Chocolate and Peanut No-Bake Slice

I really love to spend my weekends in the kitchen baking up a few batches of treats. Some weekends I want to spend the all day baking and cooking, but others I just want to get in and out as quick as I can. When times like that hit, recipes like this are exactly what you need.

I needed to make something to pop into my honeys lunch for the week, but I was just having one of those days when I really just wanted to snuggle up on the couch. I had a quick scan of my cupboards and found a few ingredients that I thought would work nicely. The result: This delightful NO-BAKE chocolate and peanut slice with peanut butter icing that took 15 minutes hands-on time.

This turned out to be one of those "keep the container away from me before I eat the whole batch!!!" recipes.

Chocolate and Peanut No-Bake Slice

Makes about 20 pieces

1/2 a tin (200 g, 7 oz) light sweetened condensed milk
130 g (4.5 oz) butter
1/2 Cup brown sugar
250 g (9 oz) vanilla (or plain) cookies
3/4 Cup chopped peanuts
3/4 Cup milk or dark chocolate chips

Icing: 

70 g (2.5 oz) butter
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Cup icing/confectioners sugar

1. Heat the condensed milk, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat.

2. Process the cookies to a crumb in a food processor. Add to the butter mixture along with the chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Mix well to combine.

3. Spread over the base of a slice pan lined with baking paper. Refrigerate until set (this won't take much time at all!).

4. Prepare the icing by melting the butter and peanut butter together. Sift in the icing sugar. Mix well and spread over the slice. Return to the refrigerator briefly to set before cutting into squares or slices.

5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will keep for about a week, if it lasts that long!

Chicken and Chorizo Nachos

Everyone loves nachos. So why not make them a little bit different? Ground chicken makes a great alternative to beef.

I used baked wholemeal wraps instead of corn chips; increasing fibre, and decreasing calories and fat content and it tastes just as good! After they are baked, the wraps are very "chip" like. Nice and crisp with a good crunch.

Chicken and Chorizo Nachos

Serves 4

400 g (14 oz) chicken mince
100 g (3.5 oz) Chorizo sausage, sliced
400 g (14 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Onion, diced
2 Cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced
1 red chili, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp sriracha
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 Cup chicken stock
8 wholemeal wraps (or a bag of corn chips if you prefer), cut into wedges.
Light sour cream to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180°C

2. Make the sauce by placing the onion, garlic, chili, pepper, sriracha, and tomatoes in a blender and blending until smooth. 

3. Heat a little bit of oil in a fry pan over a medium heat. Fry the chicken until browned. Add the Chorizo and kidney beans and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the sauce, spices, and chicken stock.

4. Simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick

5. Place wholemeal wraps on baking trays and brush with a bit of oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for about 10-15 minutes (until the wraps are nice and crispy), tuning once.

6. To serve, spread the "chips" on a plate and put some of the chicken mixture on top, followed by a spoonful of sour cream. 

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Chocolate and caramel are a match made in heaven, and the hint of salt in the caramel balances perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate cookie base.

Chili Chicken and Jalapeno Burritos and Spicy Rice

There is s much you can do with burritos. My favorite way to make them is with a spicy chicken filling. They are also super easy too!

The jalapenos in both the burritos and rice bring the two parts of the meal together and lend a fantastic degree of spice to the dish.

It's super hard to find fresh jalapenos here in New Zealand. I can only ever manage to find them on the very odd occasion in supermarkets so when I can't get them fresh I go for Old El Paso Jalapenos and they work perfectly as a substitute. I used them here!

Chili Chicken and Jalapeno Burritos with Spicy Rice

Serves 4

Burritos:

400 g (14 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cooked and shredded

400 g (14 oz) tin diced tomatoes

1/4 Cup sriracha sauce

1 Jalapeno pepper, diced

4 Jumbo tortillas

1/2 Cup grated cheese

Light sour cream to serve

Spicy Rice:

1 onion, diced

1 Jalapeno, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp chili powder

2 Cups long grain rice, rinsed

400 g (14 oz) tin diced tomatoes

2 Cups chicken stock

1. To make to burritos,  combine the chicken, tomatoes, sriracha, and jalapeno together in a mixing bowl. Spread 1/4 of the mixture into the center of each tortilla. Wrap, sprinkle the top with cheese and bake at 200C (400F) for 20 minutes.

