Chicken larb in lettuce cups
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 bunch coriander
- 2 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic clove (finely chopped)
- 2 spring onion (finely chopped)
- 500 g chicken breast (minced)
- 1 carrot (grated)
- 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 2 lime (juiced)
- 1 iceberg lettuce
Method
Heat the oil in a wok over high. Chop three coriander stalks very finely and throw into the wok with the ginger, garlic and spring onions.
Cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes before adding the chicken mince and carrot. Stir to break up the mince.
After about 5 minutes, the mince should be cooked through. Add the sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce and lime juice and toss well.
Remove from heat. Separate the lettuce leaves and serve the larb in a big bowl, letting everyone build their own larb cups.
Find related thai recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- This isn’t a traditional or authentic larb recipe but does combine some of the key flavours of a true larb in one very quick little recipe.
- If you can’t get chicken mince, try turkey mince instead.
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Garlic prawn pasta
Serves:
4
Ingredients
- 230g spaghetti or fettuccine
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 20 green prawns, peeled, deveined and halved lengthways
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup fish, vegetable or chicken stock
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook as per packet instructions. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat unti the butter is melted.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the prawns, lemon zest and lemon juice for 1-2 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked and still tender.
Add the stock and heat through gently.
Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with the parsley and toss to combine.
Serve in bowls with salad and crusty bread on the side.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
Note
Tuna and creamed corn macaroni
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup macaroni pasta, uncooked
- 2 tbsp tinned tuna
- 2 tbsp creamed corn
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Method
Cook the pasta in a medium saucepan, and drain the water.
Add the milk and cheese and stir until combined and the cheese is melted.
Stir in the creamed corn and tuna, and serve warm.
Note
- If you would like a smoother finish, you can puree this mixture in a blender before serving.
- Toddlers and older kids will enjoy this meal too.
- This recipe was created by Belinda Graham from The Happy Home. You can see her on Facebook, find her on Twitter and see her lovely boards on Pinterest.
Hand-wrapped little sushi
Serves:
Ingredients
- 5 sheets nori (seaweed)
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 185g can tuna
- handful of rocket leaves
Method
Place rice and 3 cups of water in a saucepan, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave for 10 minutes covered.
Spread rice into a container and allow to cool, then sprinkle with vinegar. Stir thoroughly.
Use scissors to cut each sheet of nori into quarters. Hold a piece of nori in the palm of your hand. Spoon some rice on half the sheet, press down with wet fingers to a depth of 0.5cm. Arrange 2 teaspoons of tuna and a couple of rocket leaves on top of the rice.
Start rolling up from the end with fillings. Wet the strip at the end and push gently to seal the edges.
Place on a serving platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required.
Serve with soy sauce.
Notes:
- My friend was reasonably horrified when I told her I was making sushi (I can see her point, there is a very good sushi shop locally). But it really is not difficult, very healthy and the kids love making a mess (helping) rolling the nori. Go on, give it a try.
- I had some leftover Honey soy chicken that was scrumptious in the sushi.
- Make these for dinner, wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and they will keep in the fridge for lunchboxes the next day. Dont forget a cooler brick to keep them fresh until lunch time.
- Hang on to those little fish you get from the Sushi takeaway stores as they are very handy in tempting children to at least play with the sushi.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Family fish pie
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 kg floury potatoes
- 1 tbsn butter
- splash of milk
- 1 leek, cut in half lengthways and slice thinly
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 500g fresh firm fish, I used 250g salmon fillets and 250g ling fillets
- 25 g butter
- 2 tbsn plain flour
- 500ml milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Put a saucepan filled with cold water on the stove to boil. Peel potatoes and cut into 5cm chunks. Drop into boiling water and cook until just tender.
Drain potatoes and add 1 tbpsn butter and a generous splash of milk. Mash the potato mixture thoroughly until it is smooth and lump-free. Season with salf. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil then add leeks and carrots. Cook for three minutes, or until the leeks begin to look transluscent. Remove from heat.
Roughly dice fish up into 5cm pieces. Place the uncooked fish, the leek and carrots, and the frozen peas together into an oven dish.
To make the white sauce, heat the milk in the microwave until hot (about 1 min). Heat a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and once it has melted, add the flour. Vigorously stir to create a paste and then keep cooking it for two minutes. Take this mixture off the heat while you add a quarter of the milk, stir rapidly over heat to combine and thicken, remove from the heat again to add the next quarter, stir to combine. Continue until all the milk has been added to the saucepan and the sauce thickened. Season as required.
