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 ...

Mex-tinged chicken schnitzel rice bake Ingredients:  Chicken schnitzel 2 skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs 3/4 cup flour 2 eggs (beaten) 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander and paprika (chilli powder to taste is optional) 1/2 tsp salt Mexican spiced tomato sauce 1 tin crushed tomatoes 1 tsp garlic (minced) 1 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander and paprika 1 tsp cocoa powder 1 tsp sugar Rice and vegetable mixture 3-6 cups cooked rice (cold or hot) (adjust this amount to suit your own rice to vegetable ratio) 1/4 cup fresh coriander (chopped) 1 onion (chopped) 1 green capsicum (chopped) (Option: dice or slivers) 1 tin black or red beans (drained and rinsed) 1 tin corn kernals (or 1 cup fresh from the cob) Optional toppings 1-2 cups grated cheese (Adjust the amount of cheese to your liking) 1 cup sour cream or plain yoghurt 1/4 cup fresh coriander (chopped) tabasco sauce (to increase the the chilli factor) Method: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F. M...

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. 

Cheat's Aloo Gobi (Indian spices potatoes and cauliflower) Ingredients:  Method:

Essentially, hambagu rice is a rissole on rice or perhaps a Salisbury steak. What makes it special is the extra attention given to the healthy selection sides.  The tangy sauce is store-bought - either Okonomi sauce or the sweet Tonkatsu sauce.  In a pinch, you could mix together bbq sauce, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, soya sauce and thin it with a little water to taste. Hamburger Rice (Japanese Hambagu Rice) Recipe Ingredients: Method: Make your 'hambagu' 1. Combine 400g of ground beef, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, one egg, a splash of soya sauce, a splash of worcestershire sauce and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Form into small round patties and pan fry in a little oil. Steam your pumpkin 1. In a heatproof dish, place pumpkin chopped into chunky pieces.  Add 1/4 cup of water, a good splash of soya sauce, a teaspoon of sugar or a tablespoon of mirin, 1.5 teaspoons of dashi or mushroom stock granules. 2.  Mix to coat the pumpkin in the liquid. 3. Cove...

This classic Chinese side dish is deliciously fresh and simple.  The flavour and aroma of ginger, sesame, spring onion and soya sauce infuse the cold silken tofu and provide contrasting texture. This recipe is vegan and vegetarian friendly and can be served with rice and a simple stir fry. Ingredients: 1 small package of silken tofu 1 spring onion chopped 2 tsp ginger (julienned) 4 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped) 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp vegetable oil 0.5 tsp roast sesame seeds Method: 1. Drain your silken tofu and place in a serving dish.  2. Prepare all other ingredients and place on top of tofu. 3. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small pan until smoking hot. 4. Carefully drizzle the hot oil over the tofu and toppings. It will sizzle and pop! 5. Drizzle over sesame oil and soya sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 6. Serve with rice and other  dishes. 

Ingredients: 1 whole raw chicken a 5cm piece of ginger  4 spring onions 1 tsp salt 2 tsp  soya sauce 1/2 bunch fresh coriander 3 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 1 cucumber (sliced) 3 tomatoes (sliced) Method: Make the chicken 1.  Stuff chicken with 1/4 bunch of coriander, 1 whole spring onion and 5 slices of ginger. Place chicken breast side down in large stock pot with cinnamon stick, star anise and salt.   2. Fill pot with water until chicken is submerged. 3. Put the lid on the pot and place the pot on high heat.  When it comes to a rolling boil, reduce to medium high heat and continue to boil for 15 minutes.  4. When 15 minutes has passed, turn off the heat but leave the pot on the hot element for another hour. Do not remove the lid.  The chicken will continue to cook gently. 5. After one hour has passed, remove the chicken from the hot broth and allow to cool.  Optional: Place chicken in an ice bath to rapidly cool the chicken and to improve ...