Category: Asian

Chinese Egg Noodles with Chicken

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

Yum!

This easy to prep, easy to cook noodle dish is the perfect degree of difficulty you want after a long-weekend.

There isn’t anything about it not to love and the lime adds a beautiful zing.

Ingredients

12 stems broccolini
250gm medium egg noodles
Vegetable oil
50gm unsalted peanuts
2 chicken breasts, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 fresh red chilli, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
1 – 2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
⅓ cup coriander leaves
1 lime, quartered

Method

  1. Halve broccolini length-ways.
  2. Cook the noodles and drain; toss in a little oil and set aside.
  3. Lightly toast peanuts in a dry frying pan; cool and roughly chop.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and half of the chilli and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
  5. Add 1tbsp oil to wok and stir-fry the spring onions and broccolini for 2 minutes, then add the cooked noodles and chicken; stir-fry until noodles are warm and the chicken cooked through.Stir through the soy and fish sauces
  6. Divide between 4 bowls, sprinkle over nuts, remaining sliced chili and coriander. Serve with the lime wedges.

Pad Kee Mao

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Pad Kee Mao

Serves: 4

As we dished this up tonight, Nat professed her love for stir fries and a past when she whipped them up almost nightly: fast, healthy, Asian cooking.

And based on tonight’s dinner – this recipe – we are aligned.

My issue with stir fries was that I had never regarded this simple, clever Thai dish to be a stir fry.

Instead, I had horrific memories of those bags of pre-cut ‘Asian slaw’, combined with pre-cut beef tenderloin and a whack of sugary, tasteless, bottled ‘stir-fry’ sauce from Woolies.

The sort of Aussie stir-fry that taste terrible.

Thankfully, this number is the complete opposite.

It tastes real. It is fast to prepare. It looks awesome.

In fact, it tastes awesome.

If this is a stir-fry, then count me in. Because this is the sort of weekday dish I’d happily do again and again, something my beautiful Natalie was happy to hear.

(I have doubled the ingredients so you have two lunches the next day.)

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 long red chillies, finely sliced
4 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce (we used light which I generally prefer)
2 chicken breast, thinly sliced
Bunch, Chinese broccoli, roughly chopped
2 tsp brown sugar
300gm (fresh) thick rice noodles
8 spring onions, white part finely chopped, green part shredded

Method

  1. Pound garlic, chilli and ginger with half the peanut oil.
  2. Heat remaining peanut oil in a wok over a high heat; stir in the garlic paste, oyster, fish and soy sauces and sesame oil.
  3. Add chicken and stir-fry for a few minutes and then remove.
  4. Add broccoli, sugar, noodles and spring onions. Toss and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, return the chicken and any remaining liquid and cook for a further minutes.

Soy and Ginger Beef Roast

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 6

This is my first ‘roast’ write-up.

And geez I am conflicted.

I want to say that roasts are boring and in one sense they are. But then again, a slice of roast chicken with some peas, roast pork and crackling with some mashed potatoes or rich roast beef with some Yorkshire Puddings, a jus and some sauted brussel sprouts?

Boring never!

But roasts are boring nonetheless.

They’re done. They’ve been done. They have failed to make the jump into the culinary whirlwind. They were the peak of the week’s cooking and now they’re just a Sunday-night snore.

Until now.

This roast beef is awesome. And on so many fronts.

The tinge of the marinade lingers well. It isn’t some weak marinade: it permeates the meat and you taste it right through.

And you are forced to re-think your sides which is half the point.

No boring pumpkin and peas here!

Think about the flavours and what would pair. Asian rice, Asian greens, char grilled corn.. The list is endless.

If you think about it, roast beef is sort of the ultimate thing you can offer up. It is what kings ate.

Dress it up for 2016 and give this a whirl. It is awesome!

Ingredients

1.2kg beef blade roast, trimmed
1 tbsp finely grated ginger plus six thick slices extra
3 garlic cloves
1 long red chilli, roughly chopped
¼ cup reduced salt soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mirin
Vegetable oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c.
  2. Blitz grated ginger, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, honey and minin and rub all over the beef and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  3. Place beef in a roasting pan on top of sliced ginger, drizzle with 1 tsp of vegetable oil and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 180c and roast, basting occasionally with pan juices until browned and cooked medium: 50 – 55 minutes and the internal temperature being 55 – 60c)
  4. Remove from the pan, cover loosely with foil and set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Pork Skewers with Cabbage Slaw and Peanut Sauce

.Reading time 3 minutes.
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Marinated (though uncooked) pork is (still) a win!