Pour the white sauce over the fish mixture and thoroughly combine.
Cover the top of the fish with the mashed potato and then grate chedder cheese across the top of the pie to cover it.
Place in the oven for 35 mins. When it is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- This really is just a dressed-up Tuna mornay
- My kids were suspicious about this pie but they all really enjoyed it – and finished the whole pie!
- You could use any vegetables that work in your family. Just choose veggies that won’t collapse and go mushy.
- I chose Ling and Salmon because they are both firm fish that can withstand being cooked in the oven.
- Don’t pre-cook the fish because it will become very dry in the pie.
- I chose two types of fish mainly for the colour contract – while the white of the Ling disappears into the white sauce, the pink of the salmon really stands out.
- This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand
Cheesy tuna dip
Serves:
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 can (185g) tuna in springwater, drained
- 220g extra light cream cheese
- 2 large spring onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Method
Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined. You can process until smooth or leave a few chunks – it’s all personal taste.
Serve with vegetable sticks and or crackers. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- This lovely dip is also fantastic as a sandwich spread.
- Serve with whatever you like, but I like to pack this dip up for the girls with cherry tomatoes, vegetables sticks and a bit of french bread. Makes a change from sandwiches. I do make sure I put a freezer block into their lunchboxes though it’s made with dairy and fish.
- If you like a healthy dip then this Babaganoush (Smokey eggplant dip) is a delicious Middle Eastern recipe that tastes great with flat breads.
- If you love Italian flavours then Basil pesto dip is a great party platter dip.
- If you want to go retro then you can make this French onion dip and crudites that was tres chic in the 70's.
- Greek cuisine would be lost without this simple peasant dish of Skordalia (potato and garlic dip).
- Another popular cob dip is Spinach cobb dip. It is baked in the same way this cheese and bacon dip is made.
- If you like hommous then this Tomato and basil hummus dip is a great twist on the original.
- This Prawn layer dip is a decadent platter that will have them asking for more. We have made it with fresh prawns.
- If you want a sweet dip then you can make this Healthy raw caramel dip. It is a great sweet after school treat.
- If you love raw cookie dough the this Cookie dough dip is a sweet treat that the kids will love.
- When you have a craving for cheesecake this 2 ingredient cheesecake dip with fruit is a fast compromise and little healthier with fruit on the side.
- Nutritional value per serve: 310.8kj (74cals); 1.9g total fat (1.3g saturated fat); 0.2g fibre
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder. You can follow Jay at The Moodie Foodie and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Tuna salad
Serves:
Ingredients
- 185g can tuna
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 small lebanese cucumber, chopped
- 1 tablespoon shredded mint
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
Method
Mix all the salad ingredients together gently.
Combine the yoghurt and mustard and stir through the tuna salad
Avocado sweet chilli dip
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 avocados
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
Method
Mash avocado
Add sweet chilli sauce (the amount may be varied according to taste)
Serve with dry biscuits or cut-up vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Homemade fish fingers and baked fries
Serves:
Ingredients
- 4 red potatoes, large
- 1 tbsp rice bran oil + 2 tsp extra
- 4 salmon fillets (preferably the long, narrow ones), cut into ‘fingers’
- 3 wholemeal bread crusts
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C or 200°C fan-forced.
Cut potatoes into chip shapes. Toss the chips in 2 teaspoons rice bran oil – just enough to coat them but not drench them or the chips will be soggy. Place on baking paper on a baking tray. Bake for about 30 minutes.
Chop the bread crusts in a food processor to make crumbs.
Beat egg with Dijon mustard.
Dip salmon pieces in the egg mixture then in the breadcrumbs.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and cook until golden. If pan gets a little dry, add a dash more oil.
Remove chips from oven when golden and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with the salmon and salad or steamed veggies.
Notes
- You can make your own aioli to serve with the fish fingers. Use a stick blender to mix 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp salt. Continue pulsing stick blender as you add 1 cup of olive oil in a very slow drizzle until it’s all combined and thickened and a lovely, creamy colour. Stir in 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tsp dijon mustard. Serve.
- This recipe was created by Alana House for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder..
