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The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Fresh produce made bold with pantry staples: two recipes to spice up winter
Looking for a recipe that warms the body and soul, or one with knockout flavours you can pull together midweek? Cookbook author, food writer and chef Lara Lee insists you don't have to choose. 'My food philosophy is: lean into the time you have,' Lee says. 'If you have a weekend, then make the soul food that brings you joy, and if you have a window of 30 minutes, you can still make an amazing meal.' Either way, Lee's hot tip is to spice up fresh produce with condiments. 'Cooking doesn't have to be overly complicated, and it helps to have a well-stocked pantry,' she says. 'There are certain staples, like soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso paste or chilli oil – accessible ingredients you can pick up at your local IGA – that transport fresh ingredients.' There aren't many people who need convincing that lasagne is one of the greatest dishes, but many of us do need a little extra encouragement to get this labour of love on the table. These thoughts motivated Lee to reinvent this much-loved classic. 'I was thinking that kimchi and cheese is an incredible pairing; it's so comforting and mouthwatering,' Lee says. 'So, I got inspired by the idea that kimchi lasagne is going to do some breathtaking things.' The proof is in the oozy umami decadence. 'It's the kind of dish that people will talk about for months after,' Lee says. At the other end of the culinary continuum, Lee uses pork mince, instant noodles and an aromatic sauce lifted with orange zest to deliver quick, flavour-packed results. 'I'm a huge fan of pork mince,' she says. 'To me, pork is life! It has so much flavour. Combine it with noodles and the bold, punchy sauce, and you've got a dish with real depth and complexity, ready in just 15 minutes.' Whatever time you've got, Lara Lee's recipes promise home-cooked comfort this winter, with a kick. Photo supplied. Prep 20 minCook 30 minServes 8-10 people Ingredients For the kimchi sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 250g lean beef mince 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 450ml tomato passata 1 tbsp fish sauce 600g kimchi, roughly chopped¼ tsp fine salt ¼ tsp ground white pepper For the bechamel sauce 2½ cups whole milk 70g unsalted butter 6 anchovies ½ cup plain flour 2 tbsp gochujang 200g cheddar cheese, grated3 spring onions, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish¼ tsp fine salt 6 fresh lasagne sheets 100g parmesan cheese, grated Photo supplied. Method Preheat the oven to 220C fan. To make the kimchi sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook until browned, stirring regularly, for four to five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, stirring to combine. Stir in the passata and fish sauce, then cook for two to three minutes until slightly thickened. Add the kimchi to the pan and cook for two minutes, stirring to combine. Season with the salt and white pepper, then remove from the heat. To make the bechamel, warm the milk in a medium saucepan on a medium-low heat until just warmed through, then remove and set aside. Wipe the pan, then add the butter and anchovies on a medium-low heat. Lightly mash the anchovies with a wooden spoon as they melt with the butter, stirring for one to two minutes. Add the flour and mix for one minute, until fully incorporated. Add half a cup of the milk and stir vigorously, using the back of the wooden spoon against the side of the pot to smooth out any lumps. Once all lumps are removed, add the remaining milk, stirring continuously as you pour. Increase the heat to medium, stirring occasionally until it thickens, about six to eight minutes. Add the gochujang and stir for one minute, then remove from the heat. Add the cheese, spring onions, and salt, stirring until the cheese melts, which takes about one minute. In a 20cm x 30cm baking dish, spread one cup of kimchi sauce over the base. Evenly top with two fresh lasagne sheets; it's OK if they overlap. Spread the sheets with 1½ cups of kimchi sauce, then cover the kimchi layer with one cup of bechamel sauce. Add two more lasagne sheets on top, then spoon over the remaining kimchi sauce and one cup of bechamel sauce. Layer the remaining lasagne sheets on top. Finally, cover the sheets with the remaining bechamel sauce and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Place the lasagna in the oven and bake it uncovered for 30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes to allow the lasagne to set. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions to garnish. Use a sharp knife to cut the lasagne and serve hot with a side salad or vegetables. Photo supplied. Prep 15 minCook 10 minServes 2 people Ingredients For the chilli crisp sauce 3 tbsp chilli crisp with the oil 1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp white miso 1 tbsp tahini 1½ tsp sesame oil ½ tsp white sugar Zest of 1/4 medium-sized orange For the crispy pork 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola or peanut oil250g lean pork mince 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated½ tsp fennel seeds ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander 2 x 85g packets of instant noodles, such as Indomie or Maggi (noodles only; save the flavour sachet for another use) Small handful of coriander leaves Small handful of crispy fried shallots Photo supplied. Method In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the chilli crisp sauce and stir well. Set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Heat a medium frying pan over high heat with the oil. Once hot, add the pork mince and cook until it begins to turn golden brown, stirring regularly for five to six minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, ground cumin and ground coriander. Cook until fragrant, stirring often for one to two minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the instant noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Divide the chilli crisp sauce and crispy pork between two serving bowls, then add one tablespoon of noodle water to each bowl. Divide the noodles between the two serving bowls. Just before serving, mix well to combine, and garnish with the coriander leaves and crispy shallots. Shop for fresh, seasonal ingredients at your local IGA. IGA is the Australian launch partner for the Guardian's cooking and recipe app, Feast. Download Feast on the App store for Apple iOS or Google Play for Android to follow each of these recipes step by step.
