Spicy dishes to keep you warm

As the winter continues to get colder, we wanted to share some of our favourite spicy dishes to warm ourselves during the coldest months of the year. Here are three (3) simple dishes jam packed with colour and flavour.

Spicy Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg green beans, washed and trimmed
• 2 tbsps soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sriracha (plus extra to taste)
• 1 tbsp n sesame oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic

Preparation:

1. Mix soy sauce and Sriracha together, then set aside.
2. Fill a pan or a pot with water that is enough to cover the green beans and bring to a boil. Add green beans and blanch for 3 minutes. While the green beans is cooking, fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
3. After the 3 minutes of cooking the green beans, strain them and then put them into the ice water for about 1 minute.
4. Pour sesame oil into the pan with medium heat and sauté minced garlic for 30 seconds. Add the green beans back in, stirring well to coat the beans.
5. Turn to low heat, and add Sriracha and soy sauce mixture to the pan and simmer uncovered for a few minutes.

Optionally, you can add fried ground pork or beef to this dish, it goes well with a bowl of rice.

Mapo Tofu

Ingredients:

• 120 g ground pork (or beef), can exclude this entirely for vegans
• 2 tbsps Shaoxing Wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, mix it with 2 tbsp of water and mix them into slurry. Use it to thicken the sauce
• 2 tbsps Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 3 tbsps Doubanjiang (fermented bean paste or broad bean sauce) (you can get it from any Asian grocery store)
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 block (400g – 500g) firm or medium firm tofu, cut into 1.5cm (1/2 inch) squares
• 1 cup chicken stock (or water)
• 2 teaspoons chilli oil (You can find chilli oil in any Asian store)
• 1/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder (Can be found in Asian stores)
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

1. Marinate the ground pork or beef with the Shaoxing Wine, soy sauce, and minced ginger, for at least 30 mins)
2. Fry the Sichuan peppercorns in the oil on medium heat, for a few minutes.
3. Cook the ground pork with Doubanjiang over medium heat, and break the ground pork up as we do for pasta Bolognese.
4. Once the pork is cooked, add the green onions and stir a few times over medium heat.
5. Spread tofu evenly on top of cooked pork. Add five-spice powder, chilli oil, and sugar. Pour in the broth and cook over medium-low heat, until brought to a simmer. Cover the pan and let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to half the original amount.
6. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
7. Add extra green onions on top of the dish for presentation.

Seafood Laksa

Ingredients:

• 250g dry rice vermicelli
• 20ml (1 tbsp) peanut oil
• 1/4 cup laksa paste, which can be found in any supermarket, including Woolworth and Coles.
• 750ml (3 cups) Vegetable stock or fish stock
• 400ml coconut milk
• 750g prawns, you can use frozen ones to reduce preparation time.
• 250g scallops, frozen ones are ok for a quick meal.
• 100g deep-fried tofu, which you can get from any Asian store
• 100g bean sprouts, trim the root.
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander
• 1/2 cup Vietnamese mint
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, plus extra to serve
• 1 small red chilli, seeds removed, cut into thin strips
• 2 tbsp chopped peanuts to garnish
• Fried Asian shallots, to garnish. Asian store sells them in small jars.

Preparation:

1. Boil a pot of hot water, pour in a large bowl with the dry vermicelli,  and leave for 10 minutes to soak. Drain the soaked vermicelli and set aside.
2. Place oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the laksa paste and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then add the coconut milk and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the prawns, scallops and deep-fried tofu and cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of salt for taste.
3. Put vermicelli in serving bowls, top with the bean sprouts, coriander and mint. Pour the laksa soup over the noodles, and add the seafood. Garnish with chopped peanuts and shallots.

These are some of our favourite spicy dishes. Please share your favourite recipe in the comments section. Stay warm this winter and please feel free to catch up on our other content via our Market insights section YouTube channel.

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