simmering water, cover with a lid and steam.)
Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large saucepan and cook the spring onions over a low heat for 3 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the spinach, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for a further 2–3 minutes or until tender and wilted, stirring once or twice. Tip the mixture into a sieve or colander and leave to drain and cool. Using a saucer as a guide, cut out 24 rounds about 12.5 cm (5 in) in diameter from the filo pastry, cutting 6 rounds from each sheet. Stack the filo rounds in a pile, then cover with cling film to prevent them from drying out. When the spinach mixture is cool, squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then transfer to a bowl. Add the tuna, eggs, hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Take one filo round and very lightly brush with some of the remaining oil. Top with a second round and brush with a little oil, then place a third round on top and brush with oil. Place a heaped tbsp of the filling in the middle of the round, then fold the pastry over to make a half-moon shape. Fold in the edges, twisting them to seal, and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling to make 8 briks in all. Lightly brush the briks with the remaining oil. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Serve the briks hot with this salad and the chutney.
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the potatoes with 2 tsp oil and some seasoning. Tip onto a large baking tray, then roast for 20 mins, stirring halfway, until crisp, golden and cooked through. Meanwhile, put eggs in a small pan of water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 mins, depending on how you like them cooked. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool for a few mins. Peel away the shells, then cut into halves. In a large salad bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, red wine vinegar, capers and chopped tomatoes. Season, tip in the onion, spinach, tuna and potatoes, then gently toss together. Top with the eggs, then serve straight away.
step 1 Heat half the oil in a frying pan, and sauté the onion over a medium heat until soft and pale gold – this will take about 8 mins. Remove from the pan, set aside, and add the potatoes to the pan. Cook until they are tender but not falling apart, carefully turning every so often. Cover the pan some of the time to help the slices cook through. Add the onions back to the pan along with the garlic and cook for another 4 mins. Tip into a bowl with the eggs, parsley and some seasoning and mix together. Leave to sit for half an hour. step 2 Meanwhile, put the cod in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring up to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for 10 mins. Drain, leave to cool and remove the skin and any bones. Break into large flakes and add to the potato and egg mixture. step 3 Heat the rest of the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Pour in the tortilla mix and cook over a medium-low heat until it is just set and coming away from the sides of the pan. You might need to cover it to help the centre set. Be careful not to overcook it. Put a spatula underneath the tortilla every so often to make sure it isn’t sticking. Slide the tortilla onto a plate, then put the pan on top and flip the tortilla into it, uncooked side-down. Cook over a low heat until golden, or grill until just set. Leave to cool a little before serving.
step 1 Fry the chorizo in a large frying pan with a lid, over a medium heat until it is starting to crisp up and release its oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Then add the garlic and finely chopped parsley, and fry for 1 min more. step 2 Pour on the stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then add the beans and sherry vinegar. Simmer for 10 mins until the liquid is slightly reduced. step 3 Scatter over the clams, cover with the lid and steam for 2-4 mins, shaking the pan occasionally until the clams are open. Have a little taste before seasoning, as the clams can be quite salty. Then scatter over the chopped parsley. Eat with lots of crusty bread.
Soak all the spices, ginger, garlic, tamarind pulp and kashmiri chilies except oil in vinegar. Add sugar and salt. Also add turmeric powder. Combine all nicely and marinate for 35-40 mins. Grind the mixture until soft and smooth. Add more vinegar if required but ensure the paste has to be thick so add vinegar accordingly. If the masala paste is thin then it would not stick to the fish. Rinse the fish slit from the center and give some incision from the top. You could see the fish below for clarity. Now stuff the paste into the center and into the incision. Coat the entire fish with this paste. Marinate the fish for 30 mins. Place oil in a shallow pan, once oil is quite hot shallow fry the stuffed mackerels. Fry until golden brown from both sides Serve the recheado mackerels hot with salad, lime wedges, rice and curry. Notes 1. Ensure the masala paste is thick else the result won't be good. 2. If you aren't able to find kashmiri chilies then use bedgi chilies or kashmiri red chili powder. 3. You could use white vinegar or coconut vinegar. 4. Any left over paste could be stored in the fridge for future use. 5. Cinnamon could be avoided as it's a strong spice used generally for meat or chicken.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the chilli. Cook for 1 min, then add the curry paste, stir and cook for 1 min more. Dissolve the stock cube in a large jug in 700ml boiling water, then pour into the pan and stir to combine. Tip in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the fish sauce and a little seasoning. Toss in the noodles and cook for a further 3-4 mins until softening. Squeeze in the lime juice, add the prawns and cook through until warm, about 2-3 mins. Scatter over some of the coriander. Serve in bowls with the remaining coriander and lime wedges on top for squeezing over.