New York Times
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Gorgeous Is This Chicken Curry Laksa?
Does anyone else find themselves happily tumbling into more project cooking lately? Maybe it's because I'm clinging to the coziness winter provides. Maybe I've watched too many charming, ASMR-adjacent YouTube videos of people calmly assembling wonderful dinners in beautiful locations. Or maybe it's because, if my hands are busy smashing garlic or deveining shrimp, I can't doomscroll on my phone. Whatever the reason, I've really been enjoying my quality kitchen time as of late. So I'm very excited to make Lara Lee's chicken curry laksa, a gorgeous, hearty noodle soup that's kaleidoscopic in flavor: Sour tamarind and spicy dried chile punch through the sweet coconut milk; salty dried shrimp and gently bitter nuts balance umami-rich shrimp paste. Lara is a really thoughtful cook — as anyone who has read her 'Coconut and Sambal' and 'A Splash of Soy' cookbooks knows — so her recipe is full of tips and tricks for anyone needing ingredient substitution and shortcut advice, like how to boost store-bought laksa paste with lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Featured Recipe View Recipe → This laksa also scratches a particular cooking itch of mine: making something at home that I'd normally order at a restaurant. I'll bet that a lot of readers behind the five-star reviews for Hetty Lui McKinnon's sweet and sour cauliflower — which rejects deep-frying those florets for a cornstarch-coated roast in a hot oven — are also happy for a fast, meat-free version of a takeout staple. If you add Hetty's salt and pepper tofu, some sautéed baby bok choy and a pot of steamed rice, that's a pretty epic Saturday night feast. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
25-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's recipe for tom yum fried rice
A weeknight fried rice that's spicy, sour and intensely savoury. Using shop-bought paste and leftover cooked rice or microwave rice makes easy work of this dish based on the popular Thai soup. The paste sings of tom yum's flavours, with galangal, lemongrass, chilli and lime leaf, while the extra aromatics boost the fragrance and vibrant punch. Tom yum paste (I like Maesri's) and lime leaves are available at supermarkets, Asian grocers and online. Prep 20 minCook 25 minServes 2 Peanut oil, or other neutral oil2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped30g ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped3 makrut lime leaves, deveined and very thinly sliced10g coriander (ie, a small handful), leaves picked, stalks finely chopped2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced2½ tbsp tom yum paste 2 tsp tomato paste 12 large peeled prawns, peeled but tails left on, and deveined (215g)80g brown or white mushrooms, sliced8 cherry tomatoes (100g), halved250g cooked and cooled jasmine rice, or 250g cooked and cooled microwave rice1½ tsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 lime, cut into wedges2 eggs Cucumber slices, to serveShop-bought fried shallots, to serve Put a tablespoon and a half of oil in a wok on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander stalks and half the spring onions, and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add the tom yum and tomato pastes, and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until just cooked through and coated in the paste. Using tongs, transfer the prawns to a plate, leaving the paste mix in the wok. Add the mushrooms to the wok and cook, tossing frequently, for a minute; add a small splash of extra oil, if need be. Add the tomatoes, cook for 30 seconds, then add the rice, fish sauce and sugar, and cook for another minute, until heated through. Return the prawns to the wok with the remaining spring onion, toss to combine, then take off the heat and squeeze over lime juice to taste – about a quarter to half a lime. Put a tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized frying pan on a medium-high heat, then, once it's shimmering, crack in the eggs and cook for two to three minutes, until the whites are partially cooked and the edges are turning crisp. Turn down the heat to medium-low and keep on the heat until the whites are cooked through. Divide the rice between two plates or shallow bowls, top with the prawn mix, a fried egg, the cucumber slices, fried onions, coriander leaves and remaining lime wedges, and serve. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To support the Guardian, you can order a copy for £19.80 plus P&P at