Find more fish recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
Easy steak Diane
Serves:
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup (125ml) pouring cream
- 2 x 200g sirloin or scotch fillet steaks
Method
Heat oil over gentle heat in a small saucepan. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, being careful not to let it colour. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes until garlic is soft. Add cream, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the cream has reduced and thickened. Set aside.
Heat a grill or fry pan over high heat. Season steaks well and cook for 4 minutes on each side (for medium cooked). Remove to a plate and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Serve steaks with roasted potatoes, steamed green vegetables and the warm Diane sauce.
Find more dinner recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Make sure your pan is very well heated before starting to cook the steak.
- Naturally, cook for less time if you prefer rare steak, more if you prefer well done.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley from the blog Typically Red.
Salmon filo pies
Serves:
Makes 4
Ingredients
- 25g butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 cup (235g) cream
- 1/2 cup tasty cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped
- 80g baby spinach
- 250g salmon fillets, skin off
- 4 sheets filo pastry
- 30g butter, extra, melted
Method
Preheat oven to 210°C (190°C fan-forced).
Melt butter with oil in a large pan over gentle heat. Cook onion for 4 minutes until soft. Add carrot and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir through cheese, mustard, lemon juice and chives. Set aside.
Place spinach in a colander and pour over boiling water to wilt. Drain and set aside.
Cut salmon fillets into 2cm cubes.
Take a pastry sheet and cut it crosswise into four even strips. Brush with butter and use to line the base and sides of one hole of a 6-cup Texan muffin tin, letting the edges hang over. Repeat with remaining sheets.
Place spinach in the base of each pastry case. Top with 3-4 pieces of salmon. Spoon over cream sauce, evenly distributing between each case. Bring pastry edges together to enclose filling, scrunching them slightly. Brush top with butter.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until flaky and golden.
Find more fish recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Place the muffin tin on a tray in the oven to catch any overflow.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a hearty meal.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Salmon mornay
Serves:
Ingredients
- 415g tin red salmon, drained
- 125g tin corn, drained
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp cornflour
Method
Preheat oven to 190’C.
In a baking dish, combine salmon, corn and celery.
In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat and add soup mix and sprinkle over cornflour, stir over heat until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
Pour saucepan contents into the baking dish and mix through the salmon mix well.
Place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.
Notes:
- The chicken noodle soup makes this quite salty, so if you can find a soup mix that is salt-free or salt-reduced it may bring improved results.
- If you do find this too salty, mash 1 kg of potatoes and mix through. Make into rissoles by shaping into rissole shape and rolling in breadcrumbs and pan frying for 3-4 minutes on each side over medium heat.
Related fish recipes:
This is Moira Gillard’s recipe – adapted by Melissa Klemke for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Thai pumpkin soup
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly diced
- 1 tin (425ml) coconut milk
Method
In a saucepan, heat the oil and fry the curry paste over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add the pumpkin to the pan and continue to fry further for 3 minutes.
Pour the coconut milk over the pumpkin and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until pumpkin is soft.
Cool for a few minutes and blend or use a stick mixer to a smooth consistency.
Garnish with coriander and serve.
Notes:
- Using 2 tablespoons of curry paste gives a very mild flavour. If you want your soup to have a bit of bite, you can add another tablespoon of curry paste.
- If you don’t like chopping and peeling pumpkin, you can halve a butternut pumpkin, remove the seeds and bake it at 180°C for 45 minutes and then scrape out the flesh. This soup uses 2 cups of butternut pumpkin flesh. Just add this after you fry off the curry paste and your soup is almost ready.
Find related soup recipes
This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Whole spiced fish
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 x 1 kg red snapper or any other suitable fish
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons coriander root and stem, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- half a teaspoon cumin, ground
- half a teaspoon coriander, ground
- half a teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cooking salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Combine above ingredients (excluding the fish) in a mortar and pestle or blender and process until you have a thick paste.
Wash the whole fish under cold water then pat dry with paper towel.
Make three diagonal cuts into each side of the fish and rub the paste in, getting it into the flesh as well as the skin. Rub some of the paste into the cavity too.
Allow the fish to sit for 15 minutes for flavours to meld.
Spray foil lined baking tray with cooking spray, place fish on tray and roast for 30 minutes.
Remove and serve.
Notes
- If your kids are still getting used to spices, rub the paste on their portion of fish, however before serving it to them, remove the skin so they still taste the spices but in a much more mellow version.