Serves: 4

This is a really tight, really nice execution of this style of dish.

The pork is aromatic, full of flavour, sweet, sour and of course, chargrilled with a wonderful crust.

The peanut sauce is sophisticated; sweet and sour again, dry and with a slightly earthy undertone. Nothing like the crap you’d find in a bottle.

And a fresh slaw to round it off.

Everything compliments the other. A real balance of flavour.

I found this in a magazine and as long as you can start it the night before, you have the week’s winner on your hands.

No washing up for you.

Cook it and seriously enjoy.

Ingredients

Pork

½ bunch coriander, leaves chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100gm ginger, finely grated (a good 6 or 7cm piece at least)
3 small red chillies, finely chopped
¼ cup honey
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1kg pork neck fillet, sliced into 1cm strips (we used pork loin though only to feel healthy)

Peanut sauce

1 1/3 cups (200gm) roasted unsalted peanuts
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp grated palm sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

Cabbage slaw

¼ sliced red cabbage very thinly sliced
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked

Method

You will need 12 metal skewers or soaked skewers; start the pork the night before.

  1. To make the marinade, combine coriander, garlic, ginger, chilli, honey and oil in a large bowl; add pork, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
  2. For the peanut sauce, process the peanuts and sesame oil in a food processor to a rough paste. Add remaining ingredients with 2tbsp of water and process until smooth and combined. Set aside.
  3. For the slaw, place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.
  4. Remove the pork at least 1 hour prior to grilling; preheat the grill to a high heat.
  5. Thread the pork onto skewers and cook for a few minutes each side until charred and cooked through.
  6. Serve all together with a squeeze of lime.

Glazed Salmon with a Cucumber Sesame Salad

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4

My fourth Bill Granger dish from his book, Everyday Asian.

And with a ‘great’ recipe strike-rate of three out of four and an easiness factor of ten out of ten, Bill Granger is officially no longer the suspect cook I had him for prior to cooking from this book. Going forward, i’ll trust him at his word and cook his recipes without worrying.

Donna Hay on the other hand…

Anyway, this is another really healthy, really tasty weekday number. The salad is really fun and served with some rice and a glass of white, this is a great couch/dinner/TV dish.

Ingredients

4 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 salmon fillets, skin off

Cucumber Sesame Salad

1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Lebanese cucumbers

Method

Salmon

  1. Combine the mirin, soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Put the salmon fillets in a shallow dish, pour the mirin mixture over and set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes or more.
  2. Heat a pan on high heat and cook the salmon until nice coloured and pink inside.
  3. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small pan and heat over a high-heat for 4 minutes until it has reduced to a glaze. Pour over the cooked salmon and serve with the salad.

Salad

  1. Whisk together the mirin, vinegar and sesame oil.
  2. Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to peel long ribbons from the cucumber.
  3. Toss the cucumber ribbons with the dressing.

Marinated Korean-style barbequed beef with miso slaw

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 6

Another fabulous Bill Granger recipe and so easy. And healthy!

Another weeknight dinner locked in.

It is from his book Everyday Asian and thus far, not only are the dishes simple enough to be done every day, you’ll want them every day.

A few hours of marinating and the steak is so tender and ready for that sort of hot grill BBQing that makes this sort of marinade sing. Luscious.

The slaw is great too – really great – and pairs well with the steak.

It isn’t Rockpool (RIP 2016) though it is easily achievable, fun to make and nobody will complain.

Because if they do…

According to Bill, the kiwifruit is to help tenderise the meat. I guess so: I think it is a bit of a wank though you enjoy cooking and it is a bit out of the ordinary right? Plus people will know you’re a Masterchef inserting such unusual ingredients!

Ingredients

Beef

½ ripe kiwifruit, peeled and mashed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3 steaks, 2.5cm thick (about 800gm) (We used scotch, though maybe rump?)
Chinese chilli relish (we used hot sauce)

Miso slaw

200gm white cabbage, shredded
200gm red cabbage, shredded
4 celery sticks, cut into batons
1 red onion, thinly sliced
(Or of course, being the middle of the week, use a bag of raw slaw mix from the supermarket)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white miso paste

Method

Beef

  1. Put the kiwifruit, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and combine. Place the mixture with the steaks in a ziplock bag and massage the marinade into the steaks. Set aside and marinate in the fridge for 3 hours or more.
  2. Heat the grill to high. Shake the marinade off the steaks and grill for 3 minutes each side.
  3. Rest and then slice on the diagonal.
  4. Serve with the miso slaw and Chinese chilli relish (or hot sauce).

