Chicken fattoush
Preparation and cooking time: 35 minutes
(+standing time)
Fattoush
is a Middle Eastern salad. Easy to make, it’s also a great way to use up stale
Lebanese bread
Ingredients
·
Olive oil spray
·
2 x 200g skinless chicken breast fillets
·
4 x 35g Lebanese breads
·
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
·
1 large cucumber, halved lengthways, then each half
thinly sliced
·
1 red (Spanish) onion, thinly sliced
·
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
·
Large handful mint leaves (optional)
·
Large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)
·
4 tablespoons lemon juice
·
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
·
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, or to taste
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200oC.
2. Heat a non-stick ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Once
hot, spray with olive oil, add the chicken breasts and cook for 1 minute. Turn
the chicken breasts over, add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, then cover
tightly with foil and transfer to the oven to cook for 15 minutes. Remove the
pan from the oven and set aside for 30 minutes or until the chicken has cooled
to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, using a large serrated knife or your hands, open out each
piece of bread and split into two rounds. Place the eight rounds on baking
trays and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. When cool enough to handle, break
into large pieces and place in a bowl with the tomato, cucumber and onion. Toss
to mix well.
4. Slice the chicken on the diagonal into thin slices, then add to the
bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, toss to combine well, then divide among
bowls and serve immediately.
Serve 4.
Baked whole fish with Chinese flavors and stir-fried snow
peas
Preparation + cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
·
4 x 400g whole white fish (such as snapper or
barramundi), scaled and cleaned
·
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
·
1 x 3 cm piece ginger, peeled and cut into fine
matchsticks
·
2 ½ tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce
·
2 ½ tablespoons Chinese Shaohsing rice wine or dry
sherry
·
2 teaspoons sesame oil
·
1 – 2 handfuls coriander leaves (optional)
·
Lemon wedges (optional), to serve
Stir-fried snow
peas
·
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
·
200g snow peas, cut into fine matchsticks
·
1 leek, trimmed and white part cut into fine
matchsticks
·
2 carrots, cut into fine matchsticks
·
110g snow pea shoots
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200oC.
2. Using a large sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes in each side
of the fish, taking care no to cut all the way through – this helps the fish to
cook evenly. Place the fish in a large roasting tin. Scatter the garlic and
ginger over the fish, then sprinkle over the soy sauce, rice wine and sesame
oil. Cover the dish with foil, then bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked
through.
3. To make the stir-fried snow peas, heat the oil in a wok over
medium-high heat. Add the snow peas, leek, carrot and snow pea shoots, then
stir-fry for 5 – 6 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
4. Serve the fish with the vegetable piled on top and scattered with
coriander, with lemon wedges on the side (if using).
Serve 4.
Tip: Instead of whole fish, you could use
four 200g white fish fillets and reduce your cooking time.
Thai salmon and green bean salad with coconut dressing
Preparation + cooking time: 37 minutes
Ingredients
·
400g green beans, trimmed
·
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
·
2 cups bean sprouts
·
1 1/3 cups fresh rice noodles
·
1 x 400g salmon or ocean trout fillet, skin-on,
pin-boned
·
2 large handfuls cress (optional)
·
Lime wedges (optional), to serve
·
Coconut dressing
·
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped
·
2 ½ tablespoons lime juice
·
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
·
2 teaspoons fish sauce
·
½ cup reduced-fat, coconut-flavored, evaporated milk
Directions
1.
To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients
together in a small bowl and set aside.
2.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the beans
and asparagus and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until just tender. Remove using a
slotted spoon or tongs and drain well, then place on paper towel to remove any
remaining water. Add the bean sprouts to the pan and cook for 30 – 40 seconds
or until just wilted, then drain well. Bring another saucepan of water to the
boil, add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes or according to the packet
directions, until tender. Drain well.
3.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat,
add the fish and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for another 2
– 3 minutes or until cooked through but still a little pink in the middle.
Remove from the pan and cool slightly then, using your fingers, remove the skin
and break the fish into large flakes.
4.
Combine the fish with the cooked vegetables in a large
bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Divide the noodles among
bowls, then place the cress, if using, on top. Serve immediately with lime
wedges to the side, if using.
Serve 4.
Tip: The easiest way to remove the pin
bones from fish fillets such as salmon is to pull them with a pair of clean
tweezers.