- Serving a whole fish isnt as daunting as it looks. Once the fish is cooked, the flesh is easy to remove.
- Cut along the top of the fish and pull out fins with your fingers then gently lift meat from bone with a spatula. Once one fillet is removed, simply pick up the tail and pull the fish carcass up and then remove. This will just leave the other fillet exposed, along with a few straggling bones.
- I served this with steamed rice and the zucchini and tomato pie.
- Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
Chicken and antipasto rice
Serves:
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) brown rice
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 1 x 225g jar antipasto vegetables in oil
Method
Place rice and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover with a lid and allow to simmer until water has been completely absorbed, approximately 20 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice chicken fillets horizontally into thin escallops. Place in a bowl and pour over some of the oil from the antipasto, ensuring it is well coated.
Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Fry chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
Remove vegetables from oil and dice. Pour one tablespoon of remaining oil into the frypan and add vegetables and cooked rice. Stir to combine and warm through.
Distribute rice between serving bowls and top with chicken.
Find more chicken recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Antipasto is available in the supermarket. Alternatively, you could buy a selection from the deli.
- Substitute brown rice for white if you prefer.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Salmon and cucumber sandwich sushi
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 slices bread
- 4 slices of wafer-thin smoked salmon
- 3 thin slices of cucumber, same length as a bread slice
- low-fat cream cheese to spread
Method
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in the frying pan over low heat. Remove from heat when they are slightly golden, spread them out on a plate and set aside to cool completely.
Roll each slice of bread flat with the rolling pin and remove the crusts. Lay the cling film down on top of the sushi mat.
Spread a very light layer of cream cheese over each slice of bread. Turn the slices over and lay on top of cling film.
Spread the other side of each slice with a thicker layer of cream cheese. Place the salmon on top of each slice, filling as much of the bread as you can.
Put a cucumber slice on the very edge of the each slice. Roll the bread over the cucumber slice and all the way along until the bread is fully rolled.
Add a little more cream cheese if the end does not stick firmly. Roll each sushi roll in the cooled toasted sesame seeds.
The seeds will stick to the thin layer of cream cheese. Cut each bread roll in half and then half again.
Find related sushi recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- You will need to keep a very close eye on the sesame seeds when toasting. They can burn very quickly.
- If you buy your bread from a bakery, you can get them to put your bread through the slicer from end to end and this will give you huge bread slices that are easy to use for this recipe.
- This recipe was created by Maxabella of Maxabella loves. Follow Maxabella on Facebook or Pinterest.
Tomato and chilli mussels with sourdough garlic bread
Serves:
Ingredients
Garlic bread:
- 1 sourdough baguette
- 75g butter, softened
- 3 cloves garlic
Mussels:
- 1x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 150ml passata
- 2 tsp horseradish cream
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- juice of one lemon
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
- 1 kg mussels, ready to cook from the bag
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C or 160°C fan forced.
Slice the baguette into 3 cm slices but not all the way through to the other side, so the baguette stays joined together.
Mix the butter and garlic together and spread the mixture evenly on both sides of each bread slice. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, passata, horseradish cream, Worcestershire sauce, celery, garlic, lemon and chilli together in a bowl.
When the garlic bread is almost done, tip the mussels into a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Set the heat to medium/high and pour in the tomato mixture. Cover and cook for five minutes or until bubbling and all of the mussels have opened. Discard any that have not opened. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the warm garlic bread.
Notes:
- This meal is fun as everyone can help themselves and linger over their plates. If you’d like to bulk the meal out a little then toss through some cooked linguine.
- It is most important that you discard all of the unopened mussels as these will potentially give you food poisoning.
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Find related seafood recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
Spaghetti with tuna and olives
Serves:
Ingredients
- Cooked spaghetti to serve 4
- 1 425g tin Tuna in oil
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 20 leaves of fresh basil, shredded
- 2 fresh vine ripened tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
Method
Drain tuna, flake apart and reserve oil.
In a hot fryan add 4 tablespoons of the tunas oil and fry the garlic for 2 mins.
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to coat in the oil. Add fresh tomatoes, flaked tuna and olives.
Toss to heat for 2 mins and stir through shredded basil.
Note
- If you don’t have fresh tomatoes and basil you can use a can of diced tomatoes and few teaspoons of dried basil in a pinch. I prefer the fresh items and always have fresh basil in my fridge.
