My Virgin Kitchen: Delicious recipes you can make every day

SERVES 4

150g lamb mince

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil, plus extra for frying

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated

1 small carrot, peeled and finely grated

4 spring onions, thinly sliced

small bunch of coriander, chopped

16 ready-made dumpling wrappers

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

3 tbsp Chinese plum sauce from a jar

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

pinch of chilli flakes

1. Put all the ingredients, except the dumpling wrappers, into a large bowl and mix well.

2. To fill the dumplings, take a dumpling wrapper in your hand and spoon a heaped teaspoon of the lamb into the centre. Wet around the edges a little and fold in half to create a semicircle, then press the edges to seal so it looks like a little Cornish pasty. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and gently slide in the dumplings. Stir the water until the pan comes back to the boil and cook until the dumplings rise to the surface and the water is at a rolling boil. Cook for a further minute then remove with a slotted spoon.

4. Heat a little extra oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot sit the dumplings in the pan to brown their bottoms for 3–5 minutes. Once brown and slightly crisped, remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and put on a serving plate.

5. The dipping sauce it simply a pimped-up version of shop-bought plum sauce. Combine the jarred sauce with the remaining ingredients, stir well and taste, adding more chilli if you like. Serve the warm dumplings with a bowl of sauce. Stonking!

VIRGIN TIP

Mix up the fillings with other vegetables and meats such as pork or chicken. As with a lot of the recipes in this book, I want to encourage you to get creative and put your twist on things – just don’t forget to send me a picture!

BEEF SATAY WITH NASI GORENG (#ulink_6718b99f-b69f-5d52-b36a-f8cabf36e261)

Satay is up there for me flavour-wise; it’s an excuse to have peanut butter in a recipe, but as I’m sure you are aware it’s a classic combo. This recipe, although not the lightest in this chapter, makes me feel good – it’s full of flavour. The nasi goreng rice is pushing the boat out a little but it really is worth the effort and it’s a great way to get you experimenting in the kitchen!

READY IN 55 MINUTES, PLUS MARINATING TIME

SERVES 4

3 tbsp Thai red curry paste

4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

250ml coconut milk

1 tbsp soy sauce

¼–1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

2 tsp sugar

600g rump steak, trimmed and sliced into strips

FOR THE RICE

½ tsp dried shrimp paste

1 tsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp groundnut oil

6 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 eggs, beaten with a drop of water

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small chunks

250g cooked long-grain rice

1 tbsp light soy sauce

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tbsp chopped unsalted peanuts

1 lime, cut into wedges