Indian Fried Fish

Flathead fillets (from market)
Mix besan (chickpea flour), small bit of cumin, coriander and kashmiri chilli powders.

Dip flathead fillets in besan. Shallow-fry in canola oil with a little ghee. Add salt before serving.

Serve with rice and veges, or better with spicy mayonnaise or raita.

Result: 4 (5 for the fish)

Preparation: very quick because no egg etc required.

Quick Lentil Soup

Sweat a finely chopped onion and finely chopped carrot (and celery if you have it) in a large saucepan. Dice a potato and dice a few tomatoes. Add to saucepan with red lentils, water and chicken stock. Bring to boil and cook for about 25 mins. Serve with buttered bread.

Result: 3.5

Preparation: easy to do after work

Lamb & Date Tagine

Tagine: Lamb shoulder, diced, recipe for lamb & date tagine in "cooking moroccan".
Can cook beforehand on stovetop and reheat in oven. Add a little cous cous before serving if too runny.

Haloumi veges

Cous cous, cooked with chicken stock, and topped with caramelized onion, cumin, cinnamon, fresh mint & coriander, currants, dried apricots, figs, toasted almonds, preserved lemon.

Result: 5

Preparation: not so quick, but easy, lots of ingredients.

Avocado pasta

Simple cream sauce (better with cream than sour cream) of onion, mushrooms, cinzano, chicken stock. Add avocado slices and mush around a bit. Serve with pasta and lots of parmesan.

Result: 3

Preparation: very quick

Tofu and Dumplings

Make some fried rice with whatever is lying around, at a minimum onion, ham and peas.

Steam frozen dumplings in tupperware steamer in wok for about 12 mins.

Steam 'Yenson's Firm Tofu' with sliced ginger and spring onion and a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil in top of tupperware steamer.

Serve in pretty bowls with black vinegar and soy sauce.

Result: 4.5

Preparation: quick and easy, especially if rice is made ahead.

Tuna Mornay

Fry up onion, spring onion and mushrooms. Add tuna and corn and baby spinach leaves. Separately make a white sauce. Add to tuna mixture and add cheese. Serve with pasta.

Result: 3.5

Preparation: white sauce takes a bit of time, but otherwise quick and easy.

Beef with Oyster Sauce

Beef strips fried in very hot oil with garlic and chilli, remove.
Turn wok down, then stir-fry onion, mushrooms, green beans, then add water and steam. Thrown in 4 bok choy, sliced. Reduce heat further. Turn until bok choy wilting. Put beef back in and some cashews. Add oyster sauce and kecap manis. Add chives and thai basil at the end. Serve with rice.

Result: 5

Preparation: super quick and easy.

Sticky Date Pudding

from Womens Weekly 'Cook' book.

Result: 5

Preparation: very quick to prepare. All done in the blender. In the oven in under 10 mins. Cook in 9-inch springform tin for 50 mins on 160 fan bake. Need only half the sauce.

Lamb Chops with Veges

Make scalloped potatoes by thinly slicing spuds and cooking in microwave for 5 mins, then layering in oven dish with hot milk, thinly sliced onions and nutmeg. Top with stacks of mozzarella. Bake for about 45 mins.

Make a ratatouille from eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, onion and tomato pieces, chucked in oven dish with a bit of oil.

Pan-fry lamb chops.

Result: 5 (mostly for the spuds, but also for the vegetable content).
Preparation: need to do spuds and veges in advance, but otherwise pretty quick.

Beef Satay Stirfry

Beef strips
Onion
Capsicum
Eggplant
Zucchini

Fry beef strips in smoking hot wok with crushed garlic and oil for about 30 seconds. Remove. Stir-fry vegetables in very hot wok, then steam slightly in wok. Throw beef back in with half a jar of satay sauce. Splash of lime juice. Serve with rice.

Result: 5
Preparation: very quick and easy.

Pork Mince Stir-Fry

Pork mince
Onion
Spring onion
Zucchini
Bok choy
Ginger
Fresh coriander

Brown mince & onion, add rest of ingredients. Sauce with sweet chilli, lime juice and kecap manis. Thicken with cornflour. Serve with rice.

Result: 4
Preparation: no time at all.