Coconut red curry noodles
Whenever I make these creamy coconut noodles, I find myself hovering over the pan taking one too many bites to taste test. Their deliciousness, paired with how simple they are to make, means they frequent our meal plan at least once a fortnight. The addition of tomato paste may seem strange, but it creates an amazing depth of flavour and mellows out the spice from the red curry paste – perfect for my little eaters who are still adapting to spicy foods. You can customise the vegetables to suit your family’s tastes and replace the pork mince with another variety (chicken or beef work well). The noodles are customisable, too. If egg noodles are all you have, throw those in, or just serve with rice. Don’t skip the lime at the end, though. That little pop of freshness is where it’s at.
Serves 4
- 200g thick rice noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500g pork mince
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 125g green beans, trimmed, cut into 3-4cm batons
- 1 red capsicum, cut into strips
- crushed peanuts, to serve
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Cook the noodles until just softened – 2-3 minutes. Drain. Rinse immediately under cold water, then drain again – they will still be undercooked and firm, but will finish cooking in the pan.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mince, then cook for 3-4 minutes until browned, breaking it up as you go. Add the garlic and ginger, then cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and red curry paste. Add the coconut milk and green beans, then cook for 2 minutes until thickened.
Add the capsicum, then cook a further 1-2 minutes before stirring in the noodles. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until just heated through. Serve the noodles topped with the peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice.
Caramelised spiced pumpkin
This dish makes it seem as though you’ve spent hours in the kitchen, yet it takes only minutes to prepare and uses just a handful of ingredients.
I make this for most special occasions, particularly if I’m feeding a crowd. The oven does all the hard work and I’m left with a vegetarian dish that can hold up on its own (served with salad and canned lentils dressed in lemon juice and olive oil) or as an amazing side to a roast or barbecued meat. The leftovers never go unused, either – they are delicious in salads and perfect for quick lunches.
Serves 4
- 1 butternut pumpkin, halved lengthways
- 1½ tsp sea-salt flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 150g crumbled Persian feta
- 1 handful coriander or flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced.
Prepare the pumpkin by scoring a diamond-shaped pattern into the cut side. Remove the seeds and pulp.
Arrange the pumpkin in a deep baking dish, then sprinkle it with the salt, cumin, paprika, brown sugar and pepper. Drizzle with the oil, then use your hands to coat the cut side. Roast for 1½ hours, adding 125ml (½ cup) water to the baking dish halfway through the cooking.
Sprinkle the pumpkin with the feta and coriander or parsley and pomegranate seeds (if using). Serve whole, family-style, with a spoon for everyone to scoop directly from the pumpkin.
Beetroot, feta & wild rice salad
This is my go-to salad when I’m entertaining. It looks special, yet five minutes is all it takes – and there’s no cooking. It’s all thanks to a few clever supermarket purchases. You will love this sweet and tangy, vibrant salad with earthy beetroot, peppery rocket, Persian feta and wild rice, and it pretty much goes with everything.
Serves 8
- 2 x 250g packets microwave brown, red and wild rice medley (see note)
- 120g baby rocket leaves
- 500g cooked, peeled beetroot, quartered (or canned beetroot)
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- 35g (1⁄3 cup) walnuts, toasted
- 50g (1⁄3 cup) crumbled Persian feta
DRESSING
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the wild rice according to the packet instructions. Spread the rice out evenly on a large platter, then top with the rocket, beetroot, onion, walnuts and feta.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, then drizzle over the salad. Toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
NOTE
Use any variety of rice you like. You need the equivalent of 2 cups cooked rice (either freshly made or microwave rice). I recommend brown rice as it’s slightly more earthy and nutty, which pairs beautifully with the beetroot.
Honey-garlic slow-cooker chicken
Being able to “set and forget” by putting the ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning, then coming home later to a cooked dinner, is wonderful.
Serves 4-6
- 800g chicken thigh fillets
- 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp water
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- steamed jasmine rice, to serve
- steamed greens, to serve
SAUCE
- 80ml (1⁄3 cup) tamari or soy sauce
- 90g (1⁄3 cup) runny honey
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Place the chicken into a slow cooker. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then pour over. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours. Add the cornflour and water mixture to the sauce for the last 30 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce. Sprinkle with the spring onion and sesame seeds and serve with steamed jasmine rice and steamed greens.
An edited extract from The Simple Dinner Edit, by Nicole Maguire (Macmillan, RRP $44.99)
