Serves 4


Ingredients:

1 cup (250ml) oil
125g blanched almonds
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornflour
300g chicken breast fillets, sliced diagonally
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick celery, thinly sliced diagonally
50g thin green beans, sliced
¼ cup drained, canned bamboo shoots
2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
3 tbsp chicken stock
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or medium sherry
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour, extra
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper


Method:

• Heat the oil in a small pan and deep-fry the almonds for about 1 minute only, tossing them in the oil until they are a pale golden colour. Remove immediately with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil.


• Combine the soy sauce and cornflour and stir until smooth. Mix well with the chicken and leave for 5 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil used to cook the almonds in a wok until it is extremely hot. Stir-fry the chicken over high heat for 2 minutes, then remove from the wok.


• If there is very little oil in the wok, add another tablespoon of the almond oil. Reheat the wok and stir-fry the onion and celery for 4 minutes. Add the beans, bamboo shoots and ginger and cook for 1 minute further. Add the chicken stock, wine or sherry, water and sesame oil, cover and steam for 30 seconds. Combine the extra cornflour with 1 tablespoon water and mix until smooth. Stir into the sauce and bring to the boil. Return the chicken and almonds to the pan, tossing well to combine, and allow to just heat through. Season with the salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Nutrition per serve:
Protein 25g
Fat 35g
Carbohydrate 5g
Dietary Fibre 4g
Cholesterol 40mg
1870 kj (445 cal)

Ingredients:

600g Basmati rice, wash and drain
4 tbsp ghee

for frying:
1 (4cm) stick cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms

grind to a fine paste:
1 pc (size of a walnut) ginger
3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp plain yoghurt
water, equal in volumn to the amount of rice used
5 tbsp evaporated milk
salt to taste
1 tbsp rose water
120g cashew nuts, fry in ghee and set aside for garnishing


Method:

Heat ghee, add ingredients for frying and ginger-garlic paste. Fry till fragrant, then add yoghurt, water, evaporated milk, salt and rose water and bring to the boil. When boiling, add rice and continue boiling. When rice is drying, reduce heat. Keep pot covered and cook over low heat. When fragrance emits from pot, stir to turn rice over. Cover pot and cook for another 5 minutes, then sprinkle cashew nuts over top.

Serves 4


Ingredients:

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
300g chicken breast fillet, sliced diagonally across
2 tbsp oil
2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, thinly sliced diagonally
50g green beans, sliced in half
¼ cup (60g) canned bamboo shoots, drained
¼ cup (60ml) chicken stock
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or medium sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour, extra
125g blanched almonds, roasted


Method:

1. Mix together the soy and the cornflour in a small bowl, pour over the chicken and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy-based pan until it is extremely hot. Stir-fry the chicken over high heat for 2 minutes, then remove from the wok and set aside.
3. If there is very little oil in the wok, add an extra tablespoon, reheat the wok and stir-fry the ginger, onion and celery for 4 minutes. Add the green beans and bamboo shoots and cook for another minute. Add the chicken stock, rice wine, sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of water, cover and steam for 30 seconds.
4. Mix together the extra cornflour with a tablespoon of water, stir into the sauce and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan and add the almonds, tossing well to combine. Allow the mixture to just heat through and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Nutrition per serve:
Protein 25g;
Fat 30g;
Carbohydrate 10g;
Dietary Fibre 4g;
Cholesterol 40mg;
1780 kj (425 cal)

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

500g small squids, cleaned, scored & cut into bite-size strips
several ginger slices, shredded
2 cloves garlic, chopped
10 dried chillies, cut into sections
several slices carrots
90g raw cashew nuts, deep-fried till golden
1 stalk green onion, chopped
oil for frying

Seasoning:
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tbsp water


Method:

1. Heat oil in pan and stir-fry ginger, garlic and squids for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Stir-fry dried chillies and carrots for a while.
3. Pour in seasoning ingredients and return squid mixture. Stir to mix.
4. When simmering, add fried cashew nuts and green onion. Stir well. Dish up and serve hot with rice if desired.