2. To make the rice: Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan. Fry the onion, jalapeno, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, and rice for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and simmer until all liquid is absorbed (15 or so minutes)

3. Serve Burritos over rice and topped with light sour cream. 

Lemon Muffins

These are just the most perfect wee muffins. They get sweetness from the sugary muffin batter, tartness of lemon juice, a sweet runny, lemon curd center... Just trying to describe them is making my mouth water!

This one was actually another idea of my boyfriend. Isn't he just full of them lately?? :)

Lemon Muffins

Makes 12

2 1/2 Cups self raising flour
3/4 Cup caster sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
1/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Cup plain, fat free yogurt
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp lemon curd

1. Preheat oven to 190C (375F) and grease or line the holes of a muffin pan.

2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, stir in the sugar. Add the lemon rind, juice, yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.

3. Spoon half of the mixture across the holes of the muffin pan, add 1/2 Tbsp or so of lemon curd to each muffin, top with the remaining muffin mixture.

4. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the muffins are firm when pressed gently. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chinese Beef Noodles

I absolutely adore a good noodle dish. They are so super quick and easy to throw together and they are so satisfying.

We were watching a Jamie Oliver show on TV and saw him make a similar dish, I thought it sounded great so made up my own version when I was looking to make a quick weeknight meal.

Chinese Beef Noodles

Serves 4

3 Cakes of dried egg noodles

400 g (14 oz) Rump steak

1 Tbsp ground Szechaun pepper

1 Tbsp five spice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 red chili, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp sriracha

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 spring onions/scallions, sliced

1. Cook the noodles following the package directions. Heat a cast iron skillet over a high heat. 

2. Rub the pepper, spice, and olive oil into the steaks (both sides). Fry the steak in the hot skillet to your liking, set aside to rest for about 10 minutes.

3. Mix up the sauce by combining the chili, garlic, sriracha, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Toss through the cooked and drained noodles.

4. Cut the steak into slices, poor the resting juices into the noodles and toss through.

5. Serve noodles topped with sliced steak and spring onions. 

Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Quiche

There's just something about quiche that I really love. Maybe it's the fact that you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or maybe it's that it's so incredibly easy to make. Or maybe it's just the cheesey, eggy deliciousness?

To be completely honest, I didn't come up with the ingredient combination in this quiche. That credit goes to Emmet, who came up with this in the middle of the store. 

I absolutely LOVED this quiche, this is definitely my new favorite quiche. It keeps exceptionally well too. It will last in the fridge for a few days.

Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Quiche

Serves 6

Short Crust Pastry (homemade or store brought)
4 eggs
1 Cup trim milk
1/2 Cup reduced fat cream
1/2 Cup self raising flour
150 g (5.5 oz) chicken, cooked and shredded
6 rashers streaky bacon, diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 Cup spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 Cup grated cheese (I use Edam)
salt and pepper to season.

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F) and grease a quiche or pie dish. Roll the pastry into the dish (you can blind bake if you like!).

2. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, and flour together in a large bowl. Heat a dash of oil in a fry pan and fry the bacon and onion for a few minutes.

3. Add the chicken, bacon, onion, spinach, and cheese to the bowl with the egg mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour over the prepared pastry and bake for 45 minutes, until the quiche is cooked through.

5. Serve warm or cold for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Leftovers make a fantastic lunch the next day :)

Nuts and Seeds Granola

If, like me, you love to have a something set aside to grab for a quick and easy breakfast then it is well worth making up a batch of your own granola at the weekend to see you through the week.

Once you have made and enjoyed your own granola you'll never be happy with anything store brought again!

Nuts and Seeds Granola

Makes approximately 14 1/2 Cup servings

3 Cups rolled oats
1/4 Cup chia seeds
2/3 Cup desiccated coconut
3/4 Cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 Cup sunflower seeds
3/4 Cup pecans, chopped
1 Cup slivered almonds
3 Tbsp Sunflower or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 Cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F) Combine the oats, seeds, and nuts together in a large bowl. Combine the oil, vanilla, and honey together in a small bowl.

2. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and coat the oat mixture very well in the liquid mixture.

3. Pour into a large roasting dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the granola is golden, stir the mixture every 5 minutes.

4. Allow to cool completely before storing in a airtight container. The granola will keep for a few weeks.

Chocolate Mudcake

Chocolate cake is just one of those recipes where everyone has a favorite. I have been working on the perfect chocolate cake recipe for such a long time now, trying to find the right balance of flavors, richness and moistness. Not to mention getting that icing just right!

