๐ SUNDAY LUNCH โ Soy-Ginger Roast Chicken (1 hr 30 min, mostly hands-off)
- Oven + rub: preheat 190ยฐC fan. Pat the whole chicken (~1.75kg) dry. Mix a glaze: 3 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp honey + 1 tbsp grated ginger + 3 garlic cloves minced (or garlic paste) + 1 tsp five-spice (cupboard) + 1 tbsp sesame oil. Rub half over and under the skin.
- Roast: sit chicken in a roasting tin, breast up. Roast 1 hr 20 min for a 1.75kg bird (20 min per 500g + 20), basting with the rest of the glaze twice. Juices should run clear; if you have a probe, 75ยฐC in the thickest thigh.
- Sesame greens: in the last 10 min, steam or stir-fry half the tenderstem (100g) + half the pak choi quartered. Toss in 1 tbsp soy + 1 tsp sesame oil + 1 tsp sesame seeds.
- Carbs: steamed jasmine rice (cupboard), OR roast the 2 fridge baking potatoes cut into wedges (toss in oil + salt, 45 min at 200ยฐC โ start them before the chicken if going this route).
- Rest + carve: rest chicken 15 min under foil before carving. Spoon the sticky pan juices over. Save all leftover meat + the carcass โ see notes below.
โก The bit that matters (chicken): the glaze has honey in it, so only brush on the second half in the last 25 min or it burns black. And if you have time, salt the bird and leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours first โ dry skin is crisp skin.
โป๏ธ Leftover gold: shredded leftover chicken โ Mon + Tue adult lunches. The carcass โ simmer 40 min with ginger + spring onion tops + a splash of soy to make a stock base for Thu's laksa broth (freeze if not using straight away).
๐น๐ญ SUNDAY DINNER โ Thai Green Curry (lighter, 25 min)
- If still full from lunch, this can slide to Mon and Mon's tofu to Tue โ your call. Otherwise, a light veg-forward curry:
- Fry paste: heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 3 tbsp Blue Elephant green curry paste, fry 1 min until fragrant.
- Coconut: pour in 1 tin coconut milk (400ml) + 100ml water. Add 300g chicken thigh cut into chunks (or use leftover roast chicken to make it lighter). Simmer 12 min.
- Veg: add remaining tenderstem (100g) + remaining pak choi + 100g fine green beans halved. Simmer 5 min.
- Balance: off heat, stir in 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar + juice ยฝ lime + torn Thai basil. Serve over jasmine rice.
- Hamish: pull a mild portion (chicken + coconut sauce + rice) before adding extra chilli/fish sauce.
โก The bit that matters (curry): split the coconut tin. Fry the paste in only the thick cream from the top until the oil visibly separates and it smells toasty โ 3โ4 min. Then add the thin milk. This is the single biggest upgrade to any Thai curry: it's the difference between fragrant and beige.
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Taste before serving: green curry needs all four notes โ salty (fish sauce), sweet (sugar), sour (lime), hot (paste). Add one at a time and taste between. It should taste slightly too strong on its own; the rice dilutes it.
๐ธ Free upgrade: don't bin the chicken pan juices. Skim the fat, add a splash of water, scrape the sticky bits off the tin and reduce for 2 min โ instant sauce, better than anything you'd buy.
whole chicken (lunch)
green curry paste
1 tin coconut milk
300g chicken thigh
tenderstem + pak choi + green beans
Thai basil + lime
jasmine rice
๐ Flo Sunday batch bake: while the chicken roasts, bake her 2 new snacks (see Flo tab) โ miso-cheddar oat cookies + banana-tahini oat loaf. Oven's already on for the chicken, so they share the heat.
๐ถ One-hand-friendly: curry in a bowl over rice, spoon. Roast lunch is the one knife-and-fork meal of the week โ worth it on a Sunday.
Hamish daytime (Sun): roast chicken + rice + steamed greens (all soft, from lunch). Snack โ Flo's cookie (small piece) + banana + carrot.
๐ฅช Mon adult lunch: shredded roast chicken in a wrap or over rice with sesame + spring onion + a little hoisin.