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

3 medium cucumbers
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp white sugar
1-2 tbsp chilli sauce
½ red onion, chopped
½ cup (15g) fresh coriander leaves
1 cup (160g) roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
2 tbsp crisp fried garlic (see Note)
½ tsp chopped red chilli
1 tbsp fish sauce


Method:

1. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthways. Remove the seeds with a teaspoon and slice the cucumbers thinly.
2. Combine the white vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cucumber, chilli sauce, red onion and the coriander leaves. Allow to marinate for about 45 minutes.
3. Just before serving, toss through the peanuts, garlic, red chilli and fish sauce.

Nutrition per serve:
Protein 8g;
Fat 15g;
Carbohydrate 10g;
Dietary Fibre 3g;
Cholesterol 0mg;
880 kj (210 cal)

Note: Crisp fried garlic can be bought in Asian food stores. You can also make your own by finely slicing a few garlic cloves and cooking them in oil until crisp and golden-brown. Drain and season with salt just before serving.

Serves 12


Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean
¼ cup sugar
4 large fresh eggs, separated
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt
1 Praline recipe (see below)


Method:

1. Remove the seeds from the vanilla bean by scoring down the length and scraping the seeds out of each half.
2. Whisk the vanilla seeds and sugar with the egg yolks in a large bowl until pale. In a second bowl whisk the cream until soft peaks form. (Important! Please don't overwhip it.) Then in the third bowl whisk or beat the egg whites with an electric mixer with a pinch of salt until they form very firm peaks.
3. At this point add the praline, the cream and egg whites, to the egg yolk mixture. Gently fold in.
4. Immediately scoop the contents into your chosen container. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until you're ready to eat it.

Praline recipe:
310g peeled hazelnuts
200g sugar
4 tablespoons water

• Roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 225°C (425°F) for abour 4 minutes, or until golden. Really watch them, because if you over-roast them they go bitter and you can’t use them.
• Put the sugar and water in a thick-bottomed pan and place on a medium to high heat. The mixture will start to bubble and then turn into a clear syrup.
• To begin with, it will gradually start to color in parts or from the sides. Gently and carefully shake the pan, just moving it to mix the patches of color.
• When it’s all golden brown, carefully tip it away from you and gently add the nuts. Turn the heat down to a simmer and gently stir to coat the nuts in caramel.
• When the caramel is dark golden brown, turn it out on to a clean, lightly oiled tray, or on to greaseproof paper on a surface that won’t burn. It will cool to a flattish solid sheet.
• When completely cooled, which takes about 20 minutes, smash it up roughly and pulse it in a food processor until the pieces are still quite chunky, approximate size about ½ cm.
• Remove about half the praline, then pulse the rest to a powder, or put it in a tea-towel and bash with a rolling-pin, and add both lots of praline to the semi-freddo mixture.

Serves 4


Ingredients:

150g mixed nuts (eg almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts)
⅓ cup (90g) caster sugar
2 tbsp cream
250g mascarpone
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup (125ml) cream, extra
18cm ready-made cooked shortcrust pastry flan


Method:

• Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C (350°F). Spread out the nuts on a baking tray and roast for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool.
• To make the toffee sauce, sprinkle the sugar in an even layer over the base of a saucepan and put over low heat. Melt the sugar slowly, tipping the pan from side to side so that it melts evenly - keep the sugar moving or it might start to colour on one side before the other side has melted. When it starts to colour, keep swirling until the toffee is an even colour and then remove from the heat. Plunge the base of the saucepan into cold water.
• Stir in the cream, being careful as it will spit a little. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Using elctric beaters, beat the mascarpone, brown sugar, vanilla and extra cream until mixed together,being careful not to overmix or it will curdle. Evenly spoon into the flan base and arrange the nuts over the top. Drizzle the toffee sauce over the tart in a zigzag pattern. Chill until ready to eat.

Nutrition per serve:
Protein 14g;
Fat 70g;
Carbohydrate 56g;
Dietary Fibre 4g;
Cholesterol 116mg;
3706 kj (885 cal)