Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup

Chinese Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup is such a quick, simple, but tasty soup.  I made a storecupboard vegetarian version, but you can use fresh vegetables and/or chicken as your time and budget allow.

Serves 2, or a greedy one as a meal

1 mug of frozen sweetcorn, or 285g can of sweetcorn in water

100g grated potato or 100g cooked rice

Handful of finely shredded spinach, kale, or cabbage (optional)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed (optional)

1cm cube of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

1 tbsp miso paste, or 1 stock cube

500ml hot water 

1 large free range egg

1 spring onion, finely sliced (optional)

Chilli oil or chilli flakes (optional)

Soy sauce to taste

Authentic (or possibly Chinese-American) Egg Drop Soup seems to use creamed sweetcorn.  I like to do this by cooking/warming the sweetcorn in the stock first, then liquidising with a stick blender, as I think it gives the soup a better consistency.  But, if you don't have a stick blender, or don't want to blend the sweetcorn, this is not essential.

If pureeing the sweetcorn, simmer the frozen sweetcorn for 5 minutes in the hot water in a soup pan, or heat tinned sweetcorn until the water is boiling.  When the sweetcorn is cooked/hot, liquidise with a stick blender in the pan.  

Add the potato or rice, crushed garlic, grated ginger, and miso paste or stock to the sweetcorn (or add all these to the pan with the water if not liquidising the sweetcorn).  Simmer for 10 minutes in a covered pan.

Beat the egg in your soup bowl.  Turn up the soup to a gentle boil and drizzle in the egg.  Leave for 30 seconds then swirl with a spoon.  You should have 'flowers' of cooked beaten egg.

Serve with chopped spring onion, soy sauce, and chilli oil to taste.

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Egg Foo Yung/Chow Mein

Egg Fu Yung is a Chinese style omelette, popular in American and British Chinese restaurants, usually served with a soy based gravy. 

Chow mein is a Chinese dish of stir-fried noodles with leftover vegetables, meat or tofu, also popular in America and the UK.

I thought I'd combine both Egg Fu Yung and Chow Mein to use up some leftover cooked chicken, and some eggs that needed using.  This recipe would work well with leftover turkey after Christmas.

Serves 4

3 layers medium egg noodles

4 eggs

300g cooked chicken, turkey, pork, beef, or prawns

1 onion, peeled & thickly sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled & sliced

100g frozen peas

1 chicken stock cube

500ml recently boiled water

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp cornflour

Vegetable oil for frying 

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.  Leave to cool in a pan of cold water.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok over a medium high heat.  

Beat the eggs, and fry in the wok like a omelette for a few minutes so you have a side plate sized disk of cooked egg. Flip the egg over carefully to ensure the egg is cooked through.  Slide the egg onto a plate, chop into bite sized pieces, and wipe the wok out with a piece of kitchen paper.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok over a medium high heat.

Stir fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until it starts to soften or go golden brown.  Add the peas and garlic.

Crumble in the stock cube and melt in the oil and heat.  Add 500ml of hot water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, turmeric and paprika.  Stir well.

Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of cold water.  When the 'gravy' is boiling, pour in the cornflour mixture whilst stirring to thicken it.

Drain the noodles and add to the gravy together with the meat or prawns, and chopped egg.  Mix well and serve.

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Sesame Prawn Toast

I resisted the urge to buy some half price raw prawns in Aldi last week, and then saw a recipe online for Sesame Prawn Toasts. So when Aldi had some more half price prawns yesterday (and three tuna steaks - straight in the freezer), I grabbed them for my protein obsessed 17 year old son.

Makes 12

3 slices of bread

175g raw prawns

1 medium free range egg

1cm root ginger, finely gated

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 spring onion, chopped into 1cm rounds

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

Light olive or vegetable oil for frying

Whizz the prawns, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and spring onion together in a mini food processor.

Drizzle sesame oil on each side of the slices of bread.

