Kimchi fried rice
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 2
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for frying
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
100g kimchi (from a jar), roughly chopped
250g cold leftover cooked rice (or use a packet of ready-cooked rice)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Nori seaweed strips, to garnish (optional)
Put a large pan over a high heat and add the oil. Add the onion to the pan, turn the heat to medium and fry until slightly golden – three to four minutes.
Turn up the heat, add the kimchi and a glug of the liquid it comes in, and stir-fry for one to two minutes, until hot all the way through.
Add the rice, breaking up any lumps and tossing it through the pan’s contents. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil, stir through until completely mixed, then take off the heat.
Heat a little more oil in a separate frying pan and fry the eggs until the whites are no longer translucent and the yolk is still slightly runny.
Serve the kimchi rice in deep bowls topped with a fried egg, scattered with toasted sesame seeds and strips of nori seaweed, if using.
Five-spice chicken and vegetable stir-fry
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
2 x 150g chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 tsp Chinese five-spice
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
½ small head broccoli, broken into little florets
200g sugarsnap peas
3 baby pak choi, quartered
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, to serve
Blend the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil and cornflour until smooth. In a separate bowl, toss the chicken pieces in the five-spice.
Heat the oil in a wok until smoking, add the chicken, garlic, ginger and peppers, and fry over a high heat for five to six minutes, until the chicken has started to colour.
Pour over the soy sauce mixture, then add the broccoli and a splash of water. Cover with a lid, cook for one to two minutes, then stir in the sugarsnaps and pak choi. Cook for a further five to six minutes, until the vegetables are tender and any liquid has reduced. Scatter with the sliced spring onions and serve.
Sliced lamb steaks with rocket and hummus
Prep 10 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and black pepper
4 flatbreads
1 tbsp olive oil, for cooking
6 lamb leg steaks
1 tsp ras el hanout
300g tub hummus
80g rocket leaves
1 large carrot, julienned or ribboned with a peeler
1 pinch smoked paprika
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas 2. Put the onion into a bowl with half the lemon juice, a glug of extra-virgin olive oil, then season and set aside.
Put the flatbreads into the warm oven to heat through. Meanwhile, put the olive oil into a frying pan over a high heat. Season the lamb with the ras el hanout and some salt and pepper, and sear for two to three minutes on each side, until just cooked but still slightly pink in the middle. Set aside to rest.
While the lamb rests, mix the hummus with the rest of the lemon juice to taste.
Spread each flatbread with hummus and scatter with the rocket leaves and carrot. Slice the lamb thinly and put on top of each flatbread. Scatter with the lemony onions and paprika, and drizzle with a little more extra-virgin olive oil.
Beef stroganoff with tagliatelle
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
500g beef sirloin, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
20g unsalted butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small leek, sliced
200g button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
400g fresh egg tagliatelle
175ml white wine
Zest of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice
100ml double cream
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika
Chopped parsley, to scatter
Put the oil into a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Dust the meat in the seasoned flour, then fry in batches until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Put the butter into the pan, then the onion and leek, and fry for five minutes, then add the mushrooms. Turn up the heat, season and cook until the mushrooms are golden, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water for one or two minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, return the meat to the frying pan, pour in the wine and let it all bubble away for a minute. Add the lemon zest, cream, mustard, paprika and a splash of water to loosen it up.
Add the tagliatelle, toss well to coat the pasta in the creamy sauce, then serve scattered with lots of parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
