When Hello Fresh got in touch to ask me to share one of their recipes with my readers, I wasn’t sure… Surely my readers – in the main – are capable and keen cooks, enthusiastic in their efforts and looking for ideas? So, wouldn’t that mean they like planning their own meals and shopping for themselves? Just to explain, for those that don’t already know, you sign up for HF and they send you ingredients with the recipe card to make it – no shopping or meal planning required.
But honestly, since I tried this recipe and reconsidered how many time-strapped parents struggle when it comes to cooking family meals, I actually think Hello Fresh is kind of great.
Whether you dip in to a short-lived subscription at those extra stressful periods (just had a baby; school holidays; busy week at work coming up etc etc) or you go for a full on forever membership, I really can see its place in domestic life nowadays.
As well all know, it’s HARD coming up with delicious and nutritious meals every day. If it wasn’t, then no one would read this blog! That’s my whole raison d’etre for God’s sake! Ergo if I find it hard and I’m a SAHM with more time to devote to it than the majority (and also I enjoy it – many don’t), then how hard is it for working mums? RUDDY HARD, I suspect!!
HF is a great way to ensure you are enjoying a wide range of interesting meals, varied in nutrients, style, and flavour. I checked out the recipes on their site and chose this one: Firecracker Prawns…
Boy oh boy – I was NOT disappointed.
As someone who very rarely follows recipes, rather I make my own and look to cookbooks etc more for inspo than instruction, I loved making this! It was honestly one of the nicest things I have made for ages. If there is one area I lack in knowledge and would love to grow my skills, it’s at home Chinese. So this was a great one for me.
I swapped chili bean paste for chilli flakes in oil as my supermarket didn’t stock it (you could swap it for Sriracha or Hoisin even) – there’s another reason to try it, no sweating over whether you can grab those elusive ingredients! But even though I didn’t get the recipe exactly right, it was totally delicious. I will be making this regularly.
Try it! And whilst you’re at it check out their other recipes – why not treat yourself to an order from them: my readers get 10% off their first order!
Makes: enough for 4 people: 2 adults, 2 kids (portions are small so I would say double if 4 adults)
Takes: 25 minutes
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 4 spring onions, sliced into 1cm pieces, and greens / whites separated
- 240g prawns (I used frozen but fresh is great too)
- 1 tablespoon chilli bean paste (substitute with chilli flakes in oil / sriracha / hoisin sauce)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used dark but light is fine too)
- Half a large Chinese leaf (or 1 whole small one), sliced in half, root taken out and then sliced thinly (about 0.5 cm strips)
- To serve: 2 cups Basmati rice
- Pop 350ml water onto the boil with a pinch of salt. Once it comes to boil, add 2 cups rice to pan, turn heat down and pop lid on. Cook for 10 mins and then turn heat off and let it steam for 10 mins more.
- Once rice is cooking, add oil to pan and let it heat up, then toss in ginger, garlic and whites of spring onions and fry off for a couple of minutes.
- Add prawns and when pink also the chilli paste and tomato paste, then the rice vinegar and soy sauce. Now the Chinese leaf and the spring onion greens. Let it bubble on low for a few minutes with the lid on to soften the vegetables.
- Whilst you’ve been cooking the prawns the rice will have cooked. Serve the rice in a ring with the prawns in the middle.
