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What a rush The Cook Up with Adam Liaw
Thanks to Adam and his entertaining guests, things are now much calmer in kitchens across Australia. What's for dinner tonight? A quick skim through The Cook Up recipes and that question is finally solved. Not just what to serve for the main meal, but how to win favours by dishing up dessert, too.
Here are 101 meals that are sure to please your gang. Night after night after night.
Nail the main
1. Umami bolognese
Stop it: it's vegan. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
This is fusion-cooking done so right it's practically nuclear. Its Japanese and Italian flavours are given a Vegemite bomb to make
your family's new favourite dinner
.
2. Oven-baked chicken thighs
A simple, tasty dish of chicken with olives, cherry tomatoes and lemon. Source: Adam Liaw
Every home cook needs a decent one-pan, oven-baked dish they can pull together fast and then just whack into the oven while life goes on.
This is that magical dish
.
3. Beef and snow peas
There's something about snow peas that are irresistible. Kids who run a mile from any other vegetable will happily dive into a bowlful of
this beef and snow pea stir-fry
.
4. Schnitzel with kale slaw and oven chips
Adding kale makes it a health food, right? Source: Adam Liaw
Go the schnitty
!
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Quick crumb schnitzel and hot bean salad7. Udon with miso and Asian vegetables
The day feels much better just looking at this dish. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Nourishing, nutritious, full of goodness. An
udon bowl is exactly what you need
at the end of a long day.
8. Atkilt alicha
This vegan stew is delicately spiced with everything nice. Source: Adam Liaw
For a fresh take on an age-old family dinner, give
this super-tasty Ethiopian vego stew
a whirl one night.
9. Whole-spiced roasted pumpkin
Do pumpkin differently with a roasted version dressed with spices and served with a homemade buttermilk curd. Source: Adam Liaw
Slow-roasted pumpkin
makes such a delightful dinner
. Colin Fassnidge packs in the spices and tops the whole thing off with a tangy buttermilk curd.
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Thai pumpkin soup12. Pan-seared white fish with sautéed kale
'Fish and green veg are a bit of a staple in my house,' says Hayden Quinn. Source: Adam Liaw
'Fish and vege' make the
ideal weeknight dinner
. Fast to make and fresh to eat.
13. Corn pakoras with chaat masala
Basically an extra-super-fancy corn fritter. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Chaat is India’s favourite genre of snacking street food for a reason.
This version
has a long ingredients list, but is as quick to make as you'd expect from a street favourite.
14. Jacket potato party
Keep your potato size generous and your topping selections even bigger. Source: Adam Liaw
Put the
fun back into dinner
.
15. Mee goreng with spicy eggs
Source: Danielle Abou Karam
For maximum enjoyment, dinner should be a 'street food favourite'. They're the kind of dishes that are so tasty they
make every meal an exclamation
.
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Enqulal firfir (Ethiopian scrambled eggs)18. Quinoa poke bowl
Particularly welcome if you have kids obsessed with sushi. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Bowl food is
basically our favourite way to eat
. Even when it's this healthy.
19. All-veg tomato sauce pasta
More is more when it comes to veggies. Source: Adam Liaw
This tomato sauce
that contains onion, carrots, capsicum, celery, zucchinis, garlic, basil and, of course, tomatoes. Colin Fassnidge has kids. He gets it.
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Picnic pasta with tuna and capers22. Sausage and brown rice minestrone
Everything that's good is in this bowl. Source: Adam Liaw
Adam turns the already comforting minestrone into
something yet more hearty
with minced Italian sausage and rice.
23. KL hokkein mee
The answer to 'should we have
noodles for dinner
?' is always, 'yes please!'.
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Duck noodles with red cabbage26. Chicken pot pie
There's little more comforting, or satisfying, than sinking into a fresh, hot chicken pie. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
The other correct answer to 'what should we have for dinner?'
is 'pie'
.
27. TV spaghetti
Even the TV won't distract you from the gloriousness of this dish. Source: Adam Liaw
Naming this dish 'TV spaghetti' does not do it justice. It's actually a
one-pot wonder that melts together
anchovies, parsley and chilli to conquer the summit of your pasta mountain.
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Spaghetti bottarga30. Ten-minute cheeseburgers
Another zippy favourite, zhushed by Adam to be
more than the sum of its parts
. Is it the brioche burger bun? The Japanese mayo? Or the carefully placed dill pickle? All of the above.
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Chicken katsu burger33. Easy butter chicken
Jessica Rowe does not muck around when it comes to easy dinners. Source: Adam Liaw
'Easy butter chicken
' sounds less like a recipe title and more like a chorus of family dinner bells echoing across the suburbs.