Divide the prawn paste between the slices of bread and spread smoothly right to the edges.  The two recipes I looked at said to cut the crusts off, and to use white bread, but I left the crusts off and used light wholemeal bread.  Sprinkle the prawn paste with sesame seeds.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  If you have a larger non-stick frying pan that will fit more than one slice of bread, add 1 tsp oil per slice.

Fry topping side up for 1.5-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.  Lift the slice of bread up with a fish slice and pour in another 1 tsp of oil, then carefully flip it prawn paste side down into the hot oil.  Cover the pan with a lid or plate and fry for 1-5-2 minutes until prawn paste is golden brown.

Cut each slice of bread into quarters.  If the prawn paste looks slightly undercooked (grey rather than pale pink) when you cut up the toast, just fry again for another minute or microwave all four quarters for 1 minute.

Sesame Prawn Toasts can be cooked in an air fryer.  Drizzle the bread with sesame oil as above then toast  in the air-fryer for 3 minutes at 200°C until one side is golden. Spread the prawn paste on the untoasted side of the bread followed by the sesame seeds.  Cut into quarters and arrange as many as you can in the air fryer basket. Cook for 12 minutes at 180°C until golden brown.

Serve warm with sweet chilli sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping.

Can be reheated in the air fryer - 5 minutes at 180C. And can be frozen and reheated in the air fryer from frozen - 10 minutes at 180C.

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Sweet & Sour Fried Rice

Knocked up a quick pescatarian (could be vegan if made with vegetarian oyster sauce) Sweet & Sour Fried Rice which I thought would make a great student meal.  Preparing the vegetables probably takes longer than the stir frying.

You will need a large wok to cook and stir this stir fry successfully.

Serves a greedy 4

500g cooked white or brown rice

400g block of firm tofu, grated 

2 medium carrots, grated 

Half a sweetheart cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons or a bunch of spring onions, chopped into 1cm pieces

4 rings tinned pineapple, chopped into 1cm pieces (optional)

2cm root ginger, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

6 tbsp tomato ketchup

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4 tbsp (vegetarian) oyster sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

If you don't have any cooked rice, cook a large mug of basmati rice before you start.  It only takes 20 minutes, whilst you prepare the vegetables.

Grate/chop the tofu, vegetables, ginger & garlic, pineapple.  Put them on separate plates as they are stir fried at different times.

Heat the oil in a large wok over a high heat until smoking.  Add the tofu and stir fry until you can see it start to go golden brown in places.

Push the tofu to one side as best you can and tip in the vegetables, ginger & garlic, and chilli flakes.  Push the tofu on top the vegetables so the vegetables are in contact with the hot pan.  Leave for a minute or so and then start stir frying.  After a minute or so of stir frying add in about 50ml of water to the wok to help the vegetables steam and soften, whilst still stir frying.

When the vegetables are softened to your liking, turn down the heat to medium and stir in the rice and the sauce ingredients.  Add a little water if the rice and sauce starts sticking to the wok.

Serve when piping hot

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Tofu in Black Bean Sauce

My partner bought a jar of Yeo's Black Bean Sauce last weekend to make Beef in Black Bean Sauce.  He used half the jar, so I used the rest to make Tofu in Black Bean Sauce.

Serves 4

400g firm tofu

300g colourful chopped veggies (carrot, red pepper, green beans)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1cm grated ginger root

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 250ml jar black bean sauce

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or sherry

1 tbsp sesame oil

Take the tofu out of it's packet and place it in a colander with a plate and a few cans on top of that to squeeze as much liquid out.

Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces, and prepare the garlic and ginger.

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat.  

Crumble in the tofu, but beware, if it is still quite damp it will spit a lot.

Stir fry the tofu for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, and vegetables.  Keep stir frying the vegetables for a few more minutes.

Turn the heat down and add the black bean sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil.  Mix the sauce in well and serve when the sauce is piping hot over cooked rice or noodles.

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Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce

Another recipe to tackle the ongoing lettuce glut at my allotment.  I am now searching the internet for different national lettuce recipes. Today, Chinese Style Cooked Lettuce.