- To keep basil for a long time you can take the elastic band off the bunch and lay them on wet paper towels. Roll them up and store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will last around 2 weeks this way.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Vietnamese-inspired beef and noodles
Serves:
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons peanut oil (or olive or vegetable)
- 1 onion, halved and sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 600g rump steak, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced in strips (julienne)
- 1 red capsicum, sliced in strips (julienne)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- juice of two limes
- packet rice noodles (gluten free)
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves (Vietnamese if you can get it)
- roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
Method
Soak noodles in hot water for a few minutes until soft, drain into a colander, refresh with cold water and drain again.
Heat a wok over high heat, add 1 teaspoon of peanut oil and stir fry half the beef to seal and brown.
Transfer cooked beef to a plate.
Repeat with another teaspoon of oil and remaining beef.
Cover beef with aluminium foil to keep warm.
Heat remaining teaspoon of oil and stir fry onion for 2 minutes, add garlic and chilli and stir fry for another minute.
Add carrots and capsicum, cook for about 3 minutes.
Stir in noodles, fish sauce and lime juice, cook until noodles heated through.
Serve in bowls topped with herbs and peanuts.
Notes:
- I stirred the coriander and mint leaves through the stir fry just before serving and the heat did brown them a bit.
- Try piling the herbs on top to keep the vivid green (and impressive presentation).
- If you are not a big fan of fish sauce, substitute with soy sauce.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Zucchini, Tuna, Orange & Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 150g green beans, cut into thirds
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 x 185g cans tuna, drained
- 2 tsp parsley
Dressing
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp finely grated orange rind
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Method
To make the dressing, whisk together dressing ingredients, set aside.
Boil or steam the zucchini and beans for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Mix tuna, rice, beans and zucchini together, add the dressing and toss.
Baked salmon with orange and ginger
Serves:
Ingredients
- 800g salmon fillet, skin removed, pin-boned
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh dill leaves
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced (garnish)
Method
Heat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan-forced.
Line a shallow oven tray or dish with baking paper and place fillet on baking paper.
Make a few cuts in the salmon fillet (to allow the sauce to infuse the fillet).
Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, orange juice, ginger, garlic and brown sugar and pour over fillet massaging the sauce into those cuts.
Place the tray into the oven and cook for 12 minutes for rare, or 17 minutes for medium.
Sprinkle over dill and spring onions.
This is fantastic with a green salad or steamed snow peas/broccolini.
Find related dinner recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- It’s best to get the fillet for this dish at a fish shop – fresh food markets are fabulous for this – and have someone pin-bone the fillet for you.
- I’ve also pan-fried some oranges for this dish. This is totally optional, but it looks lovely on the dish and gives an extra orange-flavoured kick for anyone who wants it.
- For a darker colour on top of the salmon, place it under the grill for the last 2-3 minutes.
- Recipe written by Jay Rogers from The Moodie Foodie. You can follow The Moodie Foodie on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Shaking beef stir-fry
Serves:
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg rump steak (beef)
- 6 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 3 tbs brown sugar
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 2 tbs olive oil
Method
Trim fat and sinew from steak and slice into 0.5cm strips.
Combine remaining ingredients in a non-metallic bowl.
Add steak to marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat a wok over very high heat. Drain beef and cook in batches for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until sticky and charred.
Find related stir-fry recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Rump steak is a more economical alternative to fillet or sirloin, but you could use either depending on your budget.
- Avoid stewing cuts such as chuck or blade, as they won’t be as tender.
- Serve with rice and an Asian-style coleslaw or steamed greens on the side.
Something fishy potato salad
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 kg (4-6) medium sized potatoes
- 415g can salmon
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
- ½ cup good quality egg mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons capers
- juice of ½ lemon
Method
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and slice into rounds. Dissect the salmon and remove any bones (try and breathe through your mouth if you don’t like that ‘just out of the can’ smell!).
In a large salad bowl combine potatoes, salmon, apple, mayo, capers and lemon juice. Mix gently to combine. Add more mayonnaise if you like a very creamy salad.
Serve while potatoes are still warm.
Notes:
- Thanks to my good friend Jacqui S for this great recipe. The apple gives a lovely crunch and the capers a lemony-salty taste. Substitute mini gherkins for the capers if that is more likely to be tolerated by your family.
