With lockdown being a reality for many of us, craving for some international culture from our favourite destinations has never been more important!
To help Aussies feel like they’re on ‘holiday’ again from our couches, Aussie TikTok foodie Ayeh shares a few cooking hacks and recipes that will take Aussie tastebuds on a world tour.
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Travel with your tastebuds
It’s the best time to visit the local fruit and farmers markets and experiment with seasonal produce, and it can be perfect for creating global-inspired dishes.
Whether it’s avocados and tomatoes for Mexican guacamole in Autumn, broccolini, capsicum or carrots for Asian stir-fries in Winter or eggplants and lemons for a Lebanese inspired Baba ghanoush in Summer. I love cooking with seasonal vegetables and fruit as the fresh produce always tastes better and is generally more affordable.
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Spice up your life
Introduce some authentic warming spices in your cooking. Add quick flavour to your rice using SunRice’s Flavour Your Rice Paste. I love to use the Indian Spice sachets, made with black raisins, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, and cardamom to make my delicious, spiced prawn rice bowl – it’s the perfect quick and easy winter dish.
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Asian style soups and stews
We all love a nice bowl of comfort food to warm up during the colder months. Asian cuisine has a host of soups and stews, which are my favourite go-to dishes – whether it is a Malaysian laksa, Vietnamese Pho, or Chinese Stew. I enjoy making them as they’re packed with flavour and hit the spot on a cold night.
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International one pot/pan/traybake
Oven traybakes are a great way to take your tastebuds on tour. Try your hand at a one-pan Greek lemon chickpea and rice, Moroccan vegetable tagine or one skillet Mexican quinoa dish. It’s also an easy winter dinner option as they require minimal effort but are equally nutritious. One pan also means easy cleanup.
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Flavour builders
A spicy curry or stir fry is something that reminds me of Asia. You can use a range of different vegetables and protein, all cooked in the same pot. I like using SunRice’s Flavour Your Rice Thai Coconut Paste to jasmine rice which pairs perfectly with a stir fry or Thai vegetable curry. It’s excellent if you’re looking to hit “the spot” on colder nights.
RECIPE:
Easy Peasy Spiced Prawn & Rice Bowl!
Prep Time: 5 mins / Cook Time: 20 mins / Servings: 4
This dish is packed with flavour and is super easy to make all within 20 minutes! I’ve spiced up my Basmati rice by using SunRice Flavour Your Rice Indian Spice Paste. It’s a fun & simple way to take your rice dish to another level with flavour in a flash.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 1⁄2 cups water
- 1 sachet SunRice Flavour Your Rice Indian Spice Paste
- 10 raw king prawns
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 150g Greek yoghurt
- Handful of fresh mint leaves
- Handful of fresh coriander leaves
- 1⁄4 of a lemon
- Sea salt and pepper
Method:
- Marinade the prawns in olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper
- Wash basmati rice and add to a pot with 1 1⁄2 cups water and the SunRice Flavour Your Rice Indian Spice Paste. Once water is boiling, reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes
- To make the herb yoghurt, add the mint, coriander, lemon juice with a pinch of salt to a food processor or mortar and pestle. Blitz together to create a paste. Add the herb paste to the Greek yogurt and mix to combine
- Once rice is cooked, remove from the heat, and let it steam covered for 5 minutes
- Heat olive oil in a pan and place prawns in. Cook for 3-4 minutes flipping halfway until they are nicely cooked
- Fluff rice with a fork and serve with the cooked prawns, herbed yoghurt, a good squeeze of lime and enjoy!
