A Quick and Tasty Dinner

At this time of year, when things start to get really busy, it's nice to have a fall-back dinner option which is quick, tasty and healthy. If you're out for drinks, dinner or lunche a couple of times a week, all you need is something easy and tasty to satisfy you.

A while back I wrote about the amazing Lemongrass Paste made by Under The Pickle Tree, which we picked up at the Coburg Farmer's Market. Well, tonight I'm using the same paste, but making a different dish. Tonight we're having fish, rather than chicken.

When cooking with fish in a stir fry or curry, you really need to use a firm fleshed white fish that has a mild flavour. You don't want the flesh falling apart as you cook it and you want a mild taste so that the fishiness doesn't overpower the other flavours in your dish. The snapper that I picked up at the local fish shop today was perfect. Dense and meaty with a sweet, but mild taste, it was perfect to suck up all the flavours in the paste.

With a staple paste like this lemongrass one in the fridge or the cupboard, you should never have nothing to cook. All you need is some meat, fish or prawns, mixed vegies and either noodles or rice and you have a simple midweek dinner. Nothing could be easier!

Lemongrass Fish with Noodles

400g firm fleshed white fish
1 packet of fresh noodles (approx 200g)
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red capsicum, cut into thin slices
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut into 3cm lengths
1 1/2 Tbs Under The Pickle Tree Lemongrass Paste
A drizzle of oil
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Prepare the fish by removing any skin and bones and then cutting in to bite size chunks.
Prepare all the vegies and have them ready to go.
Soak noodles in warm water for five minutes to soften, then drain well.
Heat a wok on medium high heat and add oil.
Add the fish and lemongrass paste and cook together until the fish is beginning to become opaque, but not completely cooked. Remove from the wok to a bowl and set aside.
Heat another drizzle of oil, then cook the onion and carrot together until starting to soften. Add a dash of water and cover with the lid to let it steam for a few minutes.
Add the capsicum and asparagus and cook until all the vegetables are cooked to your liking. You want a bit of crunch, so don't overdo them.
Throw the noodles in and stir them around until they soften a bit more.
Add the other 1/2 Tbs of lemongrass paste to give the noodles and veg more flavour.
When that's all mixed in, return the fish and it paste and juices to the pan and gently heat through to finish cooking the fish.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh coriander over the top.

Simply divine!

Lemongrass Chicken

A few weeks ago we dropped in to the Coburg Farmers Market, which runs on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at the Coburg North Primary School. I'd been meaning to go for ages and was looking forward to trying and buying some delicious fresh produce.

We came away with bags of beautiful food and bellies full of delicious treats. There was amazing organic lamb and beef, local artisan chocolate and organic vegetables. Another of these treats was an amazing Lemongrass Paste, made by Under the Pickle Tree. It is a blend of lemongrass, onion, garlic and spices and is absolutely delicious! The recipe suggestion on the jar is to use it to marinate chicken, and that's exactly what I did. It would work fabulously with prawns or a firm fleshed white fish too. In fact, it's so good that you could eat it straight out of the jar on fresh bread!

To go with the Asian flavours of the paste, I thought I'd make a warm noodle salad, of sorts, using vermicelli noodles and some crisp vegies. The chicken was really the hero of the dish with its strong and bold flavours.

 

Lemongrass Chicken and Noodle Salad

2 chicken breasts, chopped into large chunks
2 Tbs Under the Pickle Tree Lemongrass Paste
Olive oil for cooking
100g rice vermicelli noodles
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 2cm pieces
A handful of snow peas, top and tailed and sliced into thin slices
1/2 a red capsicum, sliced into thin slices
A drizzle each of soy sauce, Kecap Manis and sweet chilli sauce, or to taste
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Marinate the chicken in the lemongrass paste for 1 hour in the fridge.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the noodles and vegies.
Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl.
Cut all vegetables into thin slices and add to the bowl with the noodles.
Pour over boiling water until all the noodles and vegies are covered. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then drain. Keep warm.
This will blanch the vegies to slightly start the cooking process, but ensure they are still crisp and fresh when you eat them. The noodles should be soft.
Toss the soy sauce, kecap manis and sweet chilli through the noodles, to your taste.
Toss through fresh coriander to serve.

For the chicken, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frypan over high heat.
Add the chicken and all the marinade and cook until the chicken is browned on the outside, but the middle is cooked. Don't over cook as you still want the meat to be juicy.

Serve the chicken and any pan juices over the top of the noodle salad.

And To Drink....

On a warmish Friday night in Spring, a Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect match to go with the lemongrass chicken. Not just any old sauv blanc, mind you! Claymore are a winery from the Clare Valley in South Australia, who also have vineyards in the Adelaide Hills. They have quirky names for all of their wines, using song or album titles, from U2 to Nirvana! This wine is a blend of fruit from Clare and the Adelaide Hills, which gives it a certain freshness.

Generally I'm not much of a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, particularly the New Zealand variety, which I find a bit too green and full on. I can handle them on a super hot summers day, but don't really want to sip on them with a nice meal. An Adelaide Hills wine, on the other hand is a different story. The wine is still dry, green and acidic, but not so strong. The flavours are a lot more mellow and go much better with food. Think green apple and passionfruit. This one was delicious!

Claymore are definitely worth looking out for, if you can find them. We have bought a number of bottles of their wine (cases in fact!) and have always enjoyed them, particularly the rose and the Riesling. They also make a great range of quaffing and special occasion reds and an interesting sparkling Riesling.