Teriyaki Salmon

This is a nice quick dinner that my boys love. 

By scoring the fish the marinade goes deeper into the flesh and it reduces the cooking time, these fillets were 5+cm thick so if yours are thinner reduce the cooking time!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 x 300g salmon fillets, skin on

75mls gluten free soy sauce

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon sake

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Method

In a non reactive dish, combine the soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, sugar and sake.

Take each fillet and lightly score with a knife, but not through to the skin.

Place the salmon, flesh side down, into the marinade and marinade for 20 minutes.

While the fish marinades preheat the oven to 220 degrees Centigrade or get you BBQ heated. If using the oven, line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Gently remove the salmon from the marinade, place skin side down on the baking parchment, drizzle over a little more marinade and then sprinkle over the sesame seeds. If using a BBQ, I just pop the salmon skin side down onto the flat plate, sprinkle over the seeds and close the BBQ, it’s normally done within 5 minutes.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

 

Teriyaki chicken can be a bit of a minefield when you have to be gluten free so this is my easy homemade version that the boys love!

Gluten free, dairy free and egg free doesnt mean flavour free!

Serves 8.

Ingredients

1.2kgs skinless chicken thighs, 1-2 cm diced

6 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon sake

thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2-3 teaspoons sesame seeds

Method

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except the sesame seeds.

Allow to marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Centigrade.

Line the base of a roasting tin with baking parchment.

Tip the chicken and marinade in and bake for 30 minutes, stir and return to the oven, bake for a further 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly until the marinade has completely evaporated and the chicken is sticky.

Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and serve.

Twice Cooked Pork With Star Anise

This is a traditional Chinese way of dealing with fattier cuts of meat and it really works.

To ensure your dish is gluten free, if you need to, check your hoisin sauce, rice wine and chilli bean sauce as these are the places that gluten will be hiding. You can use sherry as an alternative to the rice wine if necessary.

This is a BIG quantity, it will feed 12 at least! I like to freeze leftovers in individual boxes with some cooked rice for easy dinners another day.

Ingredients

2.2 kg meaty spare ribs

80g fresh ginger, scrubbed and sliced, I don’t bother peeling it

4 spring onions, topped and tailed and cut into 3-5cm lengths

6 star anise

8 peppercorns

salt

50mls oil

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

700g red capsicum, deseeded, sliced into 5cm pieces

400g red onion, peeled and cut into wedges

2 leeks, white part only, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2cm semi circles and washed

3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce

100g gluten free chilli bean sauce

200mls chicken stock

100mls Chinese rice wine

10g sugar

2 spring onions, topped and tailed and finely sliced

Method

Fill a large, I use a six litre pan, with cold water, salt it well and add the spare ribs.

Bring the pan up to the boil and simmer for five minutes, skim off any impurities.

Add the ginger, spring onions, star anise and pepper.

Bring back up to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Drain the meat in a colander and discard the ginger, spring onions, star anise and peppercorns.

Once the meat is cool enough to handle, gently remove the bones and gristle and cut into 1-2 cm cubes.

Bring a large frying pan or wok up to a high heat, add the oil.

Once the oil is hot, stir fry the pork until the fat is rendering and it’s becoming crispy. This can take 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your meat and strength of your heat source.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork, set the meat aside and drain off most of the fat in the pan.

Return the pan to the heat and add the garlic, capsicum, onion and leeks. Stir fry for 5 minutes.

Return the meat to the pan, stir well.

Combine the soy sauce, chilli bean sauce, chicken stock, rice wine and sugar in a jug, stir well and then pour into the meat mix.

Stir to combine and then cover, bring up to a simmer, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Serve topped with the last two spring onions.

 

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

Burgers are always very popular with the boys, anything that they can eat with their hands and all that!

This is a bit of a double whammy recipe as any leftover cooked chicken and the cooked down marinade can be combined to become the starting point of teriyaki sushi, another popular meal in my house.

I use gluten free soy sauce, my local Asian shop is a treasure trove and I can buy an enormous bottle of GF soy sauce for the same price as a tiny one in the big chain supermarket, they also have mirin, Japanese cooking sake and the most beautiful fresh herbs, hence the coriander in these burgers.

Serves 6-8 depending on appetites and sides. For the gluten free option, I have my chicken with a side salad and some steamed rice.

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, mine were 1.2kg

175mls gluten free soy sauce

75mls mirin

30g caster sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

40mls sesame oil

8 bread rolls

salad leaves

fresh coriander, stems and leaves

mayonnaise mixed with a little wasabi

Method

Take a chicken breast and cut it at an angle downwards to create one thick half and one thinner half.

Line a chopping board with baking parchment, place one of the halves on it, cover with more baking parchment and use the flat side of a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to whack the chicken down to around 1 cm thickness.

Now, take a fork and pierce it all over.

Set aside and repeat with the other half and then continue with the other chicken breasts.

In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Place the chicken into the marinade and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.

