Indiabite – Food Recipes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g green prawns
• 1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
• 500mals (2 cups) water
• 250g rice vermicelli noodles
• 180g tofu (optional), cut into 1cm-thick slices and then into 3cm squares
• 375mls (1 1/2cups) fish stock
• 1 400ml can coconut milk
• 250g bean shoots
• 4 green shallots, sliced, to garnish
• Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

• curry paste

• 1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 lemon grass stalks, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6-8 macadamia nuts
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 tbs fish sauce, or to taste
• 1 tbs sambal oelek
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander

Method

1. To make the curry paste, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
2. Shell and devein the prawns, reserving the heads and shells. Heat 1/2 tbs of the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the reserved prawn heads and shells for 5 minutes or until orange and aromatic.
3. Add the water to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Strain liquid and discard the solids. Reserve the prawn stock.
4. Cook rice vermicelli noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and reserve. Heat the remaining 1 tbs of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook tofu, stirring, until lightly golden. Set aside.
5. Add prawn and fish stocks, and curry paste to the saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce heat to low. Stir in coconut milk, peeled prawns and fried tofu and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes or until prawns change colour and are just cooked. (It is important you simmer the soup gently at this point as the coconut milk will separate if boiled.)
6. To serve, rinse rice vermicelli under hot water to reheat. Drain and divide among 4 deep soup bowls. Ladle soup over noodles and top with bean shoots. Garnish with green shallots and coriander leaves.

Notes & tips

• The curry paste below will store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 1 week if you want to make it ahead of time.
• You can substitute 2-3 tbs of a bought mild or red curry paste (depending on taste).
• Shrimp paste is an Asian ingredient made from fermented prawns. It has a very distinctive flavour and you may find the aroma a little unpleasant. However, this mellows with cooking and adds a unique flavour.
• Once opened, shrimp paste will keep in the fridge indefinitely. Fish sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a year.
• Drink suggestion: Melbourne Bitter long-neck

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 650g barramundi fillets, cut into large pieces
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 70g baby spinach leaves
• Fresh coriander leaves, to serve
• Steamed rice, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

• Curry paste

• 1 fresh long red chilli, deseeded, coarsely chopped
• 1 stem lemon grass, white part only, finely chopped
• 1 French shallot, peeled, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 2 tsp chopped fresh coriander root
• 250ml (1 cup) Ayam coconut milk

Method

1. To make curry paste, place chilli, lemon grass, shallot, garlic, ginger, coriander root and coconut milk in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.
2. Heat paste in a wok over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Add stock, fish sauce and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add fish and cook for 2-3 minutes or until flesh flakes easily when tested with a fork. Add chickpeas and spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or until spinach wilts.
4. Divide curry among serving plates and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve with rice and lemon wedges.

Notes & tips

• If fresh barramundi is not available, you can use any other firm white fish for this recipe. Try ling, perch or flathead.
• Barramundi, chickpea & tomato soup: Omit fish sauce, sugar and rice. Increase stock to 1L (4 cups). In step 2, add 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes with stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Continue from step 3. Serve with lemon and crusty bread.
• Chickpea & barramundi cakes with baby spinach: Omit the stock, coriander leaves, rice and lemon wedges. Reduce the barramundi fillets to 400g. Add the fish sauce, sugar, barramundi, chickpeas and 1 egg to food processor in step 1. Divide mixture into 8 portions and shape each portion into a 2cm-thick patty. Heat 1 tbs peanut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add patties and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Serve patties with sweet chilli sauce and 1 x 150g pkt baby spinach leaves, steamed.
• Chickpea, pumpkin & coriander salad: Omit the stock, fish sauce, sugar and rice. Replace the barramundi with 700g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces. Preheat oven to 180°C. At the end of step 1, combine the pumpkin and curry paste in a bowl. Place the pumpkin mixture, in a single layer, on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbs peanut oil. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until tender. Combine pumpkin mixture, chickpeas, spinach and 12 cherry tomatoes, halved, in a large bowl. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with lemon wedges.

