My Virgin Kitchen: Delicious recipes you can make every day

1 tbsp plain flour

350ml vegetable stock

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

40g creamed coconut

1. Start with the dip. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat, add the diced onion, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric and flour, cook for a minute, then slowly pour in the stock, stirring all the time, until it comes to a simmer. Stir in the honey, soy sauce and creamed coconut and put to one side while you make the nuggets.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6 and grease a non-stick baking tray with the oil.

3. Line up everything you need on the work surface: a plate with the fish pieces, a shallow bowl of beaten egg and a plate spread with the breadcrumbs. Dip a piece of fish into the egg so it’s covered, then put into the breadcrumbs, toss until fully coated and put on the baking tray. Repeat with all the fish and then bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes until it is cooked through.

4. When the cod is done reheat the sauce. Serve the cod nuggets with lime wedges to squeeze over and the katsu dip for dipping.

VIRGIN TIP

If you don’t finish the sauce, it’s great with a bag of chip shop chips! You can use frozen cod fillets for this recipe; just defrost thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper before using.

SRIRACHA PRAWNS WITH GIANT COUSCOUS (#ulink_57ae6062-bb50-5445-b29f-d7adbe95d742)

I find this such a refreshing recipe: it’s got a little bit of a kick, but you can easily control the heat levels. Here we’re cooking prawns in a little sriracha hot sauce and serving them with a pile of giant couscous salad and caramelised red onion.

READY IN 25 MINUTES

SERVES 4

350g raw prawns, peeled and veins removed

3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

juice of 1 orange

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

2–3 tsp sriracha sauce (or to taste)

1 vegetable stock cube

180g giant couscous

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, halved, seeds removed and diced

½ cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed and diced

salt and pepper

1. Put the prawns into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the parsley, half the orange juice, the garlic, the dried chilli flakes and 1 teaspoon of the sriracha sauce and mix around to coat fully. If you’re not cooking the prawns immediately, cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge.

2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and crumble in the stock cube, stirring to dissolve. Add the couscous and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain and allow to cool, then tip into a bowl.

3. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 10 minutes until it softens and starts to caramelise, stirring in a dash of sriracha sauce for the last 30 seconds. Tip the onion into the bowl of couscous and return the frying pan to the heat. Add the prawns and marinade to the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the prawns turn pink and tender.

4. Meanwhile add the tomato and cucumber to the couscous long with another tablespoon of parsley. Squeeze in the juice from the other half of the orange, and mix well. Give it all a good season with salt and pepper then, if you like, add another dash of sriracha for extra kick.

5. Serve a pile of the couscous with a good heap of the prawns on top, the remaining parsley sprinkled over the prawns and a final squeeze of the orange half.

VIRGIN TIP

Mrs Barry is not a huge fan of sriracha, so I keep this mild when making it for her, omitting it from the onion step. It’s all about tweaking it to your liking – the recipe allows for a great deal of flexibility so keep an extra bit of orange and the sriracha handy when serving up.

SALMON RÖSTI ISLANDS WITH LEMON HORSERADISH (#ulink_7c295018-b0be-5cd5-a9eb-8ee363bfbb95)

It looks pretty fancy but this lovely, light, refreshing bite is a doddle to make. A potato rösti island smothered in a lemon horseradish sauce with dill and salmon strips on top – a real feel-good recipe.

READY IN 20 MINUTES

SERVES 4

200g Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

zest and juice of ½ lemon

500g waxy potatoes, peeled and grated

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp plain flour

knob of butter, melted

olive oil, for frying

1 x 120g packet of smoked salmon, cut into strips

handful of fresh dill

salt and pepper