- I hate the smell of canned fish (but don’t mind it once it is made into something) and cheap cans of fish are worse because you have to spend time over it removing bones and other yucky bits. May I suggest spending a bit more on your can of salmon (or buy a fresh piece to cook) to speed up the preparation and spare your delicate constitution!
Serving Suggestions
Note
Vietnamese caramel salmon
Don’t be daunted by the caramel in this Vietnamese caramel salmon recipe. It’s a cinch to make and creates a dark, sticky sauce that is delicious with fresh salmon fillets.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 4 salmon fillets (about150g each)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
- 3 shallots, cut into 3cm batons
- steamed rice, green vegetables to serve
Method
Heat sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it has melted and started to brown, swirling the pan occasionally. Carefully pour in water and stir for 3 minutes until dissolved. Add fish sauce and lime juice and continue cooking for a further minute. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick frypan. Cook salmon fillets skin-side down for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes until almost done. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat remaining oil in frypan. Add garlic, chilli and shallots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add caramel and stir to combine. Gently return salmon to pan, spooning over sauce for a further minute until cooked through. Serve salmon with rice and steamed Asian greens.
Note
- Be very careful when melting the sugar as the temperature is very high. It will bubble up fiercely when you add the water.
- Don’t overcook the caramel – there’s a fine line between dark and sticky, and burnt.
- This recipe was create for Kidspot, New Zealand’s beståÊrecipe finderåÊby Greer Worsley, who blogs atåÊTypically Red.
Pork and vegetable rice noodle rolls
Serves:
4
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 400 g pork mince
- 1 celery stalk (diced)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1/2 zucchini (diced)
- 1/2 red capsicum (diced)
- 2 spring onion (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 2 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs oyster sauce
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 450 g fresh rice noodle sheets
For sauce:
- 1 tbs kecap manis
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Method
Heat oil in a frypan or wok over high heat. Brown mince, draining off any excess liquid.
Add vegetables, including ginger and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and sauces and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce has reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool slightly.
Carefully unroll rice noodle sheets and cut them into pieces approximately 9cm x 14cm. Spoon on some of the pork filling and roll to enclose.
Place a bamboo steamer over a saucepan of simmering water. Line it with baking paper. Carefully place filled rolls onto the paper. Cover with the lid and steam for 3-4 minutes until noodles are soft. To make sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Remove cooked rolls onto a plate and drizzle with the sauce.
Find related Asian food
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Rice noodle sheets, different to rice paper used in Vietnamese rolls, are available in delis and Asian grocers. They are best used the day they are purchased, therefore avoiding refrigeration.
- Rice noodle sheets become brittle if they have been refrigerated, so you will need to gently warm them to make them manageable. You can do this by microwaving them in short bursts, or steaming them.
- If you have a bamboo steamer that’s large enough to hold a small plate, you can cook the rice noodle rolls directly on the plate you intend to serve them on. This way you can avoid the tricky transfer to and from the steamer.
- If you have the time and enthusiasm, you can make your own rice noodle sheets from scratch from a homemade rice dough. Recipes can be found online.
- This recipe was created by Greer Worsley for Kidspot.
Thai beef salad with nam jim
Serves:
Ingredients
Nam jim dressing
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander root
- 1 long red chilli (deseed if you don’t want it too hot), finely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice (1 large lime should do it)
- zest from lime
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp peanut oil (or any other vegetable oil)
- 2 tbsp water
Thai beef
- 70g rice vermicelli (turns into about 220g when softened)
- oil spray
- 400g lean beef steak
- 4 cups lettuce, chopped
- 1 lebanese cucumber, chopped or sliced into ribbons (for ribbons, use a potato peeler)
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
- coriander leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
Method
Place rice vermicelli in boiling water and leave to soak for 5 minutes until softened. Then drain vermicelli and set aside.
Place all dressing ingredients into a small blender and process until smooth.
Heat a small non-stick frying pan on medium high.
Spray steak lightly with oil on both sides and add to the pan.
Cook steak for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Remove steak from pan and allow to rest on a board before slicing thinly.
Mix lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, capsicum, coriander leaves, mint leaves and rice vermicelli together and divide among 4 plates.
Top with slices of beef and pour over nam jim dressing.
Serves 4.
Find more Asian food recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- You can use any rice noodles you like in this dish, I just really like the super thin ones.
- Lime juice is great but if you can’t find limes, use lemons.
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder: You can follow Jay at The Moodie Foodie and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