34. 'Shepherd's pie' with sweet potato mash
Healthy food and delicious meals should be mutually exclusive things. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
When it works this well, there's nothing quite like the
re-invention of an old favourite
.
35. Vegetable confit risotto
With a slow-cooked vegetable confit and tender arborio rice cooked in stock and white wine, this is a deluxe vegetarian risotto. Source: Adam Liaw
Meatless Monday
never looked so good
.
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Risotto with herbs and agrodolce38. Stuffed baby eggplants
Creamy baked eggplant stuffed with lamb and pine nuts, topped with herbs and served with Greek yoghurt. Source: Adam Liaw
Sheikh el mehshi
brings Middle Eastern comfort food to your weeknight menu.
39. Lizzy Hoo's silken tofu dinner
How can just five ingredients taste so good? Source: Adam Liaw
This was 'the favourite'
in Lizzy's share house back in the day. They'd eat it three or four times a week, but cooking it tonight for dinner would be a great start.
40. Easy parmesan chicken with herb salad
Another 'crumbed-delight', but
with a cheesy twist
. One for the low-carb schnitty lovers.
41. Hokkaido salmon chanchan
This is one of the easiest and fastest dinners you could imagine. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
The combination of buttery vegetables, tender salmon and savoury miso is
perfect for any dinner
.
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Roasted battata harra with salmon44. Steak Diane
With deep, rich flavours you know and love, it's time to bring back this classic. Source: Adam Liaw
Throw it back to the sixties with
this retro steak Diane dinner
. Follow it up with a bomb Alaska dessert is you truly want to set the nostalgia on fire.
45. Pork belly one-tray roast
PS - this dish is worth making for the crunchy roast potatoes alone. Source: SBS
Dishwashing fact: any dish with the world 'one-tray' in it's title is instantly 50 per cent
better than any other dish
.
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Lemongrass pork belly on rice48. Chase's sukiyaki
Sukiyaki is traditionally cooked at the table, making it both meal and entertainment in one. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Chase Kojima served up this
hearty Japanese hot pot
and we all dived in, mouth-first.
49. Roast tomato soup with rosemary cheesy flatbreads
And it's all cooked in the oven. Source: Adam Liaw
Homemade soup
meets homemade bread. #wholesome
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Čorba52. Hainanese pork chops with onion gravy
Emphatically
not your run-of-the-mill pork chop dinner
thanks to an 'enchanting' Chinese-inspired gravy.
53. Red wine and rosemary teriyaki roast lamb
Roast lamb travels well. Source: Adam Liaw
A simple roast lamb
takes a spin through Japan
, turning red wine and rosemary into a rich teriyaki glaze.
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Cumin lamb and zucchini foldovers56. Kid-friendly dhal
This is a great base recipe that isn’t confronting for kids at all. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Because feeding your kids a bowl of lentils for dinner is the
pinnacle of smug parent achievement
.
57. Fried tofu with spring onion
Tuck into tofu for an easy, satisfying dinner option. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
An easy one-pan (there's that magical phrase again!)
vegetarian dinner
that will take 15 minutes to get on the table.
58. Whole baby snapper with chorizo
Another sterling dish that politely cooks itself in the oven. Source: Adam Liaw
A
massive amount of flavour
from chorizo, tomato and capsicum somehow manages to balance the delicate fish, not overpower it.
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Turmeric barbecued fish with tomato sambal61. Lemon chicken
Adam's version of the Chinese takeaway classic includes a rice wine and ginger sauce instead of the usual gluey marinade associated with the dish. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
The restaurant family
favourite comes home
.
62. Lamb mince ali nazik
You simply can't go wrong with one of the
most popular dishes in Turkey
.
63. Avocado green goddess
The green goddess dressing is a must in any fridge. Drizzled over this salad, slathered on jacket potatoes, or dipped onto vegetables, it's good. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Bring on the
salads for dinner
. Throw everything you've got in there for maximum flavour and nutrition.
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Chargrilled baby corn and wagyu salad66. Baked heirloom tomatoes
Take a trip to Southern France one evening soon. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
When tomatoes are in season, there is
simply no finer dinner
.
67. Trofie al pesto
The Ligurian city of Genova is the home of true pesto Genovese made with basil, salt, oil, garlic and pine nuts. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Pesto pasta has long been the
go-to last-minute dinner
of many a family. Now it's time to ditch the jar.
68. Beef and broccolini with oyster sauce
Drawing on the 'holy trinity' of Chinese cooking, Adam shares his simple steak stir-fry with ginger, onions and garlic. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
This looks exactly like a dinner most families
would devour in seconds
. Fortunately, it's prepared in much the same amount of time.
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Broccoli and sausage pizza71. Peanut butter curry
Step aside butter chicken, there's a
new kid favourite in town
.
