Chilli coconut prawns with rice

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

500g fresh raw tiger prawns shelled with tails intact
2 cups long grain rice
3 spring onions diced finely
olive oil for cooking
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 clove of garlic crushed finely
2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of ginger paste
250mls coconut milk with 1/2 cup of water
1 teaspoon of sambal olek (only if you like extra heat, alter to your liking)
handful of snow peas or you can use beans chopped (as i used beans)
2 Mangoes sliced into long pieces

In a large bowl prepare the marinade - Sweet chilli, light soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lime juice.  Place the prawns into the marinade and leave for 20 minutes mixing occasionally.

Boil the rice in a separate pot for ten minutes and drain.

In a large stove top pot or casserole / tagine place some olive oil and the spring onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then place the prawns in and marinade a little more oil.  Then you can place the coconut milk, sambal olek, snow peas or beans and mango and cook for around 10 minutes until prawns cooked and taste to check the heat is how you like.

French Lentil vegetable soup with a hint of chilli

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup French lentils soaked and drained
250ml of vegetable or chicken stock
50ml water
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 red chilli cut in large pieces
1 potato peeled and diced in small squares
1 small carrot peeled and diced finely
1 small baby bok choy

Place chicken stock, water and lentils into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, add the chilli, potato, carrot and bok choy and stir through gently as bok choy will need to wilt down (break down smaller pieces if does not fit the pot).  Test the soup to your desired salt levels.

Cook the soup for around 30 minutes simmering.  Serve with crusty bread and butter. Delicious!!

Spicy Vegetable and Lamb Couscous

 Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Olive oil for each frypan (2)

1 small red chilli diced finely

1 white end of leek diced up finely

1 teaspoon of cumin ground

1 teaspoon of turmeric

shake of black pepper

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

500 ml vegetable stock

1 zuccini diced

1 bunch of broccolini (just the florets)

1 small tomato diced

1 tablespoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of thyme

400g lamb diced

6 pitted dates chopped

1 cup of vegetable stock

shake of black pepper

1 teaspoon of moroccan spice

Couscous

1 cup instant couscous

30 g butter

1 cup of hot vegetable stock

 Add a little oil to a frypan and add the lamb pieces, dates, vege stock, pepper and moraccan spice. Simmer on medium heat on stovetop making sure to add stock to just cover the meat. This makes a gorgeous thick sweet lamb after around 30 min simmering.  

To make the vegetables place some oil in a deep frypan and add the chilli, leek, cumin and turmeric and cook til leek is slightly opaque.  Then add the sweet potato and half the vegetable stock and simmer.  Add the broccoli florets, tomato, parsley and thyme and simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes (or until vegetables are tender). Add stock as required .

Make the couscous by placing the couscous grains in a large glass bowl and place butter and hot vegetable stock over the cous cous.  Leave to absorb for around 5 minutes then fluff gently with a fork to separate the grains.

To serve place Couscous in serving bowl then place vegetables and meat on top or you can mix meat into vegetables first then onto couscous.  Delicious food!

Spaghetti Broccoli

Thin spaghetti 250g serves 4 (not too much)
Broccoli florets (remove main stalk)
Pinch of dry chilli flakes (if desired)
2 cloves of garlic diced very finely
Extra virgin olive oil (i just love Cobram Estate)
Parsley( if desired)
Shake of pepper
Grana Padano Parmesan cheese finely grated


Steam the broccoli in a steamer or in microwave bowl with lid. Not too soft just so a fork settles into the broccoli (6 minutes or so)

Cook the spaghetti til "al dente" in salted (pinch) boiling water ( this should take if thin spaghetti approx 5 - 7 minutes).

In separate fry pan place some olive oil (approx 1/4 cup) and the garlic, chilli, parsley and pepper. Do a very quick heat and slightly cook but not til brown then turn off heat.

Drain pasta and combine with broccoli, oil mixture and some grana padano parmesan.