Tag: side dish

Hot and sour Chinese cabbage

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Takes a bland and slightly soggily-inclined vegetable and makes it mighty. As a side dish (to this pork belly perhaps) or comforting dinner on its own with rice. Comes together so quickly and easily. Feeds 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main

  • ½ Chinese cabbage aka Napa cabbage aka Chinese leaf ~ 450g of it
  • 1½ tbsp black vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 60ml water
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 100g pancetta/smoked bacon, cut into pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 dried chillis
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chilli oil
  1. Separate the leaves of the cabbage, halve them lengthways and cut into bite-sized pieces
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the black vinegar, soy sauce, cornflour, sugar and water. Set aside.
  3. Heat a wok over medium/high heat
  4. Add the oil and bacon, stir fry until the bacon browns
  5. Then chuck in the garlic and dried chillis and fry for 10 seconds or so until fragrant (do not burn)
  6. Add the cabbage and stir fry until the leafy parts wilt, whilst the white parts remain crunchy – add a splash of water if it’s looking a bit dry and potentially burn-y
  7. Add the spring onion and stir in, turn the heat down
  8. Give the sauce a good mix in its bowl, then pour over the ingredients in the wok. Stir everything together well
  9. Remove from the heat as soon as the sauce thickens, give a final stir to ensure the thick sauce coats everything evenly
  10. Drizzle over chilli oil and serve immediately

Firecracker baby corn

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Sweet, tasty – and spicy enough to knock your socks off

  • 400g baby corn, cut into chunky pieces
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3 spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 birdseye chillis, finely chopped
  • 3 dried chillis
  • 60ml sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the corns for 3 mins, then drain
  2. Heat veg oil in wok over the highest heat, add the garlic, ginger, spring onion, chilli and dried chillis
  3. Stir fry for 1 min, then add the parcooked baby corn and cook for another 2 mins
  4. Turn the heat down to medium, add the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus 2 tbsp water. Stir and cook for 1-2 mins until glossy and coated

Serve with rice, alongside poached chicken, pork belly, crispy tofu or toasted cashew nuts

Potato and sweet potato dauphinoise

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Savoury, creamy, mellow and marvellously adaptable. Make the same recipe with swede, parsnip, celeriac or a combination of all of them. (But maybe not beetroot on account of it ending up looking a bit like a crime scene.)

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 150ml single cream
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g floury potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  • 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  3. Stir in the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 7 or 8 mins until soft and golden
  4. Pour in the cream and milk and bring gently to a simmer. Season well
  5. Tip the sliced potatoes into the pan and simmer for 5 mins then add the sweet potatoes
  6. Stir everything together then tip into a 1.5l baking dish
  7. Bake for 1 hour until the top is golden and the vegetables tender. Allow to stand for 5 mins before serving, just so it’s not quite as volcanically hot and it holds together a little better.

Potato wedges (again)

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Big fat chunky wonky chips. Dip into ketchup and mayo (yes both). Feeds 2

  • 3 big potatoes (or 4 medium/2 massive)
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 1½ tsp pul biber
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
  2. Cut the potatoes into chunky wedges and collect in a big bowl
  3. Add the oil, chilli, garlic, salt and pepper and mix through with your hands until the wedges are evenly coated
  4. Tip onto a baking tray and into the oven for 30 mins
  5. Turn them gently and bake for a further 15 mins until completely soft inside and gently crunchy on the edges

The other potato wedges are here, compare and contrast!

Squished and roasted new potatoes

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

All crunchy edges and soft insides. Serve with the protein of your choice. And pep up by drizzling over salsa verde, persillade or chilli oil and fresh coriander once cooked

  • 500g small new potatoes, cleaned and left whole
  • Salt
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Bring a half-full pan of salted water to the boil and tip in the potatoes
  3. Boil for 15 mins until nearly cooked through
  4. Drain and then squash each one lightly with a potato masher – not until completely flattened but moderately crushed without breaking into pieces
  5. Put a roasting tin with the oil in it into the oven for 5 mins
  6. When the oil is hot, pop the potatoes into the tray and flip them over gently in the oil
  7. Scatter over a pinch of salt
  8. Roast for 40-45 mins until golden and crisp

Grilled mustard broccoli

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Smoky, spicy, slightly charred round the edges, and brilliantly green and tender in the middle. It’s a broccoli revolution!

