Dinner Inspiration from Around the World!
Sometimes its really easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to dinner time. Dinner inspiration comes and goes and we end up cooking the same bunch of recipes on rotation again and again…which gets boring pretty darn quickly!
So I’ve put together 5 of my favourite (and easy!) dinner time recipe ideas from around the world in the hope that it might bring back that dinner inspiration and spice up your evening meals at home!
(Plus I’ve added some little cooking hacks and secrets in there to make things as simple as possible too!)
I won’t be winning any awards for food blogger of the year any time soon as I tend to just eyeball my cooking stuff and play it by ear. But hopefully you’ll be able to make sense of my recipes and produce something tasty too!
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Thailand – Green Curry
This is one of our favourite curry dishes and you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
We used a recipe kit we found from an adorable small business at a local food market, but she also sells them online if you fancy giving one a go. The kit comes with curry paste and some of the harder to find ingredients that really makes this dish pop. But you can find some good quality curry pastes and most of the ingredients in supermarkets these days so there’s no need to stress!
Ingredients:
4tbsp Cooking Oil, Green Curry Paste, 1 can of Coconut Milk, 400g Chicken Breast Pieces, Cup of Water, Vegetables – green beans, aubergine etc, Juice of 1/2 Lemon, 1 tbsp Fish Sauce + Kaffir Lime Leaves, 1tsp Palm Sugar (optional)
Method:
Add your curry paste to a pan with oil and warm over a medium-low heat until fragrant.
Add the rest of your ingredients and cover. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are done. (You can also fry the chicken with the curry paste and add everything to your slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4.)
Serve with Jasmine rice!
India – Spiced Lamb Burgers
This is a recipe we got in one of our Simply Cook boxes and its really easy. Spicy lamb burgers, slightly sweet brioche buns, a sticky onion relish and wedges!
Ingredients:
350g lamb mince (or beef mince if preferred), 4 brioche buns, 1 large red onion (finely sliced), 250g new potatoes (quartered), Red onion chutney, Masala Seasoning, Mint Yoghurt or Tzatziki, and bombay potato seasoning mix
Method:
Heat oven to 200oC and mix your lamb mince with the masala seasoning (1-2tbsp). Split into four and pat into burger shapes – place these in the fridge to firm up while you do the rest.
Toss the potatoes with some oil and your bombay spice mix and place on a baking tray in the oven for 25 minutes.
Heat some oil in a pan and add the chopped red onion – leave for 8 minutes over a medium low heat to soften. Add in your onion chutney plus 1tbsp water and stir. Boom, relish.
Fry your lamb burgers over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes each side using some oil, then add them to the oven on a tray for a further 5 minutes to cook through.
Assemble your burgers with the onion relish, some mint yoghurt and the wedges on the side!
Jamaica – Jerk Chicken and Rice
This is another simply Cook recipe but easily made with spices from the supermarket. High in protein and lots of fibre too with a bit of Caribbean spice!
Ingredients:
Jerk seasoning, Jerk paste, 4 skinless chicken thigh fillets, 100g Basmati rice, 200ml tin light coconut milk, 1 onion, 400g tin kidney beans, 1 lime, 200g tin sweetcorn, hot pepper sauce & a chicken stock cube
Method:
Heat the oven to 200C and boil 150ml water in the kettle. Mix the jerk seasoning and paste together in a mixing bowl with a drop of oil, then add the chicken thighs and mix well to fully coat. Place the chicken on a baking tray with the lime wedges and cook in the oven for 20 mins.
Put 100ml boiling water into a lidded, non-stick saucepan along with the chicken stock and mix well. Stir in the coconut milk.Add the rice and the kidney beans to the pan, along with all the juices from the tin. Mix well then gently bring it to the boil, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 mins. After this time, turn the heat off and leave it covered until you’re ready to eat.
To serve, squeeze the roasted limes over the chicken and serve with your “rice and peas” and some seasoned sweetcorn on the side. Add a dip of hot pepper sauce to really spice things up!
Britain – Chicken & Leek Potato Pie
For days when the weather is a little on the chilly side or you just fancy some good old comfort food – this Chicken and Leek pie is one of my favourites.
Ingredients:
250g Potatoes, 200g Chicken Breast, 1 Leek, 1 Carrot, 1tsp Dijon Mustard, Spring Greens/Kale, chicken stock cube, 30g light soft cheese, 1tbsp flour, 2 cloves garlic
Method:
Cut up your potatoes and boil until cooked (about 10 minutes). Mash with a little butter or milk until you get a creamy mashed potato for your topping.
While the potatoes are boiling, gently cook your chopped leek and carrot with some butter in a pan. Add the chopped garlic cloves and cook on a medium heat until everything has softened. Add your chicken pieces and fry until cooked through before stirring in the soft cheese and chicken stock.
Add the flour and mustard before transferring your pie mixtures to a dish. Top with the mashed potato and cook at 220oc for 15 minutes until the top is golden.
Steam or fry your greens with a bit of butter and serve!
Italy – Homemade Pizza
We love making our own pizza, it’s just so much fun! I’m currently experimenting with a few sourdough crust recipes to try out on our new pizza baking stone in the oven but you can buy pre-made bases or even packet mixes where you just add water. You can add whichever toppings you like and just have fun with this one!
Ingredients:
Pizza base (homemade, packet mix or pre-made), mozzarella cheese, tomato puree, garlic gloves minced, 1tsp dried oregano cooked meat + any other toppings you fancy!
Method:
Make your pizza dough and stretch or roll out to the size you want.
Pre-heat your oven to as hot as it goes and mix together the tomato paste, garlic and oregano.
Smear your tomato mixture over the pizza dough leaving a little room around the edge for the crust and tear up your ingredients over the top.
Tear and add the mozerella before cooking for 7-10 minutes until the base is done and the top is golden!
Which of my recipe ideas will you try first? Here’s to lots more dinner inspiration and shaking up those midweek meals!
PIN THIS DINNER INSPIRATION FOR LATER
Need more dinner inspiration?
Check out my 5 midweek meals for lazy people!