According to Wikipedia, China is the world leader in lettuce production, producing half the world's lettuce.  Lettuce is a symbol of wealth and good luck in China, and served on birthdays, New Year's Day, and other celebrations. Lettuce is always cooked in Chinese cuisine.  It is served as a 'vegetable' accompaniment as I cooked it, stir fried with meat or tofu, or in a soup.

Serves 2

200g lettuce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (or mushroom/vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tbsp water

Wash the lettuce thoroughly. Most of the US recipes I looked at cooked long Romaine lettuce leaves whole.  I think my lettuce (the seedlings were gifted to me) was a Little Gem before it went to seed.  It was quite tatty and nibbled by pests, and whilst cooking would hide these cosmetic defects, I sliced it to make it more manageable to eat.

Wilt the prepared lettuce for 20 seconds in a pan of boiling water. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of water, and place in a serving dish.

In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium high heat. Once hot, tip in the crushed garlic, quickly followed by the soy sauce, oyster sauce and reserved 2 tbsp of water. 

Heat to a simmer, then pour over the cooked lettuce. Serve immediately.    

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Chinese Congee (Rice Porridge/Soup)

Rice porridge may sound unappealing, but this simple Asian dish is great comfort food and can be taken in a soup flask as a packed lunch. 

Congee is the Mandarin name, Jook in Cantonese, Chok in Thailand, and Cháo in Vietnamese. I regularly had it for breakfast backpacking in Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

The classic congee is just rice simmered in water or stock until it breaks down essentially to mush, and flavoured with ginger and soy.

Shredded chicken, minced pork, or egg can be added to the classic congee for protein, but I like to make a plant based version with vegetable stock, tofu, and colourful vegetables.

Serves 2

1 litre vegetable stock

1 cup cooked rice, white rice is traditional but I prefer brown rice

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

200g firm tofu, grated

1 large carrot, grated

1 pak choi, thinly sliced 

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Seasonings - chilli oil, sesame oil, chilli flakes, soy sauce, and/or fish sauce to serve

Add the rice, garlic, and ginger to a pan.  Pour over the stock and bring to the boil.

Boil for 5-10 minutes uncovered until the rice is a runny porridge consistence. 

Stir in the tofu, carrot, and pak choi to heat up.

Serve when congee comes back to the boil.  Sprinkle each serving with a chopped spring onion, and season with what ever you have to hand and to your own taste.

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Chicken, Sweetcorn, & Egg Noodle Soup

A quick filling soup made with leftover cooked chicken (or Christmas turkey). Vegetarian and vegan alternatives are detailed at the end of the recipe

Serves 4

3 litres chicken stock

3 nests rice noodles 

340g tin of sweetcorn or 1 mug frozen sweetcorn

2cm root ginger

1 large garlic clove

300g shredded cooked chicken

1 egg, beaten 

4 spring onions, chopped

Sesame oil

Chilli Oil

Liquidise the sweetcorn, ginger, and garlic with the water from the tin, or some warm chicken stock to thaw the frozen sweetcorn.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil. Add the liquidised sweetcorn and the noodle nests.  Cover, bring back to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. I used Aldi Brown Rice Noodles which say take 5-10 minutes to cook, and in the end took 7 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken, turn up the heat a little, and bring back to the boil.  When bubbling, dribble over the beaten egg.  Leave for a minute for the egg to cook in the hot soup then divide into four bowls.  

Sprinkle a chopped spring onion over each bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and chilli oil to serve.

A vegetarian version can be made with vegetable stock and grated firm tofu instead of chicken.  And a vegan version can be made with vegetable stock, tofu, and 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water stirred in instead of egg to thicken the soup a little. 

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Singapore Chow Mein Noodles

I ordered Singapore Vermicelli last time we had a birthday Chinese takeaway. So the next time I made a stir fry, I thought I'd try Singapore Noodles.  I prefer rice noodles, but I find them hard to stir fry without going sticky, so this was made with egg noodles

Serves 4

4 layers of noodles

1 tbsp mild curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

600g sliced stir fry vegetables (if slicing your own vegetables include an onion, and then a rainbow of colourful vegetables - red pepper, carrot, pak choi/cabbage, mushroom, sweetcorn, beansprouts)

250g protein (optional), choose from 200g firm tofu, 2 free range eggs, or 250g cooked prawns

1 red chilli, sliced (optional)

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Leave in cold water once cooked until ready to use.

