Family Mess Hall - whole food meals dinners recipes

Yellow chicken curry - Malaysian style This most basic yellow chicken curry is mildly spiced but packed with flavour. Any yellow curry blend can be used but I love this combination of turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, chilli celery and black pepper. It's a quick and easy one-pot curry that's great for weeknight dinners and includes a good serve of low cost vegetables.  Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 medium onions ((roughly chopped)) 2 tsp garlic ((minced)) 2 tsp fresh ginger ((minced)) 1/4 tsp belanchan ((optional)) 2 kg bone-in thighs or drumsticks 2 tbsp Keen's curry powder ((or your own favourite yellow curry blend)) 3 medium carrots ((sliced 0.5cm thick, skin on)) 5 medium potatoes ((4cm / 1 1/2 inch dice, skin on)) 2 stalks lemon grass ((left whole)) 1 cinnamon stick 1 cup reduced fat coconut milk 2 tbsp tamarind paste ((optional)) 1 cup stock 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1/2 cup roasted peanuts ((optional garnish)) 1 cup fresh coriander leaves ((optional ...

This tasty and super simple chargrilled chicken is broiled under the oven grill for 40 minutes until juicy and tender.  You only need four ingredients (besides salt and pepper) and most are pantry staples.  Season your chicken with fresh lemon, lemon zest, sage, olive oil and chilli. Chicken alla diavolo - Butterflied and broiled This tasty and simple chargrilled chicken is broiled under the oven grill for 40 minutes until juicy and tender. Lemon, sage, olive oil and chilli 1 whole chicken (medium size) ((butterflied)) 2 lemons ((one juiced and zested) (one sliced)) 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp garlic ((minced)) 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder 6 sage leaves 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper Preheat oven grill / broiler to 230 C / 445 F If the chicken has been refrigerated, take it out and place it on the bench for thirty minutes to raise the temperature closer to room temperature.  This will speed up the cooking time.   Place butterflied chicken on...

Pulled pork - 6 hour slow cooked This spice crusted pork shoulder is slow cooked in the oven for 6 hours until  tender and succulent.  A punnet of cherry tomatoes add sweet and sour liquor to the braised liquid and form that base of the ketchup-y barbecue sauce.  Shred your pork and serve on tortilas, on a burrito, with rice or baked potatoes.. the options are almost endless.   Ingredients: 1.5 kg pork shoulder 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tbsp ground coffee 2 tbsp paprika 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp rosemary ((finely chopped)) 1-2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 1-3 tsp chilli powder or flakes ((optional)) 1 punnet grape or cherry tomatoes (500g) 1 cup water 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar BBQ Sauce pan juices 1/4 cup barbecue sauce 1/4 cup tomato ketchup 1 tbsp worcestershire 1 tsp chilli powder ((optional)) Method: Preheat oven to 130 C /  265 F Sprinkle all spices, herbs, gro...

My dad is a huge fan of seafood so when the family gathers, there's usually at least one seafood dish on the table. With all of our family around during the school holidays, I made this delicious and simple one pot seafood stew for everyone.  It's much like Italian-American cioppino which calls for wine, tomatoes and a mixture of regionally sourced seafood. Family seafood stew This family seafood stew with tomatoes and fennel is a delight to eat.   It consists of  fish fillets, mussels, calamari and prawns (shrimp) gently simmered in a tomato, white wine and fish stock broth.  It's delicious served with buttered sourdough bread.  Use it to mop of the broth as you eat.  Ingredients: 3 tbsp virgin olive oil 1 stalk leek (white stalk only) ((thinly sliced)) 2 tsp garlic ((minced)) 1 medium bulb of fennel ((thinly sliced)) 1 red capsicum (bell pepper) ((finely sliced)) 1 chorizo sausage ((finely diced)) 1 cup white wine 1 litre fish or chicken stock...

Pork Adobo Pork Adobo is an extremely flavoursome braised meat dish that plays on sweet, sour, deeply savoury and creamy flavours. Soy sauce provides the salty and savoury base while the creamy, sweet coconut cream offsets the sour vinegar. Whole peppercorns add a little spice and bay leaves, an earthy herbal aroma. Ingredients: 1 kg pork shoulder (1 inch dice) 80 mL soy sauce 80 mL Chinese black (Chinkiang vinegar) 2 - 4 tbsp brown sugar (add to taste) 1 cup water 1 tin coconut milk 10 whole black peppercorns 2 bay leaves 1 tsp minced ginger 2 tsp minced garlic Method: Marinate the pork in all other ingredients except 1 cup of water, over night. Heat a wide pan to medium high heat. Add a little oil and brown the pork in the pan to seal. Add all ingredients (or the saved marinade plus water) to the pork and bring it to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid for 20 minutes then remove the lid and continue to simmer for another ten minutes or until the sauce is well reduced, thickened and in...

Apricot, coconut and pecan oatmeal A thick, warm, creamy bowl of oatmeal porridge is a soothing and nourishing way to start your day. Vegan friendly and sugar free.  Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup oats 3 cups water 1 cup coconut milk 3 dried dates chopped 1/2 dried apricots finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt Method: Place all ingredients except pecans in a pot and bring to the boil on the stove over medium high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 30 minutes total or until your oatmeal porridge is thick and the fruit and broken down. Serve with chopped pecans and an extra splash of coconut milk or dairy cream.