step 1 Peel and devein most of the prawns (a fishmonger should be able to do this for you), keeping a few whole for decoration, if you like. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat and fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the bay leaf, saffron, rice and tomato purée, and cook for 1-2 mins more, stirring. step 2 Pour in the wine and bubble for 1-2 mins, then pour in the seafood stock and 150ml water. Cook for 5 mins, then add the squid, season well and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 12 mins more, adding a little more water if the mixture starts to look dry. step 3 Uncover the pan and stir through the peeled prawns, then arrange any whole prawns on top of the rice mixture. Cover again and simmer for a further 5-6 mins until the prawns are pink and cooked through. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes before serving from the pan.
step 1 Cook the peppers whole under a grill, on a barbecue or griddle, until completely charred. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with a plate until cool enough to handle, then peel, deseed and finely slice. In a large bowl mix the peppers and any juices with the chickpeas, parsley, chilli and garlic. Set aside. step 2 Heat a large frying pan until smoking. Working quickly and carefully, add a splash of oil to the pan, then the squid. Stir-fry for about 30 secs. Scatter the chorizo over the squid, continue to cook for 30 secs more, then tip into the bowl with the peppers. Season everything with salt and pepper, then dress with the remaining oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix together, pile onto a platter and let everyone help themselves.
step 1 Pour the rice into a very large bowl under cold running water and carefully drain the water out of the bowl through a sieve. Repeat a few times until the water in the bowl is clear, then fill the bowl up with cold water and leave rice to soak for 10 mins while you cook the vermicelli. step 2 Put the oil into a medium pan over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir continuously until the strands turn a rich golden brown, 2-3 mins. Remove from the heat, stir through the butter until it melts and allow the vermicelli to cool for 1-2 mins. step 3 Drain the rice thoroughly through a sieve. Add the rice to the pan and stir well. Pour the hot stock into the pan, sprinkle in ½ tsp salt, stir well then return the pan to the hob over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest it will go, put the lid on the pan and simmer for 7-9 mins. Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper or a light tea towel and the pan lid, and let the rice sit in the pan for 10 mins. Fluff up with a fork before serving.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together coconut milk, water, ground ginger, ginger root, salt, bay leaf, and rice. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until done. Step 2 Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water, cool, peel and slice in half. Slice cucumber. Step 3 Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Stir in peanuts and cook briefly, until lightly browned. Remove peanuts with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. Return skillet to stove. Stir in the contents of one package anchovies; cook briefly, turning, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Discard oil. Wipe out skillet. Step 4 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet. Stir in the onion, garlic, and shallots; cook until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes. Mix in the chile paste, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the chile paste is too dry, add a small amount of water. Stir in remaining anchovies; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar, and tamarind juice; simmer until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes. Step 5 Serve the onion and garlic sauce over the warm rice, and top with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumbers, and eggs.
step 1 Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce along with 50ml water in a bowl and set aside to allow the sugar to dissolve and flavour to infuse. step 2 To assemble the rolls, fill a wide bowl with warm water and grab a clean damp tea towel to work on. Dip a rice paper wrapper into the water for a few seconds until it softens then carefully place onto the tea towel. step 3 Put a few mint and coriander leaves in the centre of the wrapper then top with two prawns and a small handful of the spiralized veg, which may need to be cut up if the spirals are too long. step 4 Fold the sides of the wrapper into the centre, over the filling, then fold in the edges, so that the filling is completely encased, then tightly roll. Repeat until all of the wrappers and filling have been used. To serve, slice on a diagonal and eat with the dipping sauce.
