Family tacos repieces

In my experience, the most successful family meals are when there are lots of things in the middle of the table for little hands to reach and grab for – the more colour the better. The salsa in this recipe is quite spicy and is intended to add some punch for the more adventurous palate, so I suggest splitting the salsa into spicy and non-spicy, so everyone is happy.

Serves 2 adults and 2 kids
For the flatbreads
400g white spelt flour (you could use plain flour too)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp flaky salt
350g natural yoghurt

For the slaw
½ spring cabbage
8 radishes
1 apple
1 carrot
Juice and zest of 1 lime
100ml natural yoghurt
Flaky sea salt

For the salsa (optional)
2 big handfuls cherry tomatoes
½ bunch spring onions, finely sliced
1 red chilli (optional)
1 tsp chipotle paste, or to taste

For the filling
2 tbsp olive oil
½ bunch spring onions, finely sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained
A bunch of coriander, to finish (optional)

1 First, make the flatbread dough. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, then stir in the natural yoghurt. Mix well until everything has come together into a ball, then get in there with one hand and knead until you’ve got a smooth and slightly tacky dough. If it feels like it is at all dry (this will depend on your flour), you can add up to 50ml of cold water, a little bit at a time, until the dough comes together nicely. Cover with a clean tea towel, then set to one side until you’re ready to cook the flatbreads.

2 Now, make the coleslaw. Slice the spring cabbage and radishes really finely, then combine them in a large mixing bowl. Shred the apple and carrot using the coarse side of a box grater, then add them to the bowl of cabbage and radishes along with the lime zest, half of its juice and a pinch of salt. Add the natural yoghurt. Stir really well until everything is evenly coated, then set aside.

3 Next, make the salsa. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, and slice the spring onions. Add these to a little bowl, squeeze over the juice from the other half of the lime (left over from making the coleslaw). Divide the tomato mixture in half, then reserve one portion for the kids. Finely slice the red chilli and add this to the adult salsa bowl along with the chipotle paste and a little pinch of salt.

4 For the filling, heat the oil in a large pan and add the spring onions. Cook until they are soft and a little coloured, then add the spices. Stir until you can really smell their aroma, then tip in the beans, crushing them a little with your spatula as you stir. Add a pinch of salt, and a splash of water if the beans seem at all dry. Keep the filling warm while you cook the flatbreads.

5 When you’re ready to eat, prepare your flatbread rolling station, as close to the stove as safely possible. Sprinkle the worktop with flour, then tip out your dough. Divide the dough in two, then divide the first half into six pieces. Heat a large nonstick frying pan until it’s very hot, then roll out the first piece of dough until it’s very thin and about 20cm across. Carefully lift it into the pan and cook for around a minute on each side, or until it’s lightly coloured and the surface is littered with bubbles. Repeat with the remaining five small pieces of dough, then divide the second half into six pieces and repeat with those.

6 Serve everything in bowls on the table for people to help themselves. Keep the warm flatbreads wrapped in a tea towel to help them retain their heat, arrange alongside the beans, slaw, salsa and a bowl of coriander leaves for a final sprinkling.

Pork and preserved vegetable stir-fry recipes

The inspiration for this dish came from Garry’s love of the savoury, crunchy preserved vegetable topping that’s sprinkled on top of noodle soup. He’s essentially converted that topping into the star turn of a main course dish. These preserved vegetables are not the easiest ingredient to find, granted, but that’s a perfect excuse for a trip to Chinatown (or for an online shop). I used the Fish Well brand’s preserved mustard greens; feel free to experiment with other preserved vegetables. You can buy sprouted mung beans from healthfood shops and some supermarkets, but they’re also very easy to sprout at home: soak about 100g mung beans in water overnight, drain, then leave for two days in a bowl covered with a clean tea towel. Rinse them once or twice a day, adding a little water, and they’ll sprout before too long. Make more than you need for this, because they’re lovely sprinkled over all kinds of salads. Serves four with some sticky rice.

20g cornflour
2 tsp premium dark soy sauce
40ml light soy sauce (Kikkoman, ideally)
500g pork loin fillet, cut into 3-4mm-thick slices
320g Chinese preserved mustard greens or other preserved vegetables (see introduction)
75ml sunflower oil
2 red chillies, deseeded, cut in half lengthways and then into 2cm pieces
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
6 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces
200g sprouting mung beans

In a medium bowl, combine the cornflour, dark soy sauce and two teaspoons of the light soy sauce, to make a thin paste. Toss the pork in the paste, making sure it’s covered all over, then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes. (After marinating, separate the pork slices, because they may have clumped together.)

Wash the preserved vegetables in cold water, drain and set aside.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok or large frying pan on a high flame. Once the oil is very hot, add the pork, spreading out the pieces so they don’t overlap, and leave to fry for 30 seconds. Turn over the pork, again making sure the slices don’t overlap, and fry for another 30 seconds, until golden-brown. Transfer the pork to a plate, wipe clean the pan and return to a high heat.

Heat another three tablespoons of oil in the pan and, once very hot, stir-fry the chilli and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the spring onions, stir-fry for a minute, then add the preserved vegetables and stir-fry for another two minutes. Return the pork to the pan, add the final two tablespoons of light soy sauce, and stir-fry for three minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the sprouting beans and serve at once.

Pork and preserved vegetable stir-fry

The inspiration for this dish came from Garry’s love of the savoury, crunchy preserved vegetable topping that’s sprinkled on top of noodle soup. He’s essentially converted that topping into the star turn of a main course dish. These preserved vegetables are not the easiest ingredient to find, granted, but that’s a perfect excuse for a trip to Chinatown (or for an online shop). I used the Fish Well brand’s preserved mustard greens; feel free to experiment with other preserved vegetables. You can buy sprouted mung beans from healthfood shops and some supermarkets, but they’re also very easy to sprout at home: soak about 100g mung beans in water overnight, drain, then leave for two days in a bowl covered with a clean tea towel. Rinse them once or twice a day, adding a little water, and they’ll sprout before too long. Make more than you need for this, because they’re lovely sprinkled over all kinds of salads. Serves four with some sticky rice.

20g cornflour
2 tsp premium dark soy sauce
40ml light soy sauce (Kikkoman, ideally)
500g pork loin fillet, cut into 3-4mm-thick slices
320g Chinese preserved mustard greens or other preserved vegetables (see introduction)
75ml sunflower oil
2 red chillies, deseeded, cut in half lengthways and then into 2cm pieces
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
6 spring onions, cut into 2cm pieces
200g sprouting mung beans

In a medium bowl, combine the cornflour, dark soy sauce and two teaspoons of the light soy sauce, to make a thin paste. Toss the pork in the paste, making sure it’s covered all over, then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes. (After marinating, separate the pork slices, because they may have clumped together.)

Wash the preserved vegetables in cold water, drain and set aside.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok or large frying pan on a high flame. Once the oil is very hot, add the pork, spreading out the pieces so they don’t overlap, and leave to fry for 30 seconds. Turn over the pork, again making sure the slices don’t overlap, and fry for another 30 seconds, until golden-brown. Transfer the pork to a plate, wipe clean the pan and return to a high heat.

Heat another three tablespoons of oil in the pan and, once very hot, stir-fry the chilli and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the spring onions, stir-fry for a minute, then add the preserved vegetables and stir-fry for another two minutes. Return the pork to the pan, add the final two tablespoons of light soy sauce, and stir-fry for three minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the sprouting beans and serve at once.