Asian mince on rice

Ingredients:

• 500g pork or beef mince
• 1T Thai sweet chilli sauce
• 1T sesame oil
• 1T grated fresh ginger
• 1T soy sauce
• 1t fish sauce
• 2t brown sugar 
• 2T oyster sauce
• 2 spring onions, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 zucchinis, grated; or a head of spinach or silverbeet, prepared like this
• 2T chopped coriander, mint, basil (or mixture) 
• 1/4c cashews, roasted

Method:

1. Mix mince with sweet chilli sauce, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Leave for at least five minutes, or all day in the fridge.

2. Heat a wok and fry mince mixture over high heat until cooked through.

3. Reduce heat and mix in oyster sauce, carrots, silverbeet/spinach/zucchinis, spring onions, herbs and cashews.

4. Cook for another couple of minutes.

Serve on plain Basmati rice.

Serves four to six.

Tips:

• Try using other vegetables e.g. diced onion, sliced mushrooms, small florets of broccoli &/or cauliflower, sliced capsicum, grated cucumber.
• The first time I made this I didn't have oyster sauce so just added an extra 2T of soy sauce. 

Pumpkin risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 3 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 ½ litres Oxo vegetable stock, hot
• 400g buttercup pumpkin
• 100g Parmesan, grated
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Peel half the pumpkin and cut into pieces. Bake in the oven until soft, allow to cool for 30 minutes, then purée.

Meanwhile, peel the remaining pumpkin, cut into pieces and sauté in 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter until tender.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until just soft (about 2-3 minutes). Stir continuously. 

Add rice and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes. Ensure rice is coated with oil. Add the white wine and continue cooking, stir often, until the rice has absorbed it.

Pour in enough stock to completely cover the rice (about 3 cups). Continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed. Pour in one cup of stock and stir until it has been absorbed. Add remaining cup and cook, stirring, until rice is al dente (tender but still a little chewy) and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Reduce heat so the risotto doesn't simmer. 

Stir in diced and puréed pumpkin. Stir in Parmesan and 2 Tbsp butter to give the risotto a nice, creamy finish. 

Spoon immediately into heated shallow serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

Serves 4 (generous servings)