Mix curry powder, turmeric, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl.

If using egg, beat the eggs in a mug.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/large frying pan over a medium high heat. Swirl the oil around when hot, and pour in the egg, cooking it like an omelette.  Turn the egg over after a couple of minutes and cook the other side.  Take out when cooked, chop into bite sized pieces, and leave to one side.

If using tofu or prawns, heat 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok over a medium high heat. Grate the tofu if using.  When the oil is hot, stir fry the grated tofu or prawns for a few minutes until slightly brown. 

Add another tbsp of oil after you've removed the egg, or when the tofu/prawns have been stir fried.  When hot again, add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until softened and starting to brown in places. 

Drain the noodles and add to the wok, along with the sauce mixture and egg. Stir-fry for a further 3-4 mins, mixing thoroughly and reheating the noodles.  

Serve with sliced chilli if you like some spice!

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Suzie Lee's Beef Fried Rice

Stumbled across Suzie Lee's (winner of BBC’s Best Home Cook 2020) recipes on iplayer on a quiet Friday night in.  Last night I made her Beef Fried Rice recipe, which went down a treat with my teens. Below is the recipe copy & pasted from the BBC website

Serves 4

4 eggs
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
40g of ginger
2 carrots
1 courgette (pak choi, peas, or edamame beans)
500g lean beef mince
500g cold cooked basmati rice
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 Spring onions to garnish
Pinch of white pepper
Vegetable oil

Start by chopping the onion. Peel ginger and mince garlic cloves. Peel the carrots and take the ends off the courgette. Slice spring onions for garnish and set to the side.

Heat a large deep pan or wok and fry off beef mince without adding any oil. Break the mince up in the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula so that it breaks into smaller pieces and cooks evenly. Add a tbsp of soy sauce and white pepper to the mince to season. When the mince is cooked, remove from the pan and place to one side.

In the same pan add some vegetable oil. Beat the eggs together in a bowl or jug. Add the eggs to the pan and cook them like an omelette, until you have a cooked ‘disc’ of egg. Be careful not to overcook the egg, slightly under is better than over. When the egg is cooked take it out of the pan and put to one side.

Add enough oil to the pan to coat it. Grate in the peeled ginger and add minced garlic. When you can smell the aromatics, add the onion and grate in carrots and courgette. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring them round until they soften and the liquid evaporates

Make sure the pan is on a high heat and make room in the pan for the cold rice. Add the rice to the pan and stir through. Add 2 tbsp of soy sauce and add the mince back to the pan. Pour the sesame oil in, making sure it hits the metal of the pan to release the flavour. Season with white pepper. Add the oyster sauce and stir through before returning cooked egg to the pan. Mix everything through thoroughly, breaking up the egg as you go. 

Garnish with spring onions.

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Chicken (or Turkey) Noodle Soup

This BBC Good Food Chicken Noodle Soup is so easy, and will work just as well with seasonal turkey leftovers. 

500ml chicken or vegetable stock (or Miso soup mix)

2 tbsp sweetcorn, canned or frozen

2-3 mushrooms, thinly sliced or a handful of sliced greens (pak choi, cabbage, kale) 

1 handful chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Serving of rice, wheat or buckwheat noodles

2 spring onions, shredded

2 tsp soy sauce, plus extra for serving

Chilli flakes, to taste

 

Simmer the noodles, along with sweetcorn and mushrooms or greens in the stock until cooked according to the instructions on the packet.

When cooked stir in the remaining ingredients and tuck in.

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Indonesian Egg Fried Rice with Smoked Mackerel

A quick midweek Omega 3 rich family friendly fried rice, based on BBC Good Food's Indonesian Fried Rice with Mackerel.