72. Foul mudammas
Fava beans and chickpeas seasoned with tahini, lemon and garlic make for a light and fresh vegan meal. Source: Adam Liaw
Perhaps some of the appeal of this
Middle Eastern favourite
is lost in translation, but don't let the name stop you. It's a tasty-as vegan classic that's healthy to boot.
73. Frying pan kabab khashkhash
This Syrian kabab is made from lamb mince and served on roasted tomatoes. Source: Adam Liaw
Skip the barbecue and fry your kabab in the pan on the stove. Those
moreish Middle Eastern flavours are all there
and some.
74. Chicken and mushroom doria
Think of a gratin of béchamel over rice. Source: Adam Liaw
Doria is an Italian-inspired dish that originated in France, but now only seems to exist in Japan
where it is phenomenally popular
.
75. American hot wings with ranch dressing
Dipping wings into sauce is such a fun way to eat. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Chicken wings may be cheap and cheerful, but when they're
spiced just right
they're also spectacular.
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Fried chicken wingsDish these desserts
78. Tofu doughnuts
Deep-fry your sweet tofu batter then dust with cinnamon, icing sugar or sweetened kinako powder. Done. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Dessert-inject some protein with Adam's
crunchy tofu doughnuts
. They take a tiny 15 minutes from whoa to go.
79. Four-ingredient flan
Adam nails a
dessert that's both crowd and cook pleaser
. Five minutes of prep for an evening of 'you're the best cook ever's.
80. Crispy banana split
As if a banana split wasn't already amazing, now there's a deep-fried version. Source: Adam Liaw
A banana split is always a good idea, particularly when the
banana is deep-fried to crispy perfection
. Do try this one at home.
81. Hot chocolate tart
A shortcut way to a knockout tart using everyone’s favourite ingredients. Source: Adam Liaw
A silky tart
filled with a blend of chocolate, Tim Tams and mini marshmallows is always going to make the list.
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Danielle Alvarez's shaker lemon tart84. Cherry clafoutis
This extremely simple dish from southern France is no more difficult than cherries set in a sweet base. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
It's French, so it has to be complicated and fiddly, right? Wrong! But it does have to be luxurious and special and
a cherry clafoutis is all that and more
.
85. Vietnamese coffee tiramisu
We
bow
.
86. Super vanilla ice-cream
This ice-cream is a labour of love, and very much worth the wait. Source: Adam Liaw
Sometimes it just
isn't about convenience
.
87. Sticky banana and white chocolate puddings
The rich butterscotch sauce is a giveaway that this is a take on the perennially popular sticky toffee pudding. Source: Adam Liaw
A good pudding is
everything we love about dessert
. Sweet, comforting and endlessly satisfying.
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Pouding chomeur (unemployment pudding)90. Emergency apple crumble
This dish is beyond easy to make and super-easy to cook. Store the leftover raw crumble in the freezer for later pressing pudding emergencies. Source: Adam Liaw
If you've never
needed an emergency pudding
, you're doing everything right. Make this one anyway.
91. Whipped ricotta with charred peaches
Sweet peaches, creamy ricotta and tangy pickled shallot come together for a beautiful (and different) dessert. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
A fruity dessert ends the meal just right. In this one, Adam adds a pickled shallot
twist to keep us on our toes
.
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Roasted apricots with mascarpone and pistachio94. Toasted marshmallows
If you've never tried a homemade marshmallow, you've never tried a marshmallow. Source: Adam Liaw
This is the kind of sweet that would really
keep the jacket potato party going
(see above).
95. Vegan black sesame and coconut ice-cream
All you need is a blender. Source: Adam Liaw
A quick
four-step, no-churn ice-coconut cream
that will be on high-rotation in no time at all.
96. Vegan snickers
This recipe is the healthy version of a Snickers bar, without the lack of flavour that comes with some 'tastes like' desserts. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
This is exactly how you
want to finish dinner
, right?
97. Strawberry, white chocolate and crème fraiche galette
Make your own pastry to really send this dessert into the taste stratosphere. It's a texture thing, too. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
The French love a good pastry dessert, and dishes like
Phoebe Wood's strawberry galette arewhy
.
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Strawberry shortcake100. Loukoumades with honey and cinnamon
Loukoumades are equal-parts savoury and sweet. Much like many yiayias. Source: Adam Liaw
Once you get the hang of them, delicious
loukoumades are a breeze to make
. Just ask any yiayia.
101. Biscotti
Biscotti or lady fingers are wildly popular in Italy and pretty much the entire world. Source: Adam Liaw
We'll let biscotti
have the last word here
. Because biscuits really are the best way to end both meals and mammoth favourites lists.