🥬 Easy Baked Veg Fried Rice
Italian Tuna Tartare & Aperol Spritz for the weekend + All Good Things
Hello friends!
For the past few weeks, I have been working with Sanitarium on delicious veg-forward content for National Nutrition Week Australia 2023 which starts next week. As part of their “Try For 5” campaign, I share my favourite tips and tricks to eat more veggies daily and meal prep with ease. I am also sharing a delicious new recipe that I have created exclusively for them - Baked Veg Fried Rice With Crispy Tofu! 7 varieties of veg, some rice and sauces all tipped in a large baking dish and baked to fried rice perfection in the oven. No need for a wok or heavy-handed tossing, this recipe is so easy and fuss-free, that even the kids can make it! Restaurant-style fried rice, each grain separated and packed with loads of flavour.
But first, a couple of new, easy, weekend entertaining recipes for you try out. These evoke the Italian coast and are perfect for the gorgeous warm weather we are seeing lately - a beautiful Italian-style Tuna Tartare and a bright, refreshing Aperol Spritz!
Italian Tuna Tartare
Fresh, sashimi-grade tuna mixed with a handful of ingredients and ready in just 5 minutes! A perfect little starter for your weekends or dinner parties. I serve this with thinly sliced olive sourdough or homemade rosemary focaccia. If you’ve ever wondered how the tuna tartare at your favourite Italian restaurant looks so vibrant and pink and fresh, the answer is in a little secret tip that a chef shared with me. Read about that and my current obsession - “Italian-style chilli” by Bippi.
Aperol Spritz
The most glamorous of holiday cocktails, a fiery orange sunset in a glass - Aperol Spritz! An Italian aperitif (palate-cleansing drink) that only needs three ingredients - Aperol, Prosecco & Soda Water. If you haven’t tried making this at home, read on to follow my preferred ratio of ingredients to make this drink and find out why you must never add the ice first and pour the drink on top! Learn to make it like Italian bartenders do!
Bonus Recipe
Baked Veg Fried Rice With Crispy Tofu
If you love fried rice, you MUST try my oven-baked version. I usually make my Veg Fried Rice (here I talk about injecting wok-hei and using the wok-clock technique for stir-frying. It has loads of veggies and egg too). But after I created this baked version, I found myself making this every week. It is so incredibly simple and doesn’t require you to stand at the hob with the heat cranked up, maneuvering a heavy wok with one hand.
This version is lighter, healthier (only 1 tablespoon oil to serve 6 people!), packed with 7 kinds of veggies, protein from tofu and tastes just like the one from your favourite takeaway restaurant.
note - I use Australian cup (1 cup = 250ml) and Australian tablespoon (1 tbsp = 20ml)
Ingredients
For the rice
2 cups (400g) uncooked basmati rice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (grapeseed)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup (40g) diced onion
½ cup (40g) diced carrot
1 ½ tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce
½ teaspoon raw sugar
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon flaky salt
3 cups (750ml) water
½ cup (60g) sliced green beans
½ cup (60g) frozen green peas
½ cup (80g) diced red capsicum
3 spring onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
1 cup (100g) sliced lettuce
For the tofu
350g firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon flaky salt, crushed
¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon neutral oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Wash, rinse and drain the basmati rice. Add rice to a 35cm X 25cm rectangle ceramic or non-stick baking dish.
Add oil and garlic to the rice. Using your fingers, mix the garlic and oil into the rice until it is evenly coated.
Add onion, carrot, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, salt and water. Mix well. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add tofu, salt, pepper, Chinese 5-spice powder and cornstarch to a bowl. Toss the bowl to coat the tofu thoroughly with the cornstarch mix.
Heat oil in a large non-stick or cast-iron frying pan on medium-high. Add tofu and pan-fry for approximately 8 minutes, turning occasionally until tofu is crisp and golden all over. Remove and set aside.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and take off the foil. Add beans, peas and red capsicum to the fried rice. Mix gently and return to the oven. Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes at 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Remove from the oven. Add spring onion, lettuce and cooked tofu. Mix well. Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Some Good Things To Serve With Fried Rice
Chinese Chilli Eggplant (vegan, gf)
Mushroom Ma Po Tofu (vegan, gf)
Asian Smacked Cucumber Salad (vegan, gf)
Tomato Egg Drop Soup (vegetarian, gf)
Thank You!
My newsletter hit a little milestone a few weeks ago. It became a Substack Bestseller! It was heartwarming and a much-appreciated validation of my work. Possible only because of your wonderful support, for which I am grateful every day. Thank you for being a part of my journey to eat well and become better cooks as we explore and embrace vegetables and fruits to the fullest!
Here are some wonderful notes left by my members :) Thank you!
“I am broadening my knowledge of vegetable-based cooking while running a portfolio of business roles, so your substack looked perfect!” - Vanessa
“I love your food and planning as it is fresh and flavourful” - Amanda
“Your recipes are great and I want to eat more veg” - Tom
So if you want to up your veg game, learn new techniques, eat a variety of veg and fruit in a week and get more attuned to creating wholesome veg-based meals that give you enough protein and fiber, don’t forget to sign up for a membership. It gives you access to all the paywalled veg recipes (60+ and counting), meal prep inspiration and new recipes straight to your inbox every week!
All Good Things - To Cook, Read, Watch & Explore
Watched Missing and loved it! Set in the same style as Searching which was also a really good movie, Missing is captivating right from the get-go. Both movies were unique in the way they were shot. Not a single scene is in the real world. Everything you see on screen is either through a computer screen or mobile or security camera. Very clever and gripping!
I recently finished watching Season 3 of Only Murders In The Building. There is something really endearing about the show. I have mentioned this before but the chemistry between the three lead characters is that of an unlikely band of misfits. Amidst the constant chuckles the dialogues garner, there is an old-timey charm about the show - an opulent New York building setting with the glitz and glamour of theatre and sequins and flamboyant characters running amok in a Hercule Poirot-esque murder mystery.
I also watched the entire last season of Sex Education and really loved it. This show has been instrumental in opening my eyes to a whole new world of teenage angst, their identity crisis and exploring and talking about subjects that have only been taboo in the past. This show despite its bold visuals and its ability to foray outside its comfort zone, has a lot of heart. A LOT OF HEART!
Have you ever tried Curry Chicken Buns? Curry cooked and packed inside a dough ball and baked into a loaf of bread. Quite the art form and utterly delicious, it was one of our favourite things to eat when we lived in Singapore.
Parents with school-going children will truly understand this :)
Yum-Cha style Mango Pancakes but with Strawberries. Genius!
Smokey Breaded Aubergine With Tomato & Burrata. This looks incredible!
I recently discovered Anjula Devi Wilson on Instagram. She is the consultant chef for Manchester United and weaves and narrates the most beautiful stories as she cooks heirloom recipes showcasing her childhood and family history. I could listen to her all day!
And finally, some delicious things on my cooking list.
Kung Pao Tofu, Moroccan Beet Salad, Dump & Bake Vegan Tuscan Orzo, Curried Butter Beans, Nonna’s Lentil Fennel & Celery Soup and Asian Broccoli Salad With Peanuts.
Over To You
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