ᐅ Fun and Flavorful: 4 Irresistible Recipes

Impress your family and friends with these 4 recipes the next time you invite them to dinner:
Don’t worry:
If you can’t find all the ingredients in the supermarket — don’t panic. A recipe is just a starting point and is not set in stone. Remember, the best thing about cooking is that you can improvise!
Ham and vegetable lo mein
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 60 ml kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp aged soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 200 g dried lo mein noodles
- 60 g cooked country ham
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 35 g diced white onion
- 45 g thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 30 g thinly shredded Napa cabbage
- 1 carrot (cut into thirds and sliced thin, lengthwise)
- ¼ bunch cilantro
- 2 scallions (white portion, very thinly sliced)
How to make it:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the kecap manis, oyster sauce, aged soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.
3. Cook the lo mein noodles according to the package instructions and set them aside to cool.
4. Slice the ham as thinly as possible and tear it into bite-sized pieces.
5. Heat a dash of vegetable oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger, ham, onion and shiitake mushrooms and sauté until lightly brown.
6. Add the cooked noodles, cabbage, carrot and sauce to the pan. Toss frequently until the sauce is heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Serve with cilantro and scallions.
Carrot noodles with vegan arrabbiata
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 200 g canned chickpeas
- 6 large carrots
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- ¼ Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ tsp thyme leaves
- 30 g tomato paste
- 200 g canned diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp pink Himalayan salt
How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, 20-25 minutes.
3. Peel the carrots, remove the ends and using a vegetable peeler, cut them lengthwise as thinly as possible into wide, flat noodles.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes and thyme and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the diced tomatoes, followed by the carrot noodles. Cook until the carrots are warm but still crisp, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
5. Remove the arrabbiata from the heat, add the crispy chickpeas and toss together. Divide among bowls.
Crispy salmon with vegetables
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 115 g celery root
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon (for zest and fresh juice)
- 175 g potatoes
- ½ bundle lovage (leaves)
- ½ fennel bulb
- ⅛ cauliflower
- 50 g skyr (or yogurt)
- ½ tsp stone-ground mustard
- ½ bundle flat-leaf parsley (leaves)
- 300 g salmon fillet (skin on and boneless)
- Grapeseed oil
How to make it:
1. Peel the celery root and cut it into 1 cm cubes.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the celery root and cook until tender. Drain and put it in a blender. Blend until it forms a creamy purée. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest.
3. Put the potatoes and the lovage leaves in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Cut the fennel and the cauliflower into thin slices and put in a bowl.
5. Stir together the skyr, stone-ground mustard and finely chopped parsley and add the mixture to the fennel and cauliflower.
6. Cut the salmon fillet into 2 equal portions and season with salt and pepper.
7. Heat a pan over high heat. Add a dash of oil and lower the heat to medium. Lay the salmon pieces in the pan with the skin-side down. Fry the salmon until the skin is crispy, 3-4 minutes. Flip the pieces, turn off the heat and let the salmon finish cooking.
8. Serve the salmon with the hot potatoes, raw vegetables in skyr and the celery root purée. Garnish with a little parsley if you like.
Vegetable fried rice with a twist
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- ½ sweet potato
- 1 large carrot
- ¼ jicama
- ½ chayote
- 1 small zucchini
- 2 large mushrooms (white or brown)
- 4 cauliflower florets
- 3 radishes
- 6 snow peas
- 2 Brussels sprouts
- 1 liter canola oil
- 1 Tbsp edamame (coarsely chopped)
- 2 eggs
- Fine sea salt
- 150 ml canola oil
- 320 g cooked rice
- 1 Tbsp diced sweet onion
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 40 g silken tofu (cut into ½ cm cubes)
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
- 20 g pea shoots
- 2 Tbsp cilantro leaves
Ingredients for the sesame vinaigrette:
- 2 tsp aged soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp white rice vinegar
How to make it:
1. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into ½ cm cubes.
2. Peel the carrot, cut the thick portion off and cut it into 1 cm cubes. The rest of the carrot can be cut into thin strips (julienne).
3. Peel the jicama and chayote and cut them into ½ cm cubes.
4. Dice the zucchini and mushrooms.
5. Cut the cauliflower into ½ cm cubes.
6. Cut one of the radishes into matchsticks and the rest into ½ cm cubes.
7. Cut the snow peas into three pieces each.
8. Cut off the base of the Brussels sprouts and remove the leaves.
Cook the vegetables:
1. Heat 1 liter of oil in a wok to 165°C (325°F) and line a baking sheet with paper towels.
2. Lower the sweet potato cubes into the oil and fry until crisp. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain on the paper towel. Set aside ¾ for the stir-fry and ¼ for the garnish.
3. Reduce the temperature of the oil in the wok to 120°C (250°F).
4. Blanch the diced vegetables (one at a time) until tender.
5. Let the oil cool until you can easily pour it out of the wok – you need it for the final stir-fry of the rice.
Prepare the vinaigrette and the egg:
1. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar together for the vinaigrette and set aside.
2. Beat one of the eggs and season it with a pinch of salt. Heat a generous dash of oil in a pan. Add the egg and cook until set, about 1½ minutes. Remove the omelet from the pan. Coarsely chop and set aside. Beat the other egg and set aside for the stir-fry.
Stir fry in the wok and serve:
1. Heat 60 ml of oil in the wok over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the raw egg and stir until cooked through, about 45 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by the cooked rice. Continue to stir fry, breaking up and warming the rice. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, the oyster sauce and the soy sauce. Mix well and continue to fry until the sauce coats the rice. Add the blanched vegetables, then the coarsely chopped cooked egg, tofu and chives. Quickly toss, remove the wok from the heat and divide among the serving dishes.
2. Put the reserved fried sweet potato cubes, carrot strips, cauliflower cubes, radish matchsticks, pea shoots and cilantro leaves in a small bowl. Add enough sesame vinaigrette to coat everything. Divide it up and put it on top of the fried rice.
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