For a fish dish, this went down really well with the kids.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp red curry paste

800g cooked basmati rice (about 250g-300g uncooked)

4 fat spring onions, sliced

140g frozen peas, edamame beans, or sliced cabbage

4 smoked mackerel fillets, flaked

4 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce),  or 2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar

Sriracha Chilli Sauce, to serve

Cook the rice if you don't have any ready cooked, and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a wok.  If using cabbage, stir fry this for a couple of minutes, then add the curry paste and fry breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the egg and swirl around as if making an omelette, then break up with the wooden spoon and push to one side.  Add the mackerel to the side of the wok you've just cleared, then add the spring onion and peas or edamame.  Stir and mix well then add the rice and stir everything through well.  

Once the rice is well mixed, cover and turn the heat down low for a few minutes to heat the rice through thoroughly.

Serve with a tablespoon of kecap manis per person, and Sriracha chilli sauce to taste.

I would have made this with brown rice had we had some, and possibly would substitute the red curry paste for garlic in ginger as in Nasi Goreng, Indonesian Fried Rice with Chicken & Pork I was taught years ago by someone who lived in Singapore.

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Veg Rich Noodle Soup

Ditch flavoured instant noodles for quick healthier veg rich homemade version, loosely based on Wagamama's Chicken Ramen but more veg.

Serves 1

1 portion of dried noodles (egg noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles etc)

500ml recently boiled water

1 low salt chicken or vegetable stock cube

1 cm piece of ginger finely grated or chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Half a mug of frozen sweetcorn

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

Small handful of cooked chicken or tofu, or fry an egg to serve on top

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into ribbons with the peeler

1 tbsp soy sauce

Cook the noodles for the recommended cooking time on the packet in 500mlof water together with the crumbled stock cube, sweetcorn, ginger, garlic and chilli.  

Put the rest of the ingredients in a a bowl and pour over the noodles and stock when the noodles are cooked.

If the noodles only require soaking in hot water, bring the stock ingredients to the boil.  Put the dry noodles in the soup bowl with the remaining ingredients and pour over the boiling stock. Cover and wait the time on the packet.

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Homemade Vegetable Gyoza & Miso Soup

Finally got round to making homemade gyoza. A lot cheaper than buying them ready made, but fiddly, even with a gyoza press off ebay! Might try rolling the dough through the pasta bike next time, or buying wrappers.

Serves 2

250g plain flour

150ml boiling water

1tsp salt

Cornflour, for dusting

For the filling

200g white cabbage (might try 100-150g next time as I have about half the filling left over)

4 chestnut mushrooms

1 carrot

4 water chestnuts (optional)

thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for frying

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp saké, Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

For the dipping sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

crispy chilli oil (optional)

Miso Soup

500ml boiling water

1 vegetable stock cube, crushed

1 tbsp miso paste

2 small sheets dried seaweed, snipped into small strips

100g tofu, cubed

Mix the flour and salt and stir in the boiling water. When cool enough to handle, knead for 10 minutes (I put it in the bread machine on the dough cycle), then dust with cornflour, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Whilst the dough is chilling finely grate/chop/mince the filling ingredients.  Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the chopped vegetables for a couple of minutes until soft.  Drizzle over the soy and saké and cook for a couple more minutes until the liquid has evaporated.  Turn off the heat and leave to cool.

When the dough has rested for an hour, dust a clean surface in cornflour and divide the dough in two. Roll the first ball of dough out until paper thin. Cut out 10cm circles of dough with a pastry cutter or glass. Repeat with the trimmings, and the second ball of dough, until you have about 25 circles. I have to say I found the dough tended to spring back and found it hard to get paper thin dough, but I did rush things placing my dough in the freezer for 30 minutes as all the time I had.

To make the gyoza, hold a circle of dough in the palm of one hand and put a teaspoon of the filling in the centre. Dip your finger in a handy bowl of cold water and wipe around the inside edge of the skin. Bring the edges of the skin together, pinching it closed. There are videos of gyozas being beautifully pleated closed but I couldn't be bothered.