So after lots of playing around and testing out cakes, here's what I have for you!

Chocolate Mudcake

Serves 12

Cake:

2 tsp granulated coffee
1 Cup hot water
1/4 Cup whiskey (or orange juice)
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
250 g (8.8 oz) butter, chopped
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 1/2 Cups plain flour
1/2 Cup self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Vanilla Buttercream:

1/2 Cup butter
2 Cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Ganche:

1/2 Cup Cream
200 g (7 oz) Dark Chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 140C (280F) and grease a 23 cm springform cake tin.

2. Place the coffee, water, and whiskey in a saucepan over a medium heat and heat to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate, continue to stir until melted in. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

3. Sift the flours into a large bowl and make a well in the center.

4. Whisk the eggs and the vanilla. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and pour into the flour. Stir until combined.

5. Tip into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until the cake has shrunk away from the edges of the tin and the top of the cake is firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

6. When cool, cut the cake in half. Make the buttercream by beating the buttercream ingredients together. Spread over the top of the bottom half of the cake. Replace the top.

7. Make the ganache by melting the chocolate into the cream in a microwave proof bowl. Spread over the cake.

8. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Smoked Chicken and Prosciutto Fettuccine Alfredo

By now you all know that I absolutely love homemade pasta, in fact, I'm always raving about it. The taste and texture are like nothing you'll find in a store. Homemade pasta makes any ordinary pasta dish seem like something you would order and enjoy in your favorite Italian restaurant.

Homemade pasta plus a super simple Alfredo sauce makes this dish rich, creamy, and a delight on the taste buds.

Smoked Chicken and Prosciutto Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 4

1 Recipe Homemade egg pasta, cut into fettuccine (store brought is fine too!)
300 g (10 oz) smoked chicken breast, cut into cubes
50 g (2 oz) Prosciutto, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
350 mL light cream
3/4 Cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 Cup grated Edam cheese
1 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Make the pasta according to the recipe instructions.

2.  Place a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the cream, garlic, cheese, and nutmeg, stir well to combine and melt the cheese through. Continue to stir until just starting to bubble. Season to taste.

3. Pour the sauce over cooked and drained fettuccine and toss to coat the pasta. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake

Peanut butter, chocolate, cheesecake. What more is there to say? I've already made this twice. 

No-bake cheesecakes are so simple and quick to prepare, making a perfect dessert to take to those Summer BBQs. The combination of cream cheese and peanut butter gives this no-bake cheesecake a wonderful texture and the chocolate cookies provide the perfect amount of chocolate to compliment the peanut butter. 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake

Serves 12

350 g (12 oz) Chocolate Cookies
90 g butter, melted
500 g (18 oz) cream cheese
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Cup peanut butter
1 Cup cream, whipped
Recee's Peanut Butter Cups to decorate (Or Whittaker's Peanut Butter Chocolate in New Zealand)

1. Process the cookies to a fine crumb in a food processor, add the butter and process to combine. Press into the base and up the sides of a greased 23 cm springform cake tin. Refrigerate to set.

2. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and peanut butter until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain.

3. Fold in the whipped cream.

4. Spread the peanut butter mixture over the chilled base, cover, and refrigerate until set (a couple of hours).

5. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups prior to serving.

Thai Green Curry

The flavors of a good Thai curry delight the taste buds, combining sweet and spicy to perfection. The coconut cream brings perfect balance to the heat of the chili, the lime gives a hint of zing, all of which come together into a stunning meal.

The Writing Process Blog Tour

You have probably guessed from the title of this post that it's all about writing. I am so excited to be involved in this. I have been considering starting a series of blog posts that were related to food in some way but not recipe posts so this is a fantastic place to start.
It's fortunate that the subject of this blog tour is the writing process, I just started reading Will Write For Food by Dianne Jacob, and my passion for writing, particularly about food, is ever growing. To be entirely honest, I even find writing my PhD thesis enjoyable. Who would have thought that would ever happen?

I have been working away at this blog for 9 months now and I fall more in love with process of writing recipes, testing them in the kitchen, photographing, and sharing with you all more and more each day. One of the most rewarding aspects to the blogging journey is meeting a whole bunch of wonderful food blogging friends. Starting out, I would have never imagined the online food blogging community to be such a friendly, helpful, and inspiring place. The amount of support, advice, and encouragement I have received from all of the wonderful people I have met is just beyond words. 

