15cm piece fresh ginger.
3 fresh red chillies.
16 shiitake mushrooms.
6 tbsp sesame oil.
150ml fresh orange juice (not from concentrate).
2 tbsp tamarind paste.
4 star anise.
2 cinnamon sticks.
3 litres water.
100ml soy or tamari sauce.
100ml maple syrup.
10 button mushrooms.
300g flat rice noodles.
4 spring onions.
2 handfuls fresh coriander.
2 handfuls fresh mint.
150g beansprouts.
200g pak choi.
sriracha and soy sauce, to serve.
Large saucepan on a medium heat.
Peel and coarsely chop the onions and garlic. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and chop coarsely. Rip the stem from one of the chillies and chop, removing the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour. Trim and roughly slice 6 of the shiitake mushrooms.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil in the large saucepan and add the chopped onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring continuously until everything has softened.
Add the orange juice, tamarind paste, star anise and cinnamon sticks and continue to stir for another 3 minutes. Add the water, soy or tamari sauce and maple syrup.
Turn up the heat, bring to the boil, then turn it down again and simmer for 10 minutes, until reduced by about one-sixth. Strain the liquid into a large bowl through a sieve. Rinse the pan.
Put the pan back on a high heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons sesame oil. While the oil is warming, trim the remaining 10 shiitake and the button mushrooms and add them to the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes, until very slightly browned. Pour all the pho liquid back into the pan. Add the rice noodles and cook for about 3–4 minutes, or according to the timings on the packet.
Finely slice the spring onions and put them in a small pile on a large plate. Pick the leaves from the coriander and mint and put them on the plate. Trim and finely slice the remaining chillies, removing the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour, and put them on the plate along with the beansprouts.
Trim and quarter the pak choi and add it to the soup. Take the whole pan to the table along with the plate, with a ladle for people to serve themselves and chopsticks for them to add their own fresh herbs, vegetables and chillies. Serve with soy sauce and sriracha on the side. Best eaten as soon as it’s ready!.
Guacaroni.
Macaroni meets guacamole! This dish is as perfect as its name suggests and we think it’s one of the finest pasta salads you will ever taste. It’s great eaten hot or cold, served alongside a BBQ, as a lunchtime salad or with a bit of green salad as a quick main course.
SERVES 4–6.
320g macaroni.
3½ tsp salt.
4 ripe avocados.
2 limes.
2 tbsp olive oil.
½ tsp garlic powder.
½ red onion.
2 fresh red chillies.
12 cherry tomatoes.
20g fresh coriander leaves.
Large saucepan of water on a high heat. Large mixing bowl.
Add the macaroni and 2 teaspoons of the salt to the boiling water and cook until al dente, following the instructions on the packet.
Halve and carefully stone the avocados by tapping the stones firmly with the heel of a knife so that it lodges in the pit, then twist and remove the stones, then scoop the flesh into the mixing bowl. Halve the limes and squeeze the juice into the bowl, catching any pips in your other hand. Add the olive oil, garlic powder and the remaining salt to taste and mash the avocado using the back of a fork. Peel and mince the onion. Rip the stems from the chillies, cut them in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour. Finely chop the tomatoes, chillies and coriander and add to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together.
Drain the macaroni and tip into the bowl of guacamole, stirring to make sure the pasta is well covered. Serve immediately as a side dish or light lunch, or box it up ready for tomorrow’s lunch.
Curry-Crusted Sweet Potatoes.
We’ve mixed up the traditional stuffed potato by putting our filling on the outside in this recipe. The flavours work a treat with a fresh lime crust contrasting really well with a delicious sweet potato. This is one to freestyle with and try different flavour combos. It works great in the oven or cooked on a BBQ.
SERVES 2.
2 large sweet potatoes (about 300g each).
vegetable oil, for greasing.
salad leaves, to serve, optional.
1 x portion Guacamole (shop-bought or see here), to serve, optional.
FOR THE CURRY PASTE.
5cm piece fresh ginger.
3 garlic cloves.
1 fresh red chilli.
1 lime.
8 sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar.
30g fresh coriander (leaves and stalks).
40g desiccated coconut.
10g panko breadcrumbs.
1½ tsp salt.
1 tsp garam masala.
1 tsp ground cumin.
2 tsp water.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Food processor. Baking tray. Foil.
Prick the whole sweet potatoes with a fork and put them on a plate. Microwave on high for about 10–15 minutes until quite soft (alternatively put the potatoes in a 220°C oven and bake for 25 minutes, remove them from the oven and reduce the heat to 200°C). Remove and set aside to cool down slightly. Score the skins with a sharp knife.
Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon. Peel the garlic. Rip the stem from the chilli, cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the food processor, catching any pips in your other hand. Put all the rest of the curry paste ingredients into the food processor and whizz to a thick paste.
Cut 2 squares of foil big enough to fully wrap your sweet potatoes in and grease one side with oil. Take half the curry paste and use your hands to encase one of the potatoes with a thick layer of paste. Repeat with the second potato.
Tightly wrap the sweet potatoes in the foil squares, put on the baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take