Dissolve the stock cube and miso in the water in a small pan. Snip in the seaweed.  Once boiling turn off the heat and add the tofu cubes and cover.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a non-stick frying pan with a lid. Fry the gyoza, flat-side down, for 2 mins until golden. Add 100ml water to the pan and cover. Cook over a medium heat for 3-5 mins until the water has evaporated and the gyoza is cooked through. Remove the lid and leave the gyoza to sizzle on the bottom for a minute. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together and pour into little bowls/ramekin dishes.  Pour the miso soup into bowls, and serve with the gyoza.

NB. Gyoza can be prepared in advance and frozen.  After making them, space them out on a baking tray dusted with cornflour and freeze.  When frozen tip into a bag and put back in the freezer. Will keep for three months. Can be cooked from frozen.

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Special Prawn Fried Rice

My 15 year old daughter asked for a Chinese takeaway for one of her birthday meals. As usual, we had leftovers, but not enough for everyone. So I decided to try making some more...

Serves 3-4

1 mug brown rice
1 mug frozen peas
1 large carrot, grated

300g pack of cooked prawns

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

2.5cm root ginger, finely grated

1/2-1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

Handful of bean sprouts (optional)

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Brown rice takes about 30 minutes to cook. Basmati rice could be used if preferred, plus the cooking time is shorter.  Prepare all the ingredients before you start.

Everything ready, heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering and starting to smoke, start to work quickly. Add the garlic and ginger, stir. Add the carrots and stir fry for a few minutes, then add prawns, and bean sprouts if using and stir fry for a few more minutes.

Add the rice and chilli and stir around to reheat thoroughly. You may wish to turn the heat down to stop it catching on the wok.  Serve when the rice is piping hot.

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Baked Korean Style Rice & Aubergine

I bought aubergines to make ratatouille, but then this baked rice dish caught my eye on Instagram.

Serves 4

200g basmati rice
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2.5cm ginger, grated
2 large carrots, grated
400 ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 aubergines, cut into 1 cm slices
1 tsp sea salt
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the dressing:
15g Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) or 2tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 cm ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Put rice, one grated garlic clove,2.5cm grated ginger, grated carrot, and white part of the spring onions into a wide lidded casserole dish or a medium roasting tin. Pour over the vegetable stock and sesame oil, then lay the aubergines over the top in one layer if possible. Sprinkle salt, one more grated clove of garlic, over cthe aubergine and cover with the lid or very tightly with foil (this is important or the rice won’t cook properly). Bake for 30 minutes.

Mix the dressing ingredients together whilst the rice is cooking. After the rice has cooked for 30minutes take out of the oven, remove the lid or foil and drizzle over the dressing, then the green part of the spring onions and sesame seeds.  Serve hot with a side of kimchi if you want more fire.

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Chinese Sweetcorn & Chicken Soup

Turns out there is no hiding sweetcorn.  It's colour is a bit of a giveaway. However, a few Chinese flavours, and liquidising it, do make it more palatable to the sweetcorn disliker in the house.

Serves 6 small bowls

2 mugs frozen sweetcorn
1l boiling water
2 chicken stock cubes
1 handful shredded, cooked chicken
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1tbsp sesame oil
Soy sauce to serve

If you are going to liquidise, cook the sweetcorn in the boiling water according to the cooking instructions on the packet,  When cooked, do not drain. Just process with a stick blender and leave to one side

Gently fry the garlic, ginger and the white part of the spring onions in the sunflower oil for a few minutes.  Add the liquidised sweetcorn with it's cooking liquid, the whole sweetcorn and l litre of just boiled water, and add the crumbled stock cube.  Cover and bring to boil.

Simmer covered for 5 minutes if using whole sweetcorn. Stir in the shredded chicken. Beat the egg in a bowl with the sesame oil and green spring onion tops. Dribble the beaten egg through a fork over the simmering soup. Stir, and serve with soy sauce to taste.