  • 1 large head broccoli
  • 100g Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • Salt
  1. Trim the end off the stalk and cut the broccoli lengthways into quarters (leaving the stem on – give the broccoli stem some love, it’s delicious too!)
  2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
  3. Lower in the broccoli and boil for 3 mins. Lift out with tongs and place on kitchen towel to dry out a bit
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together all the rest of the ingredients and season with a pinch of salt
  5. Gently coat the broccoli with the yoghurty-mustardy mixture, making sure every surface is covered
  6. Heat the grill to medium-high and lay the broccoli onto a baking tray lined with foil
  7. Grill for 7 mins or so, turning occasionally, until it’s cooked through and charred in spots

This is a winner on the barbecue too. Just get it up to stage 5 and then pop it onto an oiled barbecue for extra smoky flavour. In fact, I love broccoli barbecued even without the yoghurt and spices – just oil it lightly, using whatever flavourings you like (recommend garlic, lemon, oregano or soy, chilli, sesame). Cook over embery coals until charred and tender with a little bite.

Roast potatoes

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Absolutely foolproof roasties, crispy on the outside and fluffy-soft on the inside. Make way more than you think you’ll eat because you’ll definitely want seconds. Feeds 4-6.

  • 1 kg floury potatoes (King Edward or similar)
  • 4-6 tbsp veg oil
  • Salt
  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunky pieces
  2. Half fill a large pan with water and bring it to a rolling boil
  3. Add the potato pieces to the water and stick the lid on
  4. Over a high heat, bring the water back to the boil and then cook the potatoes uncovered for just 5 mins
  5. Drain and then put the pieces back into the pan
  6. Stick the lid on and, holding it firmly onto the pan with both hands, shake the pan sharply twice
  7. Lift the lid off and let the steam out. Observe your beautifully rough-edged pale gold parcooked potato pieces
  8. While the potatoes are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  9. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the oil into the bottom of a large roasting tin and stick it in the oven for 7 mins or so to heat up
  10. Take the tin out of the oven and, while it’s still hot, tip the parcooked potato pieces in
  11. Season with salt and shake the pan gently to coat with oil
  12. Stick the tin back into the oven for 30 mins, then take it out to turn the potatoes over very gently
  13. Then back in for another 30 mins until they’re golden brown and crisp on the outside

Serve straight away. The perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken!

Spicy slaw

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Crunchy, spicy, fresh and tangy

  • ½ sweetheart cabbage (or ¼ white cabbage) cored and shredded
  • 3 green chillies, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp garlic oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Large pinch salt
  1. Mix the cabbage, chilli and coriander together
  2. Whisk the rest off the ingredients together in a small bowl
  3. Pour/scrape the dressing over the salad and toss together
  4. Serve immediately so it’s still crisp (if you want to prep in advance, just don’t mix the dressing into the salad until the last moment)

Spring onion noodles

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Deliciously slippery, savoury, spring oniony noodles. Serve with grilled garlic chicken or crispy tofu (this one crumbled into chunky pieces and fried) or spicy cashews. So many delicous options! Feeds 2.

  • 7 spring onions
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
  • 200g thin egg noodles
  1. Trim the spring onions. Cut into half or thirds across and then cut the pieces in half lengthways, giving you long strips
  2. Heat the oil in a wok over a low-medium heat and then add the spring onions
  3. Cook gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until completely soft and starting to go golden. Don’t let them get brown!
  4. In the meantime, cook the noodles in a pan of boiling salted water, then drain
  5. Add soy sauce and sugar to the wok
  6. Stir to dissolve the sugar and heat gently until it bubbles
  7. Dump the noodles into the sauce and use tongs to turn them through until everything is coated with everything else
  8. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds and eat immediately – on its own or with the delicious accompaniments of your choice

Potato and chard croquettes

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Small and tasty. Crunchy on the outside and fluffysoftcheesy on the inside.

  • 400g mashed potato
  • 50g parmesan, grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 150g chard stalks, roughly chopped (keep the leaves for something else, like spanakopita)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Grate of nutmeg
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 whole egg plus the extra egg white, beaten
  • 30ml milk
  • 50g plain flour
  • 200g breadcrumbs
  • Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  • Cook the chard in salted boiling water for 4 mins
  • Press the water out in a sieve or a clean tea towel
  • Mix together the mashed potato, egg yolk, nutmeg, parmesan, chard and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper (if the mashbisnt already seasoned) and make sure it’s all thoroughly combined
  • Create little cylinder shapes in the palm of your hand about an inch and a half long. They are easiest to coat if you chill the cylinders in the fridge for 30 mins to firm them up, while you get on with other stuff
  • Beat together the egg and milk
  • Put the flour and the egg mixture and the breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls next to each other
  • Coat each croquette gentlt in flour (shaking off the excess), then in egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and crumb layers so each one has a double coating
  • Place the croquettes onto a lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown (or deep fry, which is probably nicer, but makes the whole house smell of hot oil and leaves you with quite a lot of oil to dispose of afterwards)

Eat straight away with lashings of sriracha and mayo. Or something a bit fancier probably.