BBQ noodles
Fried noodles may not seem like the most natural barbecue dish, but don't tell that to the Japanese – a barbecue hotplate makes a great home teppanyaki grill. Fried udon noodles or egg noodles are a great way to use the barbecue for a family dinner or a fantastic way to feed a group at a party. Use a couple of spatulas to keep the food moving and you'll get great results.
3 tbsp vegetable oil
8 raw prawns, peeled and deveined
200g squid, scored and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small brown onion, peeled and sliced
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 small carrot, sliced into fine matchsticks
1kg fresh udon noodles
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tbsp aonori flakes, to serve (optional)
¼ cup loosely packed bonito flakes, to serve (optional)
Red radish pickles, to serve (optional)
Yakisoba sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp mirin
2 tsp castor sugar
1. To make the yakisoba sauce, mix together the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. A little sugar remaining undissolved is fine.
2. Heat the barbecue hotplate until very hot and add about half of the vegetable oil. Fry the prawns and squid, moving them constantly with spatulas until they are half cooked. Add the garlic, onion, cabbage and carrot and continue to cook, adding more oil as necessary, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the udon noodles, the remaining oil and the yakisoba sauce and fry everything together for three minutes, or until the noodles are soft and cooked through. Add the bean sprouts and toss for about 30 seconds, or until softened.
3. Scatter with the aonori, bonito flakes and red radish pickles (if using) and serve.
Serves 4
A baked Thai treat
Fish cakes are a Thai snack that are great to serve at a party. They are traditionally deep-fried, but if you keep the mix quite firm they can be baked, with excellent results. I prefer to keep bigger chunks of fish in the mix for extra texture, which also means you don't have to drag out the food processor (or clean it later).
TIP You can even pan-fry these fish cakes like hamburgers, if you prefer. If frying, use a little more oil than you might think you need, as the fish cakes themselves are very lean.
500g firm white-fleshed fish (bass, snapper or ling)
2 tbsp Easy Red Curry Paste (see recipe below) or commercial paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp castor sugar
2 tbsp coconut cream (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves, central vein removed and leaf very finely sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
6 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces
1 coriander root, root and stems finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 tbsp vegetable oil (if baking, or more if frying)
coriander leaves, to serve
Ajat and sweet chilli sauce, to serve
1. Cut about a quarter of the fish into two-centimetre pieces and finely mince the remainder by chopping on a board. Add the red curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and coconut cream (if using) and continue to chop on the board with the fish until it is well mixed and resembles a thick paste.
2. Fold through the larger fish pieces, kaffir lime leaves, spring onions, chilli, beans and coriander and set aside until ready to cook.
3. Baking method:If baking, heat the overhead grill in the oven to medium-hot. Form four large patties of the fish cake mixture on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle the patties with a little oil and grill for eight minutes without turning until the patties are cooked through and lightly browned on top. Remove the patties from the paper with a spatula.
4. Deep-frying method: If deep-frying, heat a large saucepan or wok of oil to 180C. Deep-fry tablespoons of the mixture for two minutes, or until golden-brown.
5. Serve the fish cakes scattered with the coriander leaves and with some Ajat or sweet chilli sauce on the side.
Serves 4
Easy red curry paste
Making your own curry paste when there are so many good commercial pastes available might seem like extra work, but it's worth the effort for the fresh and individual flavour you can produce. Enlist some help from a friend and make a big batch to share between you. You will definitely use it all.
TIP Use this paste for the a red curry or as a rub for roast beef or chicken. If you can't find dried large red chillies you can use smaller dried chillies, but the paste will be spicier.
50g dried large red chillies, seeds and stalks removed
10 large red chillies, seeds and stalks removed and roughly chopped
10 coriander roots, leaves, stems and roots roughly chopped
2 small red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, roughly chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves, roughly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
½ cup fish sauce
1. Soak the dried chillies in hot water for half an hour then drain well. Combine the soaked dried chillies with the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend or process to a smooth paste. You can add a little extra fish sauce to your blender to get it to catch the paste if you need to.
The curry paste will keep in the fridge for about two weeks, but I prefer to freeze it in ½-cup batches immediately to keep it fresh.
Makes 2 cups
Prep 45 minutes
Recipes from Adam's Big Pot, published by Hachette Australia, $39.99.