Miso slaw

  1. Place the cabbage, celery and onion in a large bowl.
  2. Combine the vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and miso paste and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Pour over the vegetables, stir to combine and serve with the beef.

Asian Chicken & Mushroom Croquettes with Baby Cos

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 4

Wow, this is an absolute weekday cracker.

And it is Bill Granger. A man I have doubted but am now totally buying into!

I suspect that our addition of the chilli flakes was a necessary addition – and don’t hold back on the hot sauce if you like it hot – though the rest could not be doubted. Great flavor, moist and so easy to prepare.

And healthy. Seriously healthy.

Wow.

Bill, you won me over with this one. The doubt is gone – your simple cooking is a real winner!

(Double this recipe as we did; you will have the best lunch at work the next day! He claims it served 4 though it is so good and so healthy, just keep going.)

Ingredients

4 tbsp canola oil
250gm button mushrooms, stalks removed, finely chopped (or food processed as we did)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500gm chicken mince
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger (do 1 tbsp and you won’t look back)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chilli flakes
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 heads of cos lettuce, leaves separated
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
Small handful of coriander leaves
Hot sauce

Method

  1. Heat a large frypan over a medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of the oil and cook the mushrooms and garlic until nearly all the moisture has evaporated; remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and cool.
  2. Combine the mince, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, chilli flakes and mushroom mixture and mix well. Use 2 tbsp of the mixture at a time to role the small, football-shaped croquettes.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the croquettes, turning occasionally for 5 – 7 minutes or until golden all over and cooked through.
  4. Serve the chicken in the lettuce leaves with a few onion rings, a small handful of coriander and a good squeeze of hot sauce.
  5. Thank me later!

Court’s Japanese Beans

.Reading time 1 minute.
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Don’t be stuck with boring beans again.

Serves: 4 – 6

Court(ney) is Nat’s younger sister and by some strange twist, the girlfriend of our 5-year old, Tom(ney).

Court is pretty efficient in the kitchen with a sort of take no prisoners, get-in-and-out approach to cooking. Beans are one of her specialities which ordinarily would be a pretty niche subset of cooking to specialise in, though once you cook this particular dish, you’ll understand why.

It’s awesome.

Just make sure you have the right mayonnaise: Kewpie Mayonnaise, a Japanese sushi mayonnaise that you can find at Woolies and Coles.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Canola oil
Two or three good handfuls of beans
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1 tsp Kewpie mayonnaise
Light soy sauce

Method

  1. Heat the oil in the pan until hot.
  2. Add the beans and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 10 minutes ensuring the garlic doesn’t burn.
  3. Add the mayonnaise and continue to cook for another 5 minutes; add a few splashes of soy sauce, turn up the heat and finish off.
  4. 幸せな食事*.

* Happy eating.

(Dime a dozen) Sri Lankan Fish Curry

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

A simple and really tasty Sri Lankan fish curry I pulled from the Internet and whipped up for Sunday dinner for Nat and me.

They really are a dime a dozen these curries, though I’m typing this one up because it is about as down the line and traditional as they come… well, in my experience of cooking Sri Lankan fish curries!

This would be best served with some saffron rice, some steamed green vegetables and of course, cold beer!

Ingredients

30ml (2 tbsp) groundnut oil
2 small onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
20 fresh curry leaves
2 long green chillies, chopped
2½ cm (1in) root ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp ground turmeric
300ml fish stock
150ml light coconut milk
4 fillets firm white fish, skinless, 140g each
2 tomatoes, chopped

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until lightly golden. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chillies, ginger, garlic and turmeric and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  2. Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer. Gently place the fish into the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes, turning the fish once. When you’re ready to serve, stir through the tomatoes.
  3. Remove the lid from the rice and gently fluff it up with a fork. Serve the curry alongside the rice and your favourite steamed green vegetables.

Chicken Yakitori Skewers

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 2

This is a great dish with a really unique, Japanese-BBQ style of sauce.

Really easy to prepare served with rice.

Remember to soak the bamboo skewers in water for 15 minutes before threading the meat.

Ingredients

¼ cup sake
¼ cup Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin (rice wine)
2 tbsp caster sugar
6 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
Ground white pepper to taste
2 green onions (spring onion), trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, halved
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 green onion, extra, thinly sliced diagonally

Method

  1. Combine the sake, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  2. Combine the chicken and half the sauce in a bowl. Season with ground white pepper. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Thread chicken, green onion and mushrooms alternately onto the skewers. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the skewers to the pan and cook for 6 minutes or until cooked through.
  4. Transfer to a platter and spring with extra green onion. Serve immediately with the remaining sauce.