This week's menu of five delicious meals includes delicacies from around the world including a whole tandoori bream and lamb kofta wraps. With sweet and sour pork on Tuesday and chicken ramen on Thursday, you're entire week will be filled with drool-worthy dinners.
Shopping list:
2 small chicken breasts
2 whole sea bream
350-400g lean lamb mince
200-300g pork fillet
1 litre chicken stock
150g natural yoghurt
6 eggs
1 avocado
1 bunch coriander
3 red onions
1 red pepper
Lettuce
1 carrot
1 bunch mint
Garlic
Spring onions
Cucumber
4 tomatoes
Thumb sized piece of ginger
6 small-medium tortilla wraps
Ramen noodles
1 tin black beans
Small tin pineapple in juice
1 small tin bamboo shoots
1 jar jalapenos
Ground cumin
Chinese chilli oil
Miso paste (brown ideally)
Sesame seeds
Soy sauce
Tomato puree
Cornflour
Tandoori powder
Apple cider vinegar
Dried shiitake mushrooms
Cayenne pepper
Sugar
Olive oil
Rapeseed oil
Sesame oil
Monday – Huevos Divorciados, 20 mins
A vegetarian Mexican egg dish, so called because it uses two kinds of salsas that sit separately on the plate
Finely chop half an onion and saute in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, a crushed garlic clove and a teaspoon of cumin for five minutes. After five minutes, add in the tin of beans plus a little of their water and simmer gently while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Make the two salsas. The first, by dicing two tomatoes with the rest of the onion and mixing in a small bowl with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt and the juice of half a lime. For the second, chop about half a jar of jalapenos with an avocado, half a bunch of chopped coriander, salt and the other half of the lime, juiced. Set aside.
Warm four tortillas (either using a dry frying pan, or microwaving in the pack) and fry four eggs in olive oil to your liking. Assemble by laying two tortillas next to each other, spreading over half the beans, then an egg on each, then the red salsa on one and the green on the other.
Tuesday – Sweet and sour pork, 25 mins
There is no need to buy a readymade sweet and sour sauce when it’s this easy to make it yourself…
Grate half the ginger. Roughly chop half an onion, a carrot and the pepper, then slice the pork into medium sized chunks. Heat rapeseed oil in a non-stick pan and fry the veg and ginger for five minutes on a high heat. Add the pork and continue to cook, stirring regularly. Once it’s browned all over, add in three tablespoons each of soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and pineapple juice, with a tablespoon of tomato puree and a teaspoon of cornflour. Stir to combine and turn the heat down to low. Stir in half the bamboo shoots and all of the pineapple. Serve with rice.
NOTE: You could easily use chicken, firm tofu or prawns in this recipe instead of pork. Leave out the pineapple if you’re not a fan of fruit in food, but you’ll need a tablespoon of brown sugar in its place.
Wednesday – Whole tandoori bream, 20 mins + marinating time
A fragrant, light and spicy supper that looks impressive but is ridiculously easy
Make the marinade by combining a heaped tablespoon of tandoori powder with a heaped tablespoon of natural yoghurt and a splash of oil. Stir, then slather it all over the fish and leave to marinade on a plate in the fridge for as long as you can (overnight is best but even 30 mins will help).
When it comes to cooking, heat the oven to 200C and bake on a foil covered baking tray for 15-20 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, finely chop the mint and mix with the rest of the yoghurt and add a tiny pinch of salt and sugar to it. Set half aside for Friday night, serve the rest with the fish and a small lemon drizzled salad.
NOTE: If you can’t get your head around whole fish, just use fillets. Bream, sea bass or mackerel are all brilliant pairs for Indian flavours – just cook until the fish is opaque in the centre.
Thursday – Quick chicken ramen, 40 mins
A cheat’s version of what is best made over 24 hours, but a delicious bowl of miso infused noodle soup for a weeknight nonetheless
Boil two eggs until soft-medium (6 minutes) the immediately plunge into cold water.
Put the stock in a large saucepan with the whites of the spring onions, the rest of the ginger, sliced, and three of the shiitake mushrooms. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Flatten the chicken, brush with rapeseed oil and grill it until cooked through (about 10-15 mins) depending on your grill. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool slightly then slice it into strips.
Finely slice the greens of the spring onions and set aside. Peel the eggs and set aside.
Whisk together two tablespoons of miso paste with a tablespoon of sesame oil and set aside.
Remove the spring onions, ginger and mushrooms from the stock and put the noodles in. When they start to separate, whisk in the miso sesame mixture. Divide the noodles into two bowls then pour over the broth. Arrange the spring onions, the rest of the bamboo shoots and the chicken in sections over the noodles. Slice the eggs in half and place in the middle then drizzle chilli oil (as much as you like) over the top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
NOTE: Take your eggs to the next level by boiling them in advance, peeling then marinating them in a mixture of soy sauce and a teaspoon of sugar for up to 24 hours. Top your ramen with whatever you like: mushrooms, sweetcorn, pork belly and soy beans are all good toppings. Vegetarians could swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock but be sure to increase the shiitake content and add a splash of soya milk for creaminess.
Friday – Lamb kofte wraps, 30 mins
Because who doesn’t like a kebab on a Friday night?
Finely chop the rest of the coriander and place in a bowl with the lamb mince, two crushed garlic cloves and a teaspoon of cumin. Combine then form into eight equal sized pucks. Place on a foil covered baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at 190C.
Slice a tomato, the rest of the cucumber and the other half of onion and place inside the wraps with the rest of the mint yoghurt and any leftover lettuce, adding the koftes once they’re cooked. Best served with chips