Lunch Ideas

Pre-Dukan, I used to have a variation of last night's dinner for lunch, ie some cold stir-fry with a salad or a stew made into a soup. But eating like we are now, there aren't that many left-overs as protein is now the bulk and vegetables are a no-no every other day.

PP days are especially tough, I find, as I'm always more inspired by vegetables and just need to get this over and done with. So I've turned to my fatherland, Denmark, for some culinary inspiration, which must be a first. Danish cuisine (Noma notwithstanding, but pleeeease don't get me started on that one) is a lunch cuisine, in the way that British food used to be a breakfast cuisine.

So, what do I have for lunch? Well, lots of fish and lots of egg, sometimes together. One memorable and not-to-be-repeated under any circumstances variation was a tuna omelet (even 3-year old Miss Pink who loves egg AND tuna could not eat that).

I always have some smoked pepper mackrel in the fridge, some ends of hot-smoked salmon, some lumpfish caviar (no, not a luxury item).

A typical plate could be some flaked mackrel, some salmon mixed with fromage frais or yogurt, mustard and capers and a soft-boiled egg (just set enough that it can be peeled).

Or some lumpfish caviar with soft-boiled eggs and finely chopped shallots. I have also made Oeufs Mimosas, ie hard-boiled eggs, where the yolk has been scooped out, mixed with fromage frais / yogurt and some curry powder and placed ack into the halved eggs. Good starter on PP days when the thought of just a steak or a chicken breast just doesn't bear thinking about...

Hainanese Chicken Rice Without the Rice

This is what happens when one is properly disorganised and cannot find ones recipes...

Some time ago (in a pre-Dukan life), I tried a recipe by a recent Masterchef winner, Dhruv Baker, for Hainanese Chicken Rice and it was probably the best chicken stock I have ever made. But try as I might, offline, online, I cannot seem to find the recipe again. But I ploughed on undeterred, and apparently it was worth the effort and general improvisation, just ask my mum...

I hate waste. So when I cook a whole EXPENSIVE chicken, I want to make sure that all is put to good use. And this recipe really allows for that!

In a BIG stockpot, put:

2 onions studded with a few cloves
6 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick (Chinese cinnanom or Cassia Bark is even better)
1 big tsp black peppercorns
3 whole dried chillies
2 star anise
some coriander stalks, preferably with roots
half tsp coriander seeds
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
1 chicken, breast down

Optional: a few carrots and leeks

Cover as much with water as possible. My pot is not big enough to cover the whole bird, which is why I cook it breast down, otherwise it takes even longer to cook. Also add some chicken stock cubes or powder, how much is up to you, but it really enhances the flavour (and no, it's not cheating).

I try to do the boiling the day before I want to eat the bird, so I can cool down the broth and just scrape off the fat the next day. Obviously, sieve the broth before cooling it (dont't discard the garlic cloves, just press the skins to release the mushy garlicky bits and mix with the broth).

For the picture above, I lifted the 2 chicken breasts off the bird and gently re-heated them in some of the broth, while steaming some pak choy (or other cabbage) on top.

Keep all the 'solids' warm, while you mix the dipping broth:
the broth you have just used to heat the meat
chili sauce (I like Sriracha Chili and Ginger)
oyster sauce
lime juice
soy sauce
finely chopped / grated ginger
finely chopped / grated garlic
mirin or other rice wine (just a dash, if you are ok with that on Dukan)

Serve the dipping broth in a small bowl along the meat and vegetables, with some chopped spring onion.

Now, for the other uses...

For lunch yesterday, I had one cup of the lovely broth to bulk up my otherwise meagre PP lunch (forgot to shop).

Last night I picked the rest of the meat off the chicken (except 1 drumstick) and I made a lovely Asian broth with some finely chopped vegetables and I added some of the same ingredients as for the dipping broth but in a less intense version. Serve with lots of lime to squeeze over. For our toddler, the chicken was just re-heated and served with some boiled potatoes (and ketchup, sshhh)

Today I had the remaining meat with steamed leeks and a hard boiled egg in a bechamel sauce (mix 250 ml of skimmed milk and 1 tbsp corn flour with 1/2 stock cube and 1 tsp mustard. Heat the whole thing until it thickens and pour over the other elements. Place under the hot grill for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!)

PS: I understand that in the original version, all the goodness of the broth is mixed with the rice and the chicken is served skin-on
PPS: I still felt guilty throwing the very neatly picked carcass and the scraps of skin away...