GOING GREEN!
Add some healthy Asian vegies to meals with our fab-four staff faves
STIR-FRIED BEEF & GAI LAN
SERVES 4 PREP 20 MINS + RESTING COOK 15 MINS
¼ cup vegetable oil 500g beef fillet steak, thinly sliced 5cm piece ginger, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 bunch gai lan (Chinese broccoli), cut into 3cm pieces 250g shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced ¼ cup water 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp rice wine (shao hsing) 2 tsp cornflour 1 tsp sesame oil cooked long-grain rice, to serve
1 In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil on high. Stir-fry steak, in 2 batches, 1-2 mins each batch. Remove and set aside. Stir-fry ginger and garlic 30 secs.
2 Add gai lan stems and mushroom. Stir-fry 2 mins until just tender.
3 In a jug, combine water, soy, wine and cornflour until smooth. Add to wok and stir-fry 2-3 mins until boiling and thickened.
4 Return steak to wok with gai lan leaves. Stir-fry 1-2 mins to heat through. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve with rice.
CHICKEN & VEG THAI GREEN CURRY
SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS COOK 15 MINS
1 tbsp peanut oil 4 chicken thigh fillets, chopped 4 finger eggplants, sliced in half, quartered lengthways ¹⁄3 cup green curry paste 150g green beans, trimmed, cut into 3cm batons 2 x 270ml light coconut milk or cream 250g punnet cherry tomatoes 100g tofu puffs, halved coriander leaves, steamed gai lan, brown basmati rice, to serve 1 In a large frying pan, heat oil on medium. Cook chicken and eggplant 2-3 mins until slightly golden and tender. Stir in curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 min until fragrant.
2 Add beans and cook, stirring, 1 min until well coated with paste. Mix in coconut milk. Bring to the boil on high, stirring.
3 Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 3-4 mins until vegetables are just tender.
4 Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes and tofu puffs. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 2-3 mins until heated through and tomatoes have softened.
5 Serve curry sprinkled with coriander. Accompany with gai lan and rice.
SERVES 4 PREP 20 MINS COOK 15 MINS oil, to shallow-fry 500g pork rashers, cut into 1.5cm pieces ¼ cup cornflour ¾ cup water ½ cup caster sugar 3cm piece ginger, peeled, julienned 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 bunch baby buk choy, quartered lengthways 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 3 green onions, thinly sliced cooked rice noodles, lime wedges, to serve
1 In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil on high until a pinch of cornflour sizzles as soon as it’s added.
2 Dust pork in cornflour, shaking off excess. Cook pork, in 2 batches, 4-5 mins each batch until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.
3 Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, ginger and garlic. Stir on low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase to high heat and bring to boil. Simmer 4-5 mins, without stirring, until slightly syrupy.
4 Arrange buk choy, in a single layer, inside a steamer. Place over a saucepan of boiling water and steam, covered, 2 mins.
5 Add pork to syrup with vinegar and soy sauce. Mix well and simmer 1-2 mins to heat through. Toss onion through. Serve pork with buk choy and rice noodles. Accompany with lime wedges.
PRAWN KEBABS
SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS + MARINATING COOK 15 MINS 3 coriander roots, scrubbed, washed 4 garlic cloves 1 lemon, zest finely grated pinch salt ¼ cup peanut oil 24 green prawns, shelled, deveined, tails intact 8 bamboo skewers, soaked SALAD 2½ cups shredded Chinese cabbage 1 baby buk choy, shredded 100g snow peas, trimmed, finely sliced 1 carrot, halved, sliced into matchsticks ¼ cup ready-made Vietnamese dressing
1 Using a mortar and pestle, pound coriander roots, garlic, lemon zest and salt to a paste consistency. Stir in peanut oil. Season.
2 In a medium bowl, combine paste and prawns. Cover and chill 1 hour to marinate.
3 SALAD In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together. Season.
4 Heat a large, oiled frying pan, chargrill pan or barbecue plate on high. Thread 3 prawns onto each soaked skewer, basting with marinade.
5 Cook prawn skewers, in batches, 2-3 mins each side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
6 Serve the prawns with salad. Accompany with extra dressing, if you like.