One of the first bloggers I met was Rene from My Simple Kitchen. Rene began blogging at around the same time as me so it has been lovely getting to know someone at the same level as myself and following each others progress, as well as seeing how she develops as a writer. She's also the one who invited me to participate in this blog tour. Rene has a real knack for recipe writing, cooking, and photography. You'll immediately notice this on her blog. Here's a perfect example of her simple, yet eye-catching and mouth-watering style: Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting. 

So enough waffling on.. What is this blog tour all about? I write a blog post answering 4 questions about how and why I write, I then introduce you to 3 of my favorite bloggers and in a week you can check out their blogs to see how they answered the questions. 

1.  What am I working on?

I seem to have a developed a habit of working on too much at once. Right now I have 54 draft blog posts waiting to be published. I tend to go into overdrive in the weekend, cooking up at least half a dozen new dishes over a couple of days. Maybe I should calm down a bit??

2.  How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I like to try and keep my recipes, especially main meals, simple and using ingredients that aren't crazy or out there, hopefully using ingredients that most well stocked kitchens will have on hand. Making sure my recipes are easy to follow is a big one for me. I set my posts out in a step-by-step manner to allow cooks at any level at all to follow the method and get a good result.

3.  Why do I write what I do?

I just love food, I love creating new and unique meals and desserts and sharing them with anyone who is interested in taking a look. 

4.  How does your writing process work?

I have a list of ideas that I keep in my 'recipe writing' book. I usually have this book close at hand and if I have a moment of inspiration I will quickly jot down my idea. When it comes to writing a shopping list every week I take out my list and chose a few things to work on during the week. I like to get my boyfriend to pick a few things too, or give me any ideas that he may have had himself. I then write the recipes out in a more concrete way in my book. When it comes to actually making the food I make any changes in my book. I then try to type up the recipe in a draft post as soon after making the food as I can. This usually occurs in bulk over the weekend. 

Now let's get acquainted with three lovely ladies:

Brandi, aka "Aunt Bee" at Aunt Bee's Recipes has become one of my very best blogging friends. We met on Facebook through blogging groups and have been following each other closely for some time now. Brandi has a wonderfully unique Southern style of cooking. I think her Southwestern Chicken Lasagna describes Brandis style to perfection.   Brandi is super active and supportive in the blogging community and this is opening up fantastic opportunities for her, writing for websites, and forming collaborative networks with other bloggers, such as Southern Roots Recipes.

Janette, Culinary Ginger, is another of my oldest blogging friends and fellow red-head. She is also at a similar point in the blogging adventure as Brandi and myself, less than a year in. Janette is originally from England, now living in Southern California. I love seeing the flair her English roots bring to her cooking. I love her style of fresh, seasonal recipes. You won't find any pre-packaged or otherwise processed ingredients in Janettes kitchen! My favorite recipe from Janette is her Baked Gnocchi with Sage and Cheese Sauce. Gnocchi is a favorite of mine, and Janettes step-by-step recipe shows just how easily you can make your own gnocchi at home. 

Jaclyn, the woman behind Humbling Eats is a must follow. Jaclyn is one of my newer friends, we met on Facebook a couple of months ago, but we instantly hit it off. Jaclyn is closer to home, residing in Australia. Her blog showcases her simple, healthy, and sometimes very adventurous recipes. She really has a way with flavors, and her stunning photographs catch my attention immediately. I find it super difficult to choose a favorite recipe on Jaclyns blog, but her Yogurt Cake with Burnt Fig Glaze is well worth your attention. The amazing combination of flavors creates such a delightfully mouth-watering treat.

Snickers Buttermilk Pancakes

Here in Dunedin we have an amazing cafe that serves the fluffiest, most delicious pancakes you will ever eat. Well, actually their whole menu is fantastic but the pancakes are just something extra special, no where else even compares. As well as their normal pancake menu they do a 'pancake of the month', last month the star was Snickers Pancakes.

As soon as I saw this on the menu I was sold. Pancakes with caramel, peanuts, chocolate, and whipped cream. What could be more perfect?

Unfortunately the month had to end and we had to wave goodbye to the most delicious pancake flavor ever invented. So what did I do? Made my own version right away of course!

Snickers Buttermilk Pancakes

Makes 10

2 Cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 Cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

To serve:

Whipped cream (sweetened with vanilla extract and icing sugar)
Salted caramel
chocolate sauce (recipe below, store brought is absolutely fine too!)
chopped peanuts

Salted Caramel:

1 Cup Sugar
90 g butter, chopped
1/2 Cup cream
1 tsp salt

Salted Caramel:

1. Heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is melted. Add the butter and stir for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to sit for a minute or two.

