Wichet Khongphoon’s goong ob woon sen – prawn and glass noodle hotpot
This dish is easy to prepare and takes no more than 10 minutes to cook. You can assemble the dry ingredients in advance and leave them in the fridge; just add stock when you want to cook the hotpot.
cooking oil 1 tbsp
ginger 3 pieces (about 20g)
black peppercorns 10
glass noodles 1 small packet (about 50g), soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
prawns 6 medium, cleaned and peeled
Chinese celery 2 stems, cut into 3cm pieces (or coriander or spring onion)
For the seafood dipping sauce
bird’s eye chilli 1 red, roughly chopped
garlic ¼ clove, roughly chopped
coriander 1 sprig, roughly chopped
sugar ½ tsp
fish sauce ½ tsp
lime juice of ½
For the stock
chicken stock 300ml
oyster sauce 1 tbsp
soy sauce 1 tbsp
dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
sesame oil ½ tsp
sugar 1 tsp
First make the seafood dipping sauce. Mix together the chilli, garlic, coriander, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. It should taste sour, sweet and salty.
To make the stock, mix all the ingredients and set side.
Place a small casserole pot on a medium heat. Add the oil, then the ginger, black pepper and glass noodles. Pour in half the stock, cover with a lid and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Check if there is still stock in the pot. If not, add a little more. The glass noodles should be medium cooked at this point.
Add the prawns, then pour in the rest of the stock, cover and cook for a further 7 minutes. It’s ready when the prawns are cooked and the noodles are soft. Add the celery, pour the dipping sauce on top and eat it straight from the pot.
Wichet Khongphoon is chef-owner of Supawan, London N1
Zoe Adjonyoh’s suya cauliflower
This is a simple way of injecting some pizazz into that trusty staple, the cauliflower. I love adding a little taste of west Africa to everyday dishes.
Leave the marinade to soak in for at least 2 hours if you can, but you still get loads of flavour from the vibrant marinade if it’s applied just before roasting.
cauliflower 1 whole
For the marinade
fresh ginger 75g, peeled
garlic 2 cloves
chilli flakes 1 tsp
salt 1 tsp
parsley 15g
fresh oregano 15g (leaves stripped from one big stalk)
olive oil 180ml
white onion 200g (half a large onion), quartered or roughly chopped
suya spice 2 heaped tbsp (see below)
For the suya spice
ground cloves ½ tsp
ground nutmeg ½ tsp
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
ground ginger 1 tbsp
smoked paprika 1 tbsp
salt ½ tsp
To make the suya spice, combine all the ingredients. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container.
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Blend all the marinade ingredients together until smooth.
To prepare the cauliflower, remove the outer leaves and set aside. (For an extra side, wash the leaves, trim the woody ends, blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, drain, then sauté with 1 tbsp each of butter and olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, a good pinch each of salt and suya spice.)
Separate the cauliflower into florets. Cover them with the marinade, getting it into as many crevices as you can. Place in a casserole dish or lined baking tray. Cover and refrigerate while waiting for the oven to heat. Remove from the fridge 5 minutes before you want to roast the florets. Bake for 35 minutes.
You can add extra vegetables such as carrots, turnip tops or parsnips if you double the marinade, to make a roast vegetable medley.
Tip: Make a quick tempura batter with 100g plain, or gluten-free, flour and about 100ml water. Season with ground nutmeg, salt and black pepper. Dip the florets into the batter and deep-fry for 3 minutes at 180C. This makes a great party snack.
Zoe Adjonyoh is a chef and owner of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
Uyen Luu’s Vietnamese cháo with roasted fennel and kabocha squash, cabbage and radicchio
The thing with cháo (congee) is that you can’t go wrong when cooking it. You can cook it in less time than recommended here for a runnier version, or longer for a thicker version. It works with your preferences and what you have available in your kitchen. It is a great base to use up ingredients from your cupboard and fridge.
This combination of vegetables is flavoursome in that it pleases every sense of your palate. Aniseed fennel, sweet kabocha squash, bitter radicchio with zesty lime and hot chillies. It’s comforting and lively; warming yet fresh and exciting. It’s perfect for a healthy start to the day, a joyous bowl under a blanket with a box set or with a good book. Heat it up for seconds and thirds.