Let most of the marinade drip off and lay the chicken breasts on a tray.

Drizzle the sesame oil over the chicken breasts and rub in.

Pour the leftover marinade into a shallow pan and reduce over a high heat until thick and syrupy. Take off the heat.

Preheat the barbecue or non stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.

Cook the chicken, turning once and ensure its cooked through.

Remove to a warm plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you get the rolls ready.

I spread the base of the roll with a little mayo and wasabi, top with salad leaves.

Spoon a little of the concentrated marinade over the cut side of the top of the roll. It can be quite salty so check for flavour first, less is more with this sauce!

Place the chicken on the salad leaves, top with coriander and then the lid.

 

Asian Beef Salad

I love the idea of a one plate dish and this pretty much covers it with the meat, noodles and salad all in one bowl.

Cook the steak the way you like it, I’m a rare to medium rare kind of a girl!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 large thick sirloin/porterhouse steaks

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 clove garlic, grated

1 teaspoon 5 spice powder

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

100g rice vermicelli noodles

50g raw peanuts, roughly chopped

150g mixed lettuce leaves

small bunch fresh coriander

DRESSING

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Method

In a shallow dish, combine the ginger, garlic, 5 spice powder and soy sauce.

Add the steaks and coat completely in the marinade, leave to marinade for 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan over a very high heat or use a very hot barbecue plate.

Remove the steak from the marinade and wipe off the marinade with kitchen towel.

Add the steak to the pan and cook the way you like it, I’m a rare to medium rare girl!

Set the cooked meat aside somewhere warm to rest.

Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions and set aside.

Layer up the salad using the leaves, noodles, peanuts and coriander.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, add any juices from the rested steaks.

Remove the fat from the steak and then slice, top the salad with the steak slices and then drizzle over the dressing.

Asian Coleslaw

A fantastic alternative to coleslaw with mayonnaise!

Once you’ve dressed the veggies you need to let the salad sit for 20-30minutes to allow the cabbage to “relax” a bit! This salad doesn’t keep well, the cabbage relaxes too much and becomes a little slimy so just make as much as you need.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

5 spring onions, finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

1/2 white cabbage, stalk removed and ver finely sliced

3 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

Method

In a large bowl, combine the spring onion, carrot and cabbage.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well until you have a smooth dressing.

Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix very well, set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Forbidden Black Rice Salad

I am fairly new to black rice but I’m already a fan, it has so much flavour and makes amazing salads.

Leftovers from dinner go into the boys lunches as a wrap filling with a little leftover chicken or pork.

Serves 10.

Ingredients

200g black rice

500mls water

3 spring onions, sliced finely

250g snow peas, cut into pieces no larger than 1cm

1/2 a head of broccoli, tiny florets broken off, stalks chopped very finely

2 eggs, hard boiled, grated

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons black rice vinegar

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

Wash the rice and tip into a pan with a well fitting lid.

Add the water, cover and bring up to the boil.

Allow to simmer, covered for 35minutes. Leave the lid on and allow the rice to cool in the pan.

Once the rice has cooled, run it under some cold water and set aside to drain.

In a small bowl, whisk the sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Check the flavour, you may prefer a little more soy.

In a large bowl combine the salad ingredients and pour over the dressing, stir well through and allow it to sit to develop the flavours for two hours before serving.

Yakitori Chicken Wings

Obviously not authentic barbecued yakitori chicken here but still delicious and rather moreish with the sticky sweet marinade.

I use Tamari or gluten free soy sauce but regular works too and you can cook these on the barbecue for a more authentic flavour.

Leftovers, if you have any, are great for lunch boxes.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1.4kg chicken nibbles, tips removed and wings halved at the joint

60mls gluten free soy sauce or Tamari

60mls mirin

80mls maple syrup

2 spring onions, very finely sliced

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except a few slices of onion, in a zip lock bag and allow to marinade for 2-8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade and line two baking trays with baking parchment.

Lay the chicken on the baking trays skin side up and scoop out the spring onion slices and spread them over the top.

Pop in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, basting regularly , first baste with the leftover marinade and the remaining bastes with the pan juices.

Keep and eye on the chicken, towards the end it will want to burn!

To serve, pile the wings on a plate and then sprinkle over the reserved spring onion.

 

Sesame Chicken Wings

Madly popular with the boys, these sticky wings are fantastic as nibbles, lunch box fillers and after school treat.

I chop the tips off the wings and then cut them also at the joint to form two pieces.

Ingredients

1kg chicken wings

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce or tamari

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except sesame seeds, and leave in the fridge to marinade for at least four hours.

Preheat the oven to 200degrees Centigrade, line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Place the chicken on the baking tray, brush with the marinade and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Bake for 20mins and then brush again with the marinade and pop back in the oven for ten minutes.

Again, remove from the oven, brush with the marinade and return to the oven.

Bake for a final 10mins, remove and brush with marinade and serve.