Pork broth congee Ingredients: 1 kg pork ribs 3 litres water 1 cup rice 4 tbsp chopped scallions 1 tsp salt 4 tsp fried shallots (optional) 4 tsp fresh ginger (finely julienned) (optional) 4 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional) Method: Fill water large stock pot three quarters full with boiling water.  Boil the pork ribs in the pot for 30 minutes.  Ensure the ribs are covered with water. Add rice to the pot and stir.  Simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes uncovered.  Check the pot every thirty minutes. Stir the rice and ensure the pot doesn't simmer dry.   When the rice has broken down, the broth has reduced and congee has thickened to a porridge-like consistency, it is ready to serve.  

Korean bibimbap - vegetarian rice bowl Ingredients: steamed rice for four people 1 cup zucchini (julienned) 1 cup red capsicum (julienned) 1 cup butternut pumpkin (julienned) 2 cups shredded silverbeet or spinach 5 dried shiitake mushrooms 4 eggs Korean bibimbap sauce ((store bought ok)) sesame oil salt 1-2 tbsp kimchi per person (optional) Homemade bibimbap sauce (less spicy to be child friendly) 1 tbsp gochujang ((add up to three tablespoons as you prefer)) 1/2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp hot water 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp rice or apple cider vinegar 1 tsp sesame seeds Method: Prepare steamed rice as per packet instructions. In a fry pan, separately stir fry batches of vegetables in a tsp of sesame oil until fragrant and wilted.  Season each batch with a little salt to taste. Serve rice in large bowls.  Place cooked vegetables in little piles on top of the rice keeping each vegetable separate from the other. Fry eggs in oil keeping yolks running. Top rice and vegetab...

One pot ricecooker chicken, shiitake and lup cheong rice recipe Ingredients: Chicken marinade 500 grams boned chicken thigh fillet ((chopped into bite sized pieces)) 1 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp corn flour 1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp ginger (minced) 1 tsp garlic (minced) 1/2 tsp sugar One pot ricecooker chicken, shiitake and lap cheong rice 3 cups rice 5 dried shiitake mushrooms ((soaked in 1 cup boiling water)) 3 lup cheong (Chinese cured sausages) (thinly sliced at a diagonal angle) Sauce (for pouring over once rice is cooked) 2 tbsp soya sauce 1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp garlic (minced) 1/2 tsp ginger (minced) 1 tsp sesame oil 1 spring onion ((finely chopped)) Method: Combine marinade ingredients together in a bowl and stir through chicken.  Allow to marinate for minimum 15 minutes. In the ricecooker bowl, place three cups of rinsed and drained rice.  Fill bowl with mushroom soaking liquid and water until the water level is 2cm above the top ...

Ants Climbing Trees - Spicy szechuan noodles with beef and green beans Ingredients: Stir fry 1 large handful green beans ((topped, tailed and halved)) 400 grams ground beef mince 1 tsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp sesame oil 2 spring onions (chopped) 1 tsp minced ginger 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp chinese chilli bean paste (toban jian) 1 handful dried shiitake mushrooms ((rehydrated and finely chopped)) 1 package chinese bean thread / glass noodles Sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 250 ml chicken stock Method: Soak noodle in water for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.  Add green beans and shallow fry until wrinkly.   Add all other stir fry ingredients and cook until the beef is well browned. Add drained noodles and sauce ingredients to the pan and continue to stir fry until the noodles have softened and the sauce has reduced and thickened.  Add salt to taste. Serve with rice and other chinese side dishes. 

Chicken, apple and almond salad You'll need: 15 minutes, leftover chicken, whole egg mayonnaise, greek yoghurt, mixed greens (I used silverbeet, rainbow chard, cos lettuce), bean sprouts, celery, apple, fresh herbs (I used chives), nuts (eg almonds), pre-prepared vinaigrette 1. Chop and layer the following vegetables in this order.  1 large silverbeet leaf, 2 small rainbow chard leaves, 3 large cos lettuce leaves, two handfuls of bean sprouts, 1 stalk of chopped celery, 1 large diced apple, a handful of chopped chives, roughly chopped almonds.  Then season with salt and pepper and prepare your favourite vinaigrette. 2.  Next place your shredded chicken in a separate dish and mix through a heaped tablespoon each of yoghurt and mayonnaise.  Season with salt and pepper. As a variation, you might like to add a teaspoon of curry power (for a retro twist) OR chopped basil and lemon zest.  Today we went with this most simple version. 3. It's ready to serve and enjoy!...

Recipe: 5 Minute Microwave Shakshouka for one You'll need: 5 minutes, capsicum, onion, ground coriander, dried thyme, dried oregano, sesame seeds, sumac, chilli powder, tomato passata, eggs.  1. Slice half a red capsicum and half an onion. Place in a microwave safe bowl. 2. Add a dash each of dried herbs and ground spices mentioned above. 3. Add a 1/3 cup of tomato passata, 2 tbsp of water. 1/2 tsp sugar and one tbsp of olive oil. Mix to coat. 4. Cover the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high. 5. Make a well in the centre of the sauce and crack in one or two eggs. 6. Cover again and microwave in 30 second bursts until the eggs are poached to your liking.  (My eggs took 2 minutes in total.) 7. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley or fresh corainder, salt and pepper, sesame seeds and additional chilli if you like your shakshouka extra spicy. 8. Enjoy with a little toast.