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's fish finger and sriracha mayo sandwich
I love pantry-raid meals. Even when the fridge is shockingly bare, an enticing meal still sits at your fingertips, so long as you have the right ingredients to hand in your cupboards. This sriracha mayo twist on the fish finger sandwich is a 10/10 'pantry raider'. The Kewpie mayonnaise brings umami oomph, with the crunch of fish fingers, the tang of cornichons and the warmth of sriracha and chilli against soft, crustless bread. Warning: if there's any sriracha mayo left over, you may lick the bowl. Prep 10 minCook 20 minServes 2 10 fish fingers 4 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise1 tbsp sriracha Butter, softened, for spreading4 slices soft white sandwich bread 4 tender lettuce leaves 8 cornichons, thinly sliced1 long red chilli, thinly sliced (remove the pith and seeds if you want less heat)1 small handful coriander leaves Bake the fish fingers according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, combine the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl. Butter the bread and spread the sriracha mayo evenly over one side of each slice. Top two slices with lettuce, the cooked fish fingers, cornichon slices, chilli and coriander leaves, then sandwich together with the remaining two slices of bread. Taking care not to squish the sandwiches too much, trim off and discard the crusts, then cut in half and serve immediately. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit
The Guardian
08-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's recipe for kimchi dauphinoise
This sweet potato and kimchi twist on dauphinoise is a traybake of mouthwatering umami. Parmesan, anchovies, kimchi, garlic, gochujang and sesame oil combine to create a 'wow' dish that is savoury, complex, rich and deliciously spiced. Serve as a showstopping side, or turn it into a main meal by adding a fried egg, pickles and a lightly dressed green salad. A mandoline helps slice the sweet potatoes evenly, but a steady hand will also do the trick. Prep 20 min Cook 1 hr 30 min, plus resting Serves 6 as a light meal, 8 as a side 20g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing70g parmesan, finely grated50g cheddar, coarsely grated 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds about the width of a £1 coin (3-4mm)½ tsp fine sea salt 1 leek, root cut off and discarded, the rest thinly sliced6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced6 anchovies (8g), roughly chopped1 tbsp gochujang paste 250ml whole milk150ml double cream 400g kimchi, roughly chopped 20g panko breadcrumbs 1 tsp sesame or neutral oil 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional) Spring onions, thinly sliced Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, and grease a 20cm x 30cm baking dish with butter. Combine the cheeses in a medium bowl. Put the sliced sweet potato in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leek and garlic, then saute, stirring occasionally, for seven to eight minutes, until softened. Add the anchovies and gochujang, stir to combine, then cook for a further minute. Add the milk and cream, and gently heat for a minute or two, just until the mixture is warmed through but hasn't reached a simmer. Take off the heat, stir in the kimchi and a third of the cheese mixture, then set aside. Meanwhile, make the topping by combining the panko, sesame oil and sesame seeds (if using) in a small bowl. Layer half the sweet potatoes in the greased baking dish, overlapping them as needed, then pour over half the kimchi mix and sprinkle with half the remaining cheese. Repeat the layers again, then sprinkle the panko crumb mix over the top. Bake for about an hour, until bubbling and a deep golden brown, then take out of the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with the sliced spring onions, then serve. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit
