Easy options
Chris Baber was just 25 when he won BBC’s Yes Chef now he has published his first cookery cook. He spent lockdown creating Easy which includes 96 simple, delicious, home-cooking recipes.
5-Spice Hoisin Duck & Rice Bowls
SERVES 2
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 duck breasts
• 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 250g jasmine rice
• 1⁄2 cucumber, diced
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• Salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce and honey to make a glaze. Set aside.
Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the duck in a chequerboard pattern. Be careful not to score into the flesh. Pat the duck dry with kitchen paper. Season with salt and evenly coat in the Chinese 5 spice.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
Put the duck into a cold pan, skin-side down. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 3–5 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Turn the duck over. Pour over the glaze to evenly coat the duck. If your pan is ovenproof, transfer it straight into the oven. If it’s not, put the duck on a preheated baking tray. Cook for 8–10 minutes for blushing pink meat or slightly longer for well done. Remove from the oven. Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices.
Serve on top of the rice with the cucumber and spring onions. Drizzle with the sesame oil and hoisin sauce. Give it all a good mix together before getting stuck in.
Bean Chilli Loaded Wedges
SERVES 4-6
Ingredients
• 6 sweet potatoes, skin on, cut into thick wedges
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 400g can kidney beans
• 400g can chickpeas
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 100g Cheddar cheese,
grated
• Salt and pepper
To serve (optional)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 6 spring onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp soured cream or yoghurt
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Put the wedges into a baking tray. Drizzle in 1 tbsp oil, season and toss together. Bake for 30–40 minutes until slightly golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat 2tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and peppers. Season and fry for 10-12 minutes until the veg has softened and taken on a little colour.
Add the paprika, cumin and chilli powder and stir for 30 seconds. Add the beans and chickpeas with the liquid from the cans along with the chopped tomatoes and sugar. Season and bring to the boil.
Cover loosely and simmer for 30 minutes until you have a thick, rich sauce. If the pan becomes dry during cooking, add a splash of water. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Pour the chilli over the cooked wedges, then scatter over the cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Scatter over your chosen toppings and serve.
Za’atar Roast Aubergine with Cumin Rice
SERVES 6
Ingredients
• 3 aubergines, cut in half lengthways
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 6 tbsp za’atar, plus 2 tsp to serve
• 6 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 small bunch of mint, leaves chopped
• 200g pomegranate seeds
• Salt and pepper
For the rice
• 600g basmati rice
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 large onions, thinly sliced
• Butter (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Use a sharp knife to make a criss-cross pattern on the inside of each aubergine half, about 1cm deep.
Lay the aubergines on a baking tray.
Pour half the lemon juice over the cut side of the aubergines. Drizzle all over with 6 tbsp oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter over 6 tbsp za’atar. Use your hands to rub the oil and za’atar all over the aubergines, getting it into the grooves.
Give the aubergines a final drizzle of oil and roast for about 45 minutes until soft and slightly charred on top.
To make the rice, weigh the rice in a measuring jug or mug. (You will need 2 times the volume of boiling water to rice for cooking later, so 1 mug of rice = 2 mugs of water.) Put the rice in to a sieve, rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, then set aside. Boil the kettle. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onions with a good pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Add the rice to the pan with double its volume of boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 10–12 minutes over a low heat until all of the water has been absorbed. When the rice is cooked, you can add a couple of knobs of butter for a richer flavour. Fluff up with a fork.
Serve the roast aubergines on top of the rice. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice. Drizzle with yoghurt and oil and scatter over the mint, pomegranate seeds and remaining za’atar.
■ Recipes from Easy by Chris
Baber (Ebury, £16.99)