Vietnamese-style Sticky Meatballs

11th February 202411th February 2024
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These are so tasty. Sticky from their honey, sesame and soy glaze and juicy inside. You can of course serve these with noodles or rice but for a low carb option try them in gem lettuce leaf ‘boats’. I made these with turkey mince but by all means use a mince of your choice.

Ingredients:

400g (turkey) mince

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 lemongrass, finely chopped

3 lime leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp oyster sauce (gluten-free if required)

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

For the sticky glaze:

2 tbsp honey

4 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

1 tsp sesame seeds

Step 1: Mix all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl (use your hands for best results).

Step 2: Wet your hands to help them not stick and make 12 balls from the mixture.

Step 3: Add a little vegetable oil to a (non-stick) frying pan and over a medium heat, fry the meatballs until they are golden all over and cooked through. This will take 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile mix up the glaze ingredients.

Step 4: When you’re happy the meatballs are cooked, add the glaze mixture to the pan and raise the heat a little so that the mixture reduces to a sticky glaze, which should take a couple of minutes, and toss the meatballs so they are coated.

Serve.

Turkey Koftas

28th May 202328th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Makes approx 25 (serves 5+)

These little morsels are great as part of a mezze or as the protein with a salad for lunch or dinner.

Frying the onion before adding to the mince helps give a sweeter flavour to the koftas and the turmeric gives them a golden hue.

I’d suggest using a non stick pan. I also like to use two frying pans as I’m cooking them. Once I have filled both pans it’s ready to start flipping them over and the whole process is done quickly.

I used turkey mince but you could use beef, lamb or pork if you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

750g Turkey (thigh) mince

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground turmeric

3 tsp ground cumin

Oil

Step 1: Over a medium heat, fry the onion in a little oil, until golden but not browned. (I used a garlic oil for extra flavour).

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the spices, salt and pepper, eggs, mince and slightly cooled onion together, with your hands. Make sure you really squish it so it’s thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Heat some vegetable oil in a non stick frying pan, over a medium-high heat. Use a dessert spoon to scoop a heaped amount of the mixture and use another spoon to round the top. Transfer into the hot oil and cook for a few minutes on each side, not turning until each side is browned. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.

Step 4: Remove the koftas from the pan, once cooked, and keep warm until all are ready and then serve.

Mince with Crispy Chilli Oil

15th December 202115th December 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

This will work with any mince you like, meat or veggie. You are bulking it out with three types of vegetables that are all made to be the same size as the mince, so it’s a great way to smuggle veg into a meal.

The crispy chilli oil is a magical ingredient. Talk about addictive!! Two heaped tablespoons might sound a lot, but I figure you’re not going to be making this if you don’t like chilli, and although it’s spicy, it’s not that spicy really. I also garnish mine with slices of fresh red chilli for a pop of colour and a spike of extra heat.

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 large carrot, grated

1 pepper, finely diced

300g mince (turkey, pork, beef, chicken, soya, quorn)

1-2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)

1 tbsp oyster sauce (leave out if vegetarian/vegan) (gluten-free if required)

2 heaped tbsp crispy chilli oil (gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian if required)

Step 1: In a wok, or large frying pan, melt the coconut oil over a medium-high, then add the diced onion, cook for a few minutes, stirring often, before adding the carrot and pepper. Continue to stir and cook for a couple more minutes, then add the mince.

Step 2: Cook the mince until it is browned and dry (any water should be cooked until evaporated) then add the seasoning of soya sauce, oyster sauce (if using) and crispy chilli oil. Continue to cook for about five-ten minutes, stirring often until everything is coated, glossy and tastes delicious.

Serve with rice or noodles. I also like it with a crunchy cucumber salad dressed with lime juice and salt.

What’s Cooking?

21st May 201923rd May 2019
by thefoodwife

If you’re looking for some culinary inspiration here’s a round up of some of the recipes from The Food Wife that we’re having this week.

Pizza, The Food Husband’s favourite, has been off the menu for a while as he’s eliminating gluten from his diet, but I made up a batch of sourdough pizza bases with the addition of two teaspoons each of garlic powder and dried oregano to the dough. I had a go at a potato base for a gluten-free version, which was a big hit (think giant gnocchi base). Watch this space for the recipe as I try to recreate it next time pizza is on the menu.

We’re still working our way through the jars of wild garlic pesto I made recently, and tomorrow we’ll be enjoying it simply with pasta and green beans for a light and summery meal. I’ll also be adding it as a topping to a salmon fillet before roasting it in the oven another evening this week.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten either. Still in the quest to smuggle more vegetables into his diet (he can spot a pea from the other side of the room) I’ve batch-cooked a tomato and carrot pasta sauce and a three bean chilli along with a double batch of cheese and vegetable scones for the freezer. This time using grated parsnip, carrot and broccoli along with chopped spinach and sundried tomatoes, he devours them without the knowledge that I’m getting sneaky veg inside him!

And finally if, like me, you love rhubarb, then you’ll be loving the abundance of it at the moment. Why not give my rhubarb crumble traybake a go, or if you can wait a while, have a go at my rhubarb gin. It’s worth the wait!

What’s For Dinner?

15th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

The week ahead is sure to contain a fair amount of chocolate but I thought I’d share some of the recipes we’ll be having over the next week to give you some inspiration too.

Since I posted my recipe for Chinese Lemon Chicken a couple of weeks ago, I’d been thinking about when I can have it again. I probably mentioned it a couple of times a day to The Food Husband, So I decided it was back on the menu this week and it made an excellent accompaniment to the new series of Game of Thrones!

We’ve also been using up previous batch cooking stores from the freezer and have had an easy meal of bolognese, simply defrosted and reheated and stirred through freshly cooked pasta.

As the freezer supplies need replacing I’m planning to make a new batch of my Moroccan-inspired chickpea and preserved lemon tagine later this week. I love the zingyness and potent flavour from the preserved lemons and it makes a cheap yet hearty meatless meal.

And of course Easter Sunday: we will be having lamb. Last year we had the glorious Mechoui leg of lamb. This year we are having a roasted shoulder with the classic garlic and rosemary. But on Monday we will be turning the leftovers into lamb rissoles to have with salad.

And for the Food Baby? I’ve just restocked his cheesy vegetable fritters in the freezer; this time a combination of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato and sweetcorn with cheddar and smoked paprika instead of curry spices. And I’m replenishing the successful cheese and vegetable scones, switching the courgette for grated broccoli. A couple of veg-filled winners!

Hopefully that’s given you some inspiration for your meals ahead. If you are still in need of inspiration then head over to www.thefoodwife.co.uk and if you haven’t already, why not sign up to the newsletter, sending you recipe inspiration each week. Wishing you all a happy Easter, The Food Wife.