The weight of ingredients are recommendations: you can add more or use less, you can make it vegan or add fish sauce to give it an extra umami kick.
fennel 100g, sliced
kabocha squash 100g, cubed or a slice
olive oil for roasting
salt
leftover cooked rice 250g (any kind)
water or homemade vegetable stock 700ml (or chicken, fish or pork stock)
vegetable stock cube (if using water) 1
ginger 15g, finely chopped
sweetheart cabbage 85g, sliced into 1cm ribbons
radicchio 25g, sliced
fish sauce or soy sauce 1 tbsp (or a good pinch of salt)
black pepper a pinch
fresh or dried chillies as much or as little as desired (or chilli flakes)
lime zest (optional) and juice of ¼
coriander a couple of sprigs, stalks and leaves sliced
Heat the oven to about 180C/gas mark 4 and roast the slices of fennel and kabocha squash with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt for 20 minutes.
Place the cooked rice in a saucepan with hot water or stock. Add a cube of vegetable stock if using water, and the finely chopped ginger. Cook on a low heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes, then add the cabbage.
After another 10 minutes or so, the rice should thicken and look very gloppy. Then add the sliced radicchio. Remove the skin from the squash and add the roasted vegetables to the pan. Stir in the fish sauce or soy sauce or pinch of salt. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Serve in a bowl with a pinch of pepper and the fresh or dried chillies, or chilli flakes. Sprinkle over with lime zest, if using, a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of coriander stalks and leaves. Mix it all together and enjoy.
Uyen Luu is a food writer and the author of My Vietnamese Kitchen (Ryland, Peters & Small, £16.99).
Signe Johansen’s spicy, garlicky, lemony, herby sardines on toast
Some people find the idea of tinned oily fish a little off-putting, as if a tin of sardines is no better than glorified cat food and should be avoided. With respect, I disagree. Sardines, mackerel and anchovies are essential staples in any decent cook’s cupboard, and I’ve lost count of the times one of them has come to the rescue when I’ve been too tired to cook anything elaborate.
Buy the best tinned fish you can afford – supermarket own-brand ones are usually great and, for a treat, the range from Spanish brand Ortiz is exceptional.
sourdough bread 1 long slice (or 2 smaller slices of regular-sized bread)
garlic 1 clove, peeled and halved
olive oil or butter (optional)
tomatoes a few ripe, sliced
sardines 1 x 80-85g tin, piccante (spicy)
fresh oregano leaves 1 tsp
parsley 1 sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped
unwaxed lemon grated zest and juice of ½
Toast the bread until crispy and golden and crisp. Rub the cut sides of the garlic clove vigorously all over the crusty bread while it’s still warm. I like to drizzle a little of the oil from the sardine tin over the bread, but if you prefer, just use plain olive oil (or butter) instead.
Arrange the tomato slices on the breadtoast, followed by the sardines and herbs, and sprinkle with squeeze the lemon juice on the herbs. Scatter over the lemon zest and eat while warm.
Variations: If you are ravenous, with hunger then the flesh of a small destoned avocado on the garlicky toast is a welcome addition. Or add some leftover roasted lemony vegetables from page 72 to the sandwich if you wish.
From Solo: The Joy of Cooking for One by Signe Johansen (Bluebird, £16.99)
Jeremy Lee’s tarte fine aux pommes
I used to cook this tart as a young chef at Bibendum. It was a homage to the great Michel Guérard and this is his recipe. Being the naughty chefs we are at Quo Vadis, we serve it not just with cream, but ice-cream and custard, too.
apples 2 small russet or golden delicious (about 250g), peeled
lemon juice of ½
flour a pinch
puff pastry 100g, fresh or frozen
butter 50g, softened
caster sugar 30g
cream, vanilla ice-cream and custard to serve
Cut the apples in half and core. Then cut each half into little crescents 1.5cm thick. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice, to prevent discolouration.
Lightly flour your worktop. Cut the pastry into a disc 17cm in diameter and 2mm thick, place on a wetted baking sheet and heat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7.
Using a knife, draw a circle 1cm in from the edge of the pastry disc to a depth of 1mm. Within this inner line, arrange the apple crescents so they cover the pastry. Dot with 25g of the butter and sprinkle with 15g of the sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Halfway through, dot the rest of the butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
When cooked, the tart will be a beautiful golden colour and the apples caramelised. Immediately serve on hot plates, with a dollop of cream, a scoop of ice-cream and a generous pouring of custard.
Jeremy Lee is chef-proprietor at Quo Vadis, London W1
The Guardian and Observer aim to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US
