What’s for dinner? It’s the question that leaves many of us confounded on a daily basis as we have to come up with something interesting for the family to eat that won’t take us hours to prepare. A long work day simply won’t allow it.
South African food and decor writer Bernice van der Merwe knows this, which is why she has created a book divided into four sections, based on the time in which it takes to prepare the meals. One-Two-Three On The Table, which is published by Human and Rousseau, offers recipes for fuss-free food that can be assembled in no time to meals that can be whipped up in 30 minutes flat. If you’re think this sounds a bit fishy, it is… Omeshnie Naidoo shares some of the book’s seafood recipes with you.
Tom yum soup
30ml sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
125ml finely chopped coriander leaves
1 chilli, finely chopped
juice and zest of 1 lemon
80g tom yum paste
750ml fish stock
1 tin (410g) chopped tomatoes
10ml soft brown sugar
3 fish fillets, about 100g each, cut into pieces
10 prawns, deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g uncooked rice noodles (optional)
Extra coriander leaves to garnish
Heat the sesame oil and sauté the garlic, ginger, coriander leaves, chilli and the lemon juice and zest for one minute.
Stir in the tom yum paste and sauté for another minute until aromatic.
Stir in the fish stock, tin of tomatoes and sugar and bring to the boil. As soon as the stock is boiling, stir in the pieces of fish and prawns and simmer until done.
Season to taste.
In the meantime, cook the rice noodles until just done; follow the instructions on the packet.
Divide the cooked noodles between the soup bowls and spoon the soup over the noodles.
Serve with extra coriander leaves.
Makes 2 large portions
Tip:
* Use the best-quality stock possible. These days homemade concentrated stock in liquid form is available ,which makes 250ml stock when mixed.
Seafood laksa
15ml olive oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
125ml dry white wine
1 bay leaf (optional)
50g mussels still in the shell
80g laksa paste
1 tin (410g) coconut milk
250ml fish stock
10 small prawns deveined
200g white fish fillets, cut into chunks
100g mangetout (sugar peas)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g vermicelli noodles
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the chilli and garlic for one minute.
Add white wine and bay leaf and bring to the boil.
Spoon in the mussels, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and steam for about five minutes.
Discard the mussels that did not open after cooking. Then remove the mussels from the shells and set aside.
Stir the laksa paste into the wine mixture and stir until the paste has dissolved.
Pour in coconut milk and fish stock and bring to the boil.
Place the mussel meat, prawns and fish in this liquid and bring to the boil again. Then decrease the heat, stir in the mangetout and season with salt and pepper. In the meantime, cook the vermicelli noodles according to the instructions on the packet, then drain.
Place a large spoonful of cooked vermicelli in each of the soup bowls, then spoon the fish soup on top.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Makes 2-4 portions
Tips:
* The better the stock, the better the taste of the soup. There isn’t always time to make your own stock, but these days there are many good-quality products available. I prefer the concentrated stock in liquid form, for example the Ina Paarman range. One sachet makes 250ml.
* Don’t add too much salt to dishes containing stock, because stock usually already has a lot of salt, especially those sold as powder. Stock sold as powder should really be strained through a sieve before adding it to food. Be sure to read all the information on the packet or container next time.
Paella
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g seafood mix, defrosted
200g white fish fillets, diced
Salt and black pepper freshly ground
40ml olive oil
250ml uncooked risotto rice
Few strands of saffron
1 litre warm chicken stock
125g fresh peas
Heat the butter in a large pan (preferably a paella pan) and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes.
Add seafood mix and diced fish fillets and sauté for a few minutes, until nearly done.
Spoon the seafood and fish out the pan. Season with the salt and pepper and keep aside.
Heat the olive oil, stir in the rice and make sure the grains of rice are all coated with oil. Stir the strands of saffron into the warm stock and add the rice to mixture. Bring to the boil then decrease the heat.
Simmer until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Stir in the peas, fish and seafood and cook until done.
Serve immediately.
Makes 4-6 portions - The Mercury