Food And Nutrition
Preparing Easy okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki are traditional Japanese fritter-like pancakes that are great for using up a head of white cabbage. Serve with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise or your favourite hot sauce.
Each serving provides 360 kcal, 17.5g protein, 35g carbohydrates (of which 17.5g sugars), 15.5g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 5.5g fibre and 2.5g salt.
Ingredients
For the okonomiyaki sauce
- 1½ tbsp tomato ketchup
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp runny honey
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
For the okonomiyaki pancakes
- 3 large free-range eggs
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 large spring onions, thinly sliced
- 275g/9¾oz white cabbage, shredded
- sunflower oil
Method
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For the okonomiyaki sauce, whisk together the tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, honey and dark soy sauce in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.
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To make the okonomiyaki batter, whisk together the eggs, flour, salt, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil until smooth.
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Fold the spring onions and cabbage into the batter until everything is well coated.
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Heat enough oil to just cover the bottom of a large frying pan over a medium–high heat until shimmering. Line a warmed plate with a couple of sheets of kitchen paper.
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Spoon some of the cabbage mixture into the pan into pancake shapes that are about the size of your palm. Press down with the back of the spoon and fry until golden-brown on each side, flipping halfway. Transfer the pancakes to the kitchen paper to drain.
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Fry in batches until you’ve run out of mixture – you should get about eight pancakes.
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Serve the pancakes drizzled with the okonomiyaki sauce.
This Moroccan-inspired, slow-cooked lamb dish is low in calories and only uses six ingredients. If you want to make it five, leave out the apricots – you’ll save on sugar too. If you’re on a low-calorie diet, pair it with a low-calorie breakfast and/or lunch as it’s a little over 500 calories.
Each serving provides 522 kcal, 50g protein, 32g carbohydrates (of which 20g sugars), 19g fat (of which 7g saturates), 9g fibre and 0.5g salt. With a GI of 45 this meal is high protein, low GI.
Ingredients
- 600g/1lb 5oz lean lamb leg steaks, cut into bite-size cubes
- 1–2 level tbsp harissa paste
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes with herbs
- 2 x 410g tins chickpeas, drained
- 12 dried apricots (optional)
- small bunch (about 30g/1oz) fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
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Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3½
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Put the lamb in a medium, ovenproof casserole dish and coat evenly with the harissa paste.
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Pour in the tomatoes and 300ml/10fl oz of water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and stir well.
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Cover tightly with kitchen foil and bake for 1 hour.
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Stir in the chickpeas and apricots, if using, and bake for 30–45 minutes, or until the lamb is tender.
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Stir in the coriander and serve.
This is a speciality of Nice and is filled with Niçoise salad ingredients. A great way to use up slightly stale bread, the recipe contains tuna and anchovies but if you are vegetarian, you could substitute with cheese (such as mozzarella or slices of goats’ cheese) or roasted peppers, aubergines, courgettes and mushrooms. Make this a day ahead and keep weighted down in the fridge so all the juices seep into the bread.
Ingredients
- 1 pain de campagne or round sourdough loaf (about 400g/14oz)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 or 3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 15cm/6in piece of cucumber, sliced
- 225g tin tuna in olive oil, drained
- 6 anchovies in olive oil, drained
- 3 hard-boiled free-range eggs, peeled and sliced
- 20 Niçoise or Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 tsp fresh oregano or marjoram leaves, chopped
- 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 handful rocket leaves
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Slice off the top quarter of the loaf to use as a lid. Using your fingers, hollow out the inside of the rest of the bread to leave just a shell.
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Sprinkle the inside of the bread shell and the lid with the garlic, then brush with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
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Layer the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, tuna, anchovies, eggs, olives, oregano, basil and rocket into the bread shell, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go (the order does not really matter). Mix the remaining olive oil with the vinegar and mustard in a small bowl and then drizzle this dressing into the bread shell so it trickles down over the filling. Top with the bread lid and wrap the loaf tightly in kitchen foil.
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Place in a baking tin and weigh down with a heavy pan or a four pack of tinned tomatoes or similar. Leave in the fridge overnight. Cut into wedges and serve.
Even if you’re new to cooking you can tackle this ham and pea pasta with confidence, as a sauce like this requires little more than warming through to come together. The cream adds a touch of luxury to this supper for one.
Each serving provides 1140 kcal, 38g protein, 86g carbohydrates (of which 7g sugars), 69g fat (of which 42g saturates), 11g fibre and 1.5g salt.
Ingredients
- 100g/3½oz dried pasta shapes
- 100g/3½oz frozen peas
- knob of butter or splash of olive oil
- 1–2 spring onions, white and green parts separated and finely sliced
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 25g/1oz Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- 1 thick-cut slice of ham, diced
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Tip in the pasta and cook for 9–11 minutes until done to your liking, adding the frozen peas for the final minute.
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Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter or splash of oil in a frying pan, add the spring onion whites and fry for a minute until just softening. Turn off the heat and set aside until the pasta is cooked.
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Drain the pasta and peas, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water, and tip into the frying pan. Add the cream, Parmesan and ham with 3 tablespoons of the pasta water. Stir over a low–medium heat until the cream starts to bubble, then turn the heat down and stir briefly until the sauce is clinging to the pasta. (If you overcook it and it starts looking dry, add a little more of the pasta water.)
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Stir in the lemon zest and spring onion greens, then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan.
