The best laid plans …

… of mice and men!

I'm excited because my Sister, nickname Whizzer is coming to visit this weekend with her other half Brian – hooray – and I'm planning on pushing the boat out – it's her birthday. They are arriving Friday, going home Monday.

Not knowing exactly when they'll arrive I decide to serve a dive-in supper for Friday evening and the menu goes something like :

Sharing plates

smoked mackerel with horseradish cream

smoked salmon

king prawns

medium prawns

with Marie Rose sauce

roast turkey breast

tomatoes

lettuce

cucumber

avocado

beetroot

slaw

black olives

Three cheese and potato tartlets

Sounds good ...

What I wasn't planning on was the weather – SNOW! Thursday dawns in Northamptonshire and we've had a shed load – in the Peak District where Whizzer lives, only a sprinkle – watch this space.

In the face of adversity … crack on

The alternative rice!

Once you've made the curry sauce, it takes minutes and like I said, it can be made ahead, cooled and fridged until you're ready to roll.

Stir fried rice

Serves 2

280g pilau rice

130g cooked chicken

generous handful of petit pois, cooked leftovers

or microwave for 2 minutes if frozen

medium brown onion, sliced

Wok

Add a drop of rapeseed oil – 5ml - to your wok and stir fry your onions over a medium heat – 2/3 minutes, followed by the rice - toss it to ensure it is all evenly coated then add the peas and chicken – 3-4 minutes.

Do not reheat.

Serve in warm bowls with the curry sauce drizzled over the top.

Another template which you can adapt to whatever you've got leftover in the fridge and “store cupboard” staples like rice, an onion and peas.

The curry sauce is so easy and lifts boring leftovers to “I want to eat this dish!”

P.s. It is not safe to reheat rice that you have already cooked, hence the reason why the curry sauce is ready to reheat from the fridge – a word to the wise!

Another template …

… this time using rice and in particular pilau rice.

These days you don't have to struggle with specifics cooking rice - you can buy products that are microwaveable or ready to stir fry in minutes.

Here's a photo of the pilau rice which you can buy from Aldi :

The following recipe again is a template with a curry sauce thrown in for good measure!

We're going to begin with the curry sauce since it can be made ahead and reheated.

Rendang Sauce

160 ml coconut cream

3 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp curry powder

(I used mild)

1 tbsp kecap manis

(also known as sweet soy sauce)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat for 3/4 minutes

and serve. Can be made ahead and re-heated.

Now for the stir fried rice!

When you're ready

When you're ready to stir fry, begin with the rapeseed oil and the onion on a medium heat, stir fry for 2/3 minutes, add the peas, prawns and noodles and stir fry for 2/3 minutes and finally add the hoi sin sauce and toss everything for a further 2 minutes.

Serve in a warmed bowl, with optional soy sauce on the side.

Here's a couple of photos :

a noodle nest

Amoy hoi sin sauce

Oh and by the way, you have to remember to take the prawns out of the freezer!

I appreciate that prawns may be outside your budget – it's the original recipe – use it as a template, anything goes from leftover chicken and veggies from your Sunday roast.

Then there's the rice alternative!

Noodle stir fry

Have you run out of steam, nay inspiration, for a quick and easy mid week supper? How often have you arrived home without a clue?

What follows isn't rocket science, as I'm fond of saying, the recipe – if you can call it that – uses “store cupboard” ingredients and by store cupboard I include pantry and freezer.

Store cupboard stir fry

Serves 1

1 noodle nest

vegetable stock pot

generous handful of petit pois, microwaved for 2 minutes

1 medium brown onion, sliced

drop of rapeseed oil

80g large king prawns, defrosted

hoi sin sauce – 1 pouch

soy sauce to serve

Wok

When you arrive home and are getting organised as you're passing place your wok on the hob, boil a kettle, add the noodle nest with the stock pot and pour boiling water over the two so that the noodles loosen and are flavoured with the stock. Leave it be, whilst you're doing other things, then when you're passing turn the nest so that the loosening is even, leave again whilst you're in the shower!