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Sticky Chilli Tofu

Trying to cook a vegan meal that isn't pasta or vegetable curry, I recalled various recipes for sticky crispy tofu.  This is my first attempt. I'm sure there is room for improvement in the future.

Serves 3

400g firm tofu
2-4 tbsp sunflower oil
2+1 tbsp cornflour
100ml apple juice
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 cm grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
3 chopped spring onions to garnish (optional)

Carefully open the pack of tofu, reserving the liquid.

Place the tofu on a plate, cover with a couple of layers of kitchen paper, then a clean plate with some weights (tins) on top for 10 minutes.  Pour off the liquid as it accumulates on the plate.

After 10 minutes, dab the tofu dry with more kitchen towel and cut into bite sized cubes.  Place 2 tbsp  of the cornflower into a small plastic bag with no holes and, holding the top of the bag tightly closed in your hand, shake the tofu in the bag to coat it with cornflour.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small non-stick pan over medium heat.  Carefully place the cubes of tofu one by one into the pan so they do not touch.  I got about a third on my cubes in the pan. Fry until the underside is golden brown. Using chopsticks, or a fork, gently turn each cube over onto what was once the top and brown that too.  You could brown all six sides but I did not have the patience. Place the browned tofu onto a plate with a dry piece of kitchen paper, and continue to fry the tofu in batches   until it is all browned. You may need to add a little more oil before frying each subsequent batch.

When the tofu is all browned, quickly stir fry the garlic and ginger in the oil remaining in the pan for a few seconds. Add the apple, chilli, and soy and bring to the boil.  Mix the remaining tablespoon with a tablespoon of apple juice and mix into the sauce in the pan to thicken it.  Return the crispy tofu   to the sauce to heat up again.

Serve with steamed rice and greens.

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Vegan Special 'Egg' Fried Rice

Vegan week continues, much to the children's dismay. Until they spotted the diced tofu which apparently 'is as good as meat'.

Serves 4

4 portions of cooked brown rice
1 block tofu, cubed
1 large grated carrot, or diced red pepper
1 mug of peas, or shredded green cabbage, broccoli, chard, spinach (not included above as didn't have  any!)
Handful of peanuts (optional, for texture)
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed or grated
2.5cm ginger, finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

Prepare all the ingredients before you start.

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering and starting to smoke, start to work quickly. Add the garlic and ginger, stir, add the spring onions, stir, then the other vegetables and tofu.  Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

Add the rice and stir around to reheat thoroughly. You may wish to turn the heat down to stop it catching on the wok.  When the rice is piping hot, turn the heat off and stir in the chilli sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce.

NB. I set out to make a vegan Egg Fried Rice with extra veg, but I used a block of extra firm tofu (Cauldron Organic Tofu) which didn't 'scramble' as anticipated.  Silken Tofu would probably scramble, but I've never tried.  The difference in planned texture was not noticed by my children.

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Thai Rice & Egg Soup

This is a quick and easy version of congee (rice porridge) that we had travelling in Thailand and Malaysia 20 years ago.  There were some highly suspect objects in some of the congees we had back then, but this one just has readily available store cupboard ingredients.

Serves 2 or a very greedy 1

1 serving of cooked rice or 60g uncooked.
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Pinch of extra strong chilli flakes
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, crumbled
500ml recently boiled water
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice & zest of half a lime or lemon
1 egg, beaten

Fry the garlic and chilli flakes in the oil until you can smell it strongly.  Add the water, stock cube, and rice.  Mix thoroughly to dissolve the stock cube.  Cover and bring to the boil.  Turn down to a simmer.

Beat the egg in a soup bowl, then mix in the fish sauce, lemon juice and zest.  If using cooked rice, mix a ladle of hot stock into the egg, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and mix well.  Bring back to a simmer and cook for a minute more then serve.

If using uncooked rice, cook for 10 minutes or until the rice is soft before adding the egg mixture as above.

You could always add some peas, spinach, kale or the like to make it healthier/more colourful.  But this is how I have it when I need a quick lunch.

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