2. VERY slowly drizzle in the cream, stirring as you do so. Return to a very gentle heat and boil for about 1 minute.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Microwave before use to allow a pouring consistency.

Pancakes: 

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter in another.

2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until everything is combined.

3. Heat some butter in a large fry pan and cook pancakes using 1/3 of a cup of mixture for each one. Cook on one side until bubbles start to appear around the edges, then flip and cook on the other side.

4. Once each pancake is cooked, place it in the oven on a low heat to keep warm while you make the others.

5. Top the pancakes with chocolate and caramel sauces, peanuts, and whipped cream.

Chili Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni cheese is my favorite comfort meal. I especially love that it's one of those delightful dishes that is even better reheated the next day.

I wanted to give my regular old mac and cheese recipe a bit of a make over, of course the first thing that sprang to mind was "add a bit of heat." Red chili, sriracha, and chorizo gave this simple recipe the zing I was after!

If you have a young family, the chili in this as it stands with the measures below just gives a hint of heat, but adds lots of great flavor, I still believe this one to be child friendly, but if you're worried de-seed your chili and add a bit less sriracha.

Chilli Chicken Macaroni 

Serves 4

400 g (14 oz) macaroni elbows
300 g (10.5 oz) cooked and shredded chicken
50 g (2 oz) Chorizo, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp plain flour
2 1/4 Cups skim milk
1 Cup grated Edam cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan
1 Onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 red chili, finely diced
2 Tbsp sriracha sauce
Salt and pepper to season

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.

2. While the pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce. Add half of the oil to a medium saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the chili and chorizo and cook for a further minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil along with the butter. Whisk in the flour and gradually whisk in the milk, a little bit at a time to ensure a lump free sauce. Once all of the milk has been added, switch to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

4. Stir in the grated cheese and onion mixture. TASTE THE SAUCE and season to taste.

5. Stir through the sriracha sauce and drained cooked pasta. Tip into a heatproof dish, sprinkle over the extra grated cheese and bake at 200°C (400F) for 20 minutes, or until golden. 

Swiss Roll

I love anything with some sort of cake aspect to it (I mean, who doesn't?!), and adding strawberry jam and whipped cream just makes anything perfect!

The trick to ensuring that the sponge is light and melt in the mouth is to stick to the really short cooking time of 7-10 minutes. If you know your oven cooks super fast, then keep this in mind when cooking the sponge. Another tip, make sure the sponge isn't too thick as this will make it harder to roll when it is cool and you have spread the jam and cream over it.

I know that a lot of you would have read recipes for Swiss rolls that insist upon the use of Swiss roll or jelly roll pan. I have neither. I used a regular old oven dish. If you have either of these roll pans by all means use it! But if you don't it will still turn out just fine :)

Swiss Roll

Serves 8

3 Eggs
75 g (2.6 oz) caster sugar
75 g (2.6 oz) self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 Cup Strawberry jam
3/4 Cup cream, whipped
icing sugar to dust

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and fold in the flour.

2. Spread over the base of a 23 cm x 30 cm tin lined with baking paper.

3. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

4. Spread with jam and whipped cream and roll into a log. Dust with icing sugar prior to serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container, it will keep for about 2 days in the refrigerator.

Spicy Prawn Fried Rice

I love making fried rice, it's fun, tasty and quick. I have just used the vegetables that I like but this is by no means limited. If you don't like something I have used leave it out and add something you prefer. Fried rice is perfect for creating something that is suited to your own tastes.

Spicy Prawn Fried Rice

Serves 4

250 g (9 oz) precooked prawns (shrimp)
4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
3 eggs, whisked
1 onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 red chili, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 Cup basmati rice, cooked and chilled
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 scallions (spring onions), sliced

1. Heat a dash of oil in a fry pan, once hot pour in the whisked eggs and cook. Flip the egg pancake when it's nearly cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside. Once cooled, roll up and cut into strips.

2. A another dash of oil in a wok or large fry pan. Fry the bacon, onion, garlic, chili, and pepper. Fry for 4 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for a further few minutes to heat the prawns through.

3. Add the cooked chilled rice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sweet chili sauce. Stir very well to combine.

4. Add the sliced egg and continue to stir fry or a minute or two to ensure the rice and egg are warmed through. Serve topped with scallion.