Drain through a sieve and set aside.

When you're ready …

Finally Nasi – zhuzhed up

The easiest way to show the “zhuzh” is to give the recipe again and underline the alternative ingredients.

Here goes :

Nasi Goreng

Serves 4-6

3 eggs

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp oil

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed or garlic paste

half tsp chilli powder – instead of using chilli

powder use ½ tsp of sambal paste *

8oz (225g) cooked rice – instead of using plain rice, use bags

of frozen rice with added veggies *

6oz (175g) cooked chicken or turkey meat, diced

6oz (175g) peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp soft light brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

instead of using soy, sugar and lemon juice use

60ml of soy sauce and 120ml of Kecap Manis *

6oz (175g) cooked wafer ham, thinly sliced

instead of using cooked wafer ham use cooked

shredded ham hock *

black pepper

Beat the egg lightly with the 1 tbsp water. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or frying pan. Pour in the egg and cook until set underneath, flip it and repeat. Slide the omelette out of the pan on to a board, roll up into a cigar shape and slice into strips – set aside.

Add the vegetable oil to the wok and heat gently. Add the onions, garlic and chilli powder* and fry until lightly browned. Add the rice* and cook for a few seconds then stir in the chicken and prawns. Cook for 2/3 minutes.

Mix the soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice* together, then stir thoroughly into the rice mixture. Stir in the ham* then season to taste with pepper. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with the omelette strips.

Optional sides :

Add a dish of chopped honey roasted cashews

Add bowls of soy and Kecap Manis for extra drizzle

Add a stack of small thin wraps – small wraps are easier

to control for little fingers

Add a stack of Little Gem lettuce cups – ideal for

filling with the Nasi and devouring – you'll save on

cutlery too!

Whichever variation of The Gorengs you choose the principle is the same – it's the perfect vehicle for using leftovers and adding treats like prawns and ham hock. It's quick and easy to produce and so satisfying to place a large wok full of deliciousness on the table with additional sides – more chopped cashews, bowls of soy, kecap manis, a heap of small thin wraps and a stack of Little Gem lettuce cups.

a perfect “dive in dish”

Another idea for a weekend treat!

Next up speedier still ideas with noodles and rice …

If you love fish – or Nasi but not …

… a variation on a theme.

Here's the fish alternative :

Nasi but not

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed or garlic paste

half tsp chilli powder or sambal paste

8oz (225g) cooked rice

6oz (175g) cooked salmon fillet, flaked

6oz (175g) smoked salmon, finely sliced

6oz (175g) peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

120ml Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)

60ml dark soy sauce

4-6 hard boiled eggs, quartered

black pepper

Serves 4-6

Add the vegetable oil to a wok and heat gently. Add the onions, garlic and chilli powder and fry until lightly browned. Add the rice and cook for a few seconds then stir in the salmon and prawns.

Mix the kecap manis and soy sauce together, stir into the rice mixture, then season to taste with pepper.

Add the eggs, folding in gently, serve immediately, straight from the wok.

You can adjust the amounts of fish/seafood to your own personal taste – bearing in mind that you have two elements to replace from the original recipe – chicken and ham – 175g each plus 175g of prawns. You are adding hard boiled eggs and although these are a garnish they are definitely an integral part of the dish since the sauce is quite punchy and the fish quite salty so they play an important part in the balance.

Once again though, make it your own – adjust to suit yourself, if you want more prawns then adjust the amount of salmon accordingly. The great thing about this recipe is that it is a “leftovers” dish i.e. everything in it, apart from the onion, garlic and chilli and the sauce, is already cooked.

It's quite “kedgeree-esque” in that both contain fish and boiled eggs and both started life as breakfast dishes – now you have a choice – Asian or Indian!

Me thinks it's a perfect Saturday night treat.

Finally … the zhuzh