food 6

GADO GADO

1 tbsp vegetable oil

200g firm tofu, chopped into small chunks

250g cooked potatoes

 (leftover roast potatoes work well), chopped into chunks

3 eggs

100g green beans, halved lengthways

250g Chinese cabbage, finely shredded

½ cucumber (or 1 baby cucumber), thinly sliced

100g beansprouts

1 carrot

, shredded

handful coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped

handful prawn

 crackers

4 tbsp crispy onions

For the peanut dressing

50g peanut butter

3 tbsp kecap manis (or 2 ½ tbsp soy sauce and ½ tbsp honey)

2 tsp shrimp paste or dried crayfish

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 fat red chillies ( I like Scotch bonnets - use only 1 if you don't like it too spicy), finely chopped

150ml coconut milk

juice 1 lime

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and boil a small saucepan of water. Fry the tofu for a few mins each side until brown and crispy, then transfer to a plate. Add the potatoes to the frying pan and cook for a few mins until they are warmed through and starting to crisp, then tip onto the same plate and set aside to cool.

Add the eggs to the boiling water and cook for 7 mins, then plunge them straight into cold water. Fill the saucepan with fresh water, bring to the boil and add the beans. Cook for 2-3 mins until just tender. Drain and run under cold water until cool.

To make the peanut dressing, put the peanut butter and kecap manis in a bowl and mash together with a fork until smooth and combined. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Put the tofu, potatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumber, beansprouts, carrot and coriander in a large bowl or arrange on a platter. Drizzle over half the dressing, reserving the rest for people to help themselves. Break the prawn crackers in your hands and scatter over. Peel and quarter the eggs, and serve on top with the crispy onions. Toss together just before serving.

BANH MI 

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup carrot, cut into 1/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1/4 cup white (daikon) radish, cut into 1/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

garlic salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste1 (12 inch) French baguette

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

1 small jalapeno pepper - seeded and cut into 1/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1 wedge lime

Place rice vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.

Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot, radish, and onion in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain off the excess vinegar mixture after the vegetables have marinated.

While the vegetables are marinating, preheat the oven's broiler, and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly oil a slotted broiler pan.

Sprinkle the chicken breast with garlic salt and pepper, and broil on slotted broiler pan, turning once, until the center of the chicken breast is no longer pink and the surface has browned, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the broiled chicken, and slice into bite-size pieces.

Slice the baguette in half the long way, and pull the center of the bread out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette halves under the broiler to lightly toast, 2 to 3 minutes.

To assemble the bahn mi sandwich, spread each half of the toasted baguette with mayonnaise, and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with broiled chicken, cucumber slices, pickled carrot, onion, and radish, cilantro leaves, and jalapeno pepper. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the filling, and top with the other half of the baguette.

PANINI SANDWICH

2 slices pre-cooked bacon (or regular bacon—fry until crisp and drain on paper towels)

4 slices bread

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon prepared pesto

2 grilled chicken breasts or 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

2 slices provolone cheese

Heat a George Foreman grill or panini maker.

Spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.

Flip two pieces of bread over. Spread 1/2 Tbsp pesto on the unbuttered side of each slice of bread. Top with bacon, chicken, then cheese.

Top with the remaining two bread slices, buttered sides facing out. Grill the panini sandwiches until golden.

Cut sandwiches in half. Serve immediately.