Jeremy Pang: Three easy & delicious recipes to try this month

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb

PREP: 15 MINS, PLUS MARINATING | COOK: 8 MINS | SERVES 2

300g lamb rump steak, leg or neck, cut into 3cm cubes
handful of coriander
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
vegetable oil

MARINADE
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (swapsies: dry sherry)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour

DRY SPICES
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
pinch of sea salt flakes

1. Place the lamb in a mixing bowl and massage the marinade ingredients well into the meat. If using lamb leg or neck, cover and leave to marinate for a minimum of 45 minutes or overnight. For lamb rump steaks, 10–15 minutes will suffice.
2. Pick the coriander leaves off the stalks and roughly chop the stalks, keeping leaves and stalks separate. Grind the Sichuan peppercorns using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder, then mix all the dry spices together in a small bowl.
3. Build Your Wok Clock: Start at 12 o’clock with your bowl of marinated lamb, followed by the red onion, ginger, garlic, coriander stalks and lastly the dry spices.
4. Heat 2–3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok over a high heat until smoking hot. Once smoking hot, place your marinated meat into the hot oil and sear well for 30–60 seconds before turning. Turn the pieces of lamb and then sear the other side. Stir-fry the lamb for a further 1–2 minutes until browned on all sides, then transfer to a plate, saving any excess oil in the wok.
5. Place the wok back on a high heat and add the onion, then the ginger, garlic and coriander stalks one ingredient at a time, stir-frying for 30 seconds between each addition. Add the dry spices and the seared lamb. Continue to stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and well combined. Garnish generously with the coriander leaves and serve.

Turmeric & Dill Fish

PREP: 15 MINS, PLUS SOAKING & DRYING | COOK: 8 MINS | SERVES 2

100g (31/2oz) rice vermicelli
400g (14oz) skinless halibut or cod fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
8–10 spring onions, roughly chopped
large bunch of dill, torn into bite-sized pieces
vegetable oil

SAUCE
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1.5 tablespoons sugar

MARINADE
1/2 thumb-sized piece of galangal or ginger, peeled
3 garlic cloves
1/2 small red onion
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon cornflour

TO GARNISH
2 tablespoons salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
small handful of coriander leaves
finely sliced spring onion

1. Soak the vermicelli in hot water for 3–4 minutes until tender, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and spread out on a clean tea towel to dry for 10 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Blitz the marinade ingredients to a smooth paste in a food processor, or finely chop the ingredients and crush using a pestle and mortar until smooth. Place the fish in a mixing bowl and generously coat it on all sides with the marinade.
3. Build Your Wok Clock: Start at 12 o’clock with the marinated fish, followed by the spring onions, dill and lastly the sauce.
4. Heat 2–3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a high heat in your wok and place the marinated fish in the oil piece by piece, allowing space between each piece of fish so that they can char a little around the edges. Fry in the oil for 2–3 minutes, then use a fish slice to turn the fish and sear the other side. Once the fish is seared well around the edges, reduce the heat to medium, cover the fish pieces with the spring onions and dill and start to fold it all gently into the wok, taking care not to break the pieces of fish. Then pour in the sauce and cook for 1–2 minutes until the herbs have wilted.
5. Garnish the fish with roasted peanuts, coriander leaves and finely sliced spring onion and serve with the noodles on the side.

Really Tasty Fish Curry

PREP: 15 MINS | COOK: 30 MINS | SERVES 3–4

20 fresh curry leaves
1 red onion, sliced
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 large green chillies, pierced with the tip of your knife
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon palm sugar (swapsies: soft brown sugar)
3–4 salmon steaks
2 handfuls of okra vegetable oil

WHOLE SPICES (HALBAR CAMPUR)
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons urid dal

STOCK
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
3 tablespoons yogurt
300ml coconut milk
500ml water or chicken stock

1. Mix the whole spices together in a small bowl, then stir the stock ingredients together in a jug.
2. Build Your Wok Clock: Start at 12 o’clock with the whole spices, followed by the curry leaves, onion, garlic, chillies, curry powder, chilli powder, tomatoes, salt, sugar, salmon steaks, the stock and lastly the whole okra.
3. Heat 2–3 tablespoons of oil in your wok over a medium heat. Add the whole spices and cover with a lid. After a minute or so, the mustard seeds will start to pop, hitting the base of the lid. Once the popping has stopped, remove the lid and add the curry leaves, onion and garlic, stir-frying for 30 seconds before adding each new ingredient. Then add the chillies, curry powder and chilli powder and stir. Next add the tomatoes, salt and sugar, stir once, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes to allow the juices to release from the tomatoes.
4. Remove the lid and press into the tomato wedges with a spoon to bring out more moisture. Then add the salmon and increase the heat to high. Carefully fold the spicy sauce over the fish steaks to coat well before pouring the stock over the fish and bringing to a vigorous boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the okra to the top of the curry, simmer for a further 5 minutes and serve.