Home Cooked

I love the wonderful pure tastes and textures in this recipe. It’s a light and healthy supper that can be made in a matter of minutes.

MAKES 15 CUPS

100g rice vermicelli noodles

1 tbsp sunflower oil

500g turkey mince

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp honey

Good handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

Good handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 head of iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

75g roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil

1 small thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Soak the noodles in warm water until they are tender, then drain and set aside.

Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a bowl.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large high-sided frying pan over a high heat. Stir-fry the mince, breaking it up while you work, for about 3 minutes until it begins to get colour. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Then stir in the soy sauce, mirin and honey. Turn off the heat and mix through the mint and coriander, saving a little aside for garnish.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter and add a little portion of the noodles to each cup. Divide the cooked turkey on top and then sprinkle with the nuts and remaining coriander and mint. Roll up the lettuce leaves and dunk in the dipping sauce.

PAD THAI

Rice noodles are a fantastic storecupboard ingredient and I regularly stock up at Asian markets where you can also buy jumbo-sized bottles of Asian staples like fish sauce, soy sauce, and so much more. This dish is possibly one of the most famous Thai dishes and appears on menus throughout the world. Rightfully so, it’s a speedy dish full of deep layers of sweet and aromatic flavours.

SERVES 4

250g flat rice noodles

3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Good handful of coriander leaves and stalks

1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped

Grated zest and juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp sunflower oil

20 raw tiger prawns, de-shelled, heads and black vein removed

6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

100g bean sprouts

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 tbsp light soft brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

Lime wedges, to garnish

Good handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped, to garnish

Soak the noodles in warm water until soft, then drain them and set aside. In a pestle and mortar, make a paste from the garlic, coriander stalks, red chilli and lime zest.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is just at smoking point, add the paste and fry for about 1 minute until it becomes aromatic. Then add the prawns, half of the spring onions and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the drained noodles and mix through and then stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the beaten eggs and mix through the noodles until just cooked.

Tumble the noodles out onto warmed serving plates and serve garnished with the coriander leaves, lime wedges, peanuts, and the remaining spring onions and bean sprouts.

ASIAN SHIITAKE MUSHROOM & CHICKEN STEAM-BAKED BAGS

There is something wonderfully wholesome about this rather special chicken supper. Served with a little steamed rice, this dinner will have you in tune with your inner zen in little or no time. Shiitake mushrooms are packed with all sorts of wonderful things and have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries – all the more reason to include them here.

SERVES 4

1 large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2 tbsp light soy sauce