Ingredients

• 12 green prawns
• 600g thick white boneless fish, cut into 3cm cubes
• 12 scallops
• 3/4 cup marinade (we used Thai, see related recipe)

Method

1. Soak skewers in a shallow dish of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Thread prawns, fish and scallops onto skewers. Arrange in a ceramic dish. Pour over marinade. Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Remove skewers from marinade. Preheat a barbecue plate on high heat until hot. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook skewers, basting with marinade, for 1 to 2 minutes each side, or until cooked through. Serve.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• pinch of saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, pale part only, washed, thinly sliced
• 750ml fish stock
• 3/4 cup (180ml) white wine
• 500g tomato passata
• 400g canned tomatoes
• 300g firm white fish fillets (such as ling), cut into 3cm cubes
• 12 green king prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
• salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Capsicum Rouille (sauce)

• 4 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 100g roasted capsicum, drained
• 1 birdseye chilli, deseeded
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt & cracked black pepper
• crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Place the saffron in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon hot water and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add the fish stock, wine, tomato passata and canned tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, to make the capsicum rouille, place the bread in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and set aside for 2 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the excess water from the bread. Place in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the capsicum, chilli, garlic, oil, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.
4. Add saffron mixture to the tomato broth and cook for 5 minutes. Add fish and prawns and cook for a further 3 minutes or until seafood is just cooked. Add the parsley and gently stir to combine.
5. To serve, divide the bouillabaisse among serving bowls and top with a dollop of capsicum rouille. Serve with sliced crusty bread.

Notes & tips

• To spice it up, add a few drops of Tabasco sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/3 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh coriander leaves and stems
• 1 red onion, halved, chopped
• 3 large fresh red chillies, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 8 Chinese cabbage leaves, hard white stem section removed
• 4 (about 180g each, 2cm thick) blue-eye trevalla fillets
• 160ml (2/3 cup) light coconut milk
• 60ml (1/4 cup) light coconut cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed
• 100g bean sprouts
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• Lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Place coriander, onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, water and fish sauce in the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined and mixture forms a paste.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Lay 2 cabbage leaves, just overlapping, on a clean work surface. Top with a piece of fish. Fold in the sides and roll up to form a parcel. Repeat with remaining cabbage and fish. Place parcels, in a single layer, in a metal steaming pan over saucepan of boiling water. Steam, covered, for 8 minutes.
3. While fish is cooking, heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add paste mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and cream, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
4. Add broccolini to saucepan of boiling water under steaming pan and cook for 2 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Remove from heat. Add bean sprouts to broccolini and stir until sprouts wilt. Drain.
5. Spoon rice, broccolini and sprouts among serving plates. Cut fish parcels in half and arrange over rice. Drizzle with curry sauce and serve with lime wedges

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 small carrot, halved lengthways, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
• 2 small red chillies, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 tsp mild Indian curry powder
• 1 cup (250ml) coconut milk
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 750g firm-fleshed white boneless fish fillets (snapper or blue eye), cut into 6cm pieces
• 750g medium green king prawns, peeled, deveined, leaving tails intact
• 300g sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• Steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots and carrot and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Add lemongrass, chillies and curry powder and cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add coconut milk, 1 cup water and fish sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add fish and simmer gently, partially covered, for 3 minutes. Stir in prawns and peas and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 minutes or until seafood is tender. Serve scattered with basil leaves, with steamed rice and lime wedges.

Ingredients (serves

• 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1L (4 cups) fish stock
• 800g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 250ml (1 cup) white wine
• 1kg mussels, de-bearded
• 6 small calamari (including tentacles), cleaned, cut into rings
• 16 medium green prawns, peeled, de-veined, tails intact
• 500g firm white fish (such as blue-eye cod), skin removed, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 cooked blue swimmer crabs, chopped

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frypan. Add onion, fennel and carrots. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add garlic, saffron threads, fennel seeds and chilli and cook for a further minute. Stir in the fish stock, tomatoes and bay leaves and allow to simmer over low heat for 20 minutes (this dish can be prepared up to this stage well in advance, if desired). Just before you are ready to serve the stew, place wine in a saucepan, add mussels and cook, covered, over high heat until mussels open (discard any that do not open). Strain cooking wine into stew base, reserving the mussels.
2. Return pan in which you cooked the mussels to the heat. Heat remaining oil, then add calamari and cook quickly for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to stew.
3. Add prawns and fish to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until just cooked. Then add crab and reserved mussels to stew. Slowly simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
4. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Serve in wide bowls sprinkled with gremolata (see related recipe).