step 1 Tip all the dressing ingredients into a food processor with a pinch of salt and blitz to a dressing. Slash the fish three times on each side, coat with half of the dressing, then set aside to marinate for about 30 mins. step 2 Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Place the fish on a roasting tray, then cook in the oven for 20 mins until the flesh is firm and the eyes have turned white. Serve the fish with the rest of the dressing and steamed couscous or rice. step 3 KNOW HOW: HOW TO COOK IT: Cooking barramundi on the bone, as we have done here, has its advantages – it will stay more moist during cooking, and some would say that the flavour is enhanced, too. If you want to take out the bones they are easy to locate and less likely to be lodged in the fillet if the fish is cooked whole. Fillets can be simply pan-fried or grilled. If you like trout, you will really enjoy the flavour of barramundi, which lends itself to similar ingredients and cooking methods – citrus flavours are particularly good, as are garlic and wild mushrooms. Simply roasting the fish with some fresh herbs, olive oil and seasoning is delicious, and in the summer months you could barbecue it, too. One thing that you mustn’t miss are the cheeks or ‘pearls’ of the fish, these are simply lovely, moist and really sweet – well worth leaving the head on for!
step 1 Prepare ahead - halve the pepper lengthways and remove the seeds and stalk. Line a grill pan with foil and put the pepper halves, skin side up, on the grill pan with the whole garlic cloves, chilli and tomato. Grill for 2 minutes, turn the tomato, then grill for a further 2 minutes. Remove the tomato with a large spoon, then peel, quarter and remove the seeds. Then chop the tomato roughly. step 2 Continue grilling the pepper, chilli and garlic for 4-5 minutes, until the pepper and chilli skins have blackened and the garlic is starting to soften (the garlic skin will start to split when it is ready). When cool enough to handle, peel and halve the chilli, and scrape out and discard the seeds. Peel the pepper and roughly chop both the pepper and chilli. step 3 Spread nuts over the foil and grill until toasted. Finely chop the nuts and parsley in a food processor. Tip into a small bowl. step 4 Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add the pepper, garlic and chilli and fry for 3 minutes. Tear up the bread and add to the pan, turning it in the oil until lightly browned. Pulse in food processor with the tomatoes, salt, vinegar and oil until roughly chopped. Tip into a bowl. Leave to cool and store in fridge for up to 3 days. step 5 On the day add the nuts and parsley to the sauce and mix. Serve in a small bowl on a plate with the peeled prawns. Supply cocktail sticks for spearing the prawns.
Rinse fish; rub with lemon or lime, seasoned with salt and pepper or use your favorite seasoning. I used creole seasoning. Set aside or place in the oven to keep it warm until sauce is ready. In large skillet heat oil over medium heat, until hot, add the fish, cook each side- for about 5-7 minutes until cooked through and crispy on both sides. Remove fish and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of oil Add, bay leave, garlic and ginger, stir-fry for about a minute making sure the garlic does not burn Then add onion, bell peppers, thyme, scotch bonnet, sugar, all spice-continue stirring for about 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar, mix an adjust salt and pepper according to preference. Let it simmer for about 2 more minutes. Discard bay leave, thyme spring and serve over fish with a side of this bammy. You may make the sauce about 2 days in advance.
In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions start to caramelize. Add the carrots and cook until the carrots start to soften, about 4 more minutes. Add the stock, water, potatoes, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the millet and cook for 15 more minutes until millet and potatoes are cooked. Gently add the fish cubes. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer. The fish will cook through very fast, so make sure to not overcook them. They are done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily. Garnish the soup with chopped fresh dill or parsley before serving.
step 1 Cook the noodles following pack instructions. Refresh in cold water and drain well. step 2 Put the stock in a large saucepan and stir in the curry paste, lime leaves, fish sauce and 250ml cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 mins. step 3 Cut the fish into roughly 3cm cubes and add to the pan. Return to a simmer, then cook for 2 mins uncovered. step 4 Stir in the noodles, prawns and pak choi, and simmer for 2-3 mins or until the fish and prawns are just cooked. Serve in bowls scattered with coriander.
step 1 Pour 1.3 litres water into a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onion, tomato, chilli, galangal, lemongrass, prawn heads and chicken stock cube. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 mins until the liquid has reduced. step 2 Carefully strain the hot broth into a large heatproof bowl or jug, then discard the prawn heads. Return the strained veg and herb mixture to the saucepan and pour over the broth. Stir through the mushrooms and lime leaves, then cook for 3 mins until the mushrooms are tender. step 3 Add 1 tbsp sugar, the fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk and prawns. Bring to the boil and cook until the prawns are cooked through, about 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat. Remove the lemongrass, then stir in the Thai chilli jam, if using. Scatter over the coriander to finish, if you like, and serve.