🌏 Asian Summer Week

🍗 SUNDAY LUNCH — Soy-Ginger Roast Chicken (1 hr 30 min, mostly hands-off)

1. Oven + rub: preheat 190°C 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.
2. 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, 75°C in the thickest thigh.
3. 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.
4. Carbs: steamed jasmine rice (cupboard), OR roast the 2 fridge baking potatoes cut into wedges (toss in oil + salt, 45 min at 200°C — start them before the chicken if going this route).
5. Rest + carve: rest chicken 15 min under foil before carving. Spoon the sticky pan juices over. Save all leftover meat + the carcass — see notes below.

🇹🇭 SUNDAY DINNER — Thai Green Curry (lighter, 25 min)

1. If still full from lunch, this can slide to Mon and Mon's tofu to Tue — your call. Otherwise, a light veg-forward curry:
2. Fry paste: heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 3 tbsp Blue Elephant green curry paste, fry 1 min until fragrant.
3. 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.
4. Veg: add remaining tenderstem (100g) + remaining pak choi + 100g fine green beans halved. Simmer 5 min.
5. Balance: off heat, stir in 1 tbsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar + juice ½ lime + torn Thai basil. Serve over jasmine rice.
6. Hamish: pull a mild portion (chicken + coconut sauce + rice) before adding extra chilli/fish sauce.

Method (25 min)

1. Press tofu: drain 1 block Clearspring tofu (fridge/cupboard), wrap in kitchen roll, press under something heavy 10 min. Cut into 2cm cubes.
2. Roast aubergine: cut 1 fridge aubergine into 3cm chunks. Toss with 2 tbsp oil + pinch salt, roast 200°C fan for 20 min until silky (or pan-fry 10 min).
3. Crisp tofu: toss the tofu cubes in 2 tbsp cornflour (cupboard). Fry in 3 tbsp oil on medium-high, turning, 8 min until golden all over. Set aside.
4. Sauce base: in the same pan, add 3 garlic cloves sliced + 1 tbsp grated ginger + 4 spring onions sliced (whites first). Fry 1 min.
5. Build sauce: add 1 drained tin black beans (400g, from cupboard) lightly mashed + 2 tbsp hoisin + 1 tbsp soy + 1 tsp sriracha + 100ml water. Simmer 3 min to a glossy sauce.
6. Combine: fold the roasted aubergine + crispy tofu through the sauce. Off heat, scatter spring onion greens + 1 tsp sesame seeds. Serve over jasmine rice.

Method (15 min)

1. Rice: cook 200g jasmine rice (cupboard) per pack.
2. Teriyaki glaze: mix 3 tbsp soy + 2 tbsp honey (or mirin if you have it) + 1 tbsp grated ginger + 1 garlic clove minced + 1 tsp sesame oil.
3. Salmon: place 2 Mowi salmon fillets on a lined tray, brush with half the glaze. Roast 200°C fan for 12 min until just cooked and flaking. Brush with remaining glaze on the way out.
4. Edamame: boil 150g frozen edamame 3 min, drain.
5. Build bowls: rice base → flaked teriyaki salmon → edamame → 1 carrot peeled into ribbons (buy-bag carrot) → ½ cucumber sliced → avocado if any left → sushi ginger (fridge) → sesame seeds + sliced spring onion. Drizzle any pan glaze over.

Method (35 min)

1. Dahl base: rinse 250g red lentils (cupboard). Put in a pan with 800ml water + 1 tsp turmeric + 1 tsp grated ginger + 1 garlic clove grated. Simmer 20-25 min, stirring now and then, until soft and thick. Season with 1 tsp salt.
2. Smashed potatoes: if not par-boiled last night, boil the 2 baking potatoes cut into 4cm chunks for 12 min until tender. Drain, tip onto an oiled tray, squash each flat with a masher, drizzle 2 tbsp oil + salt. Roast 220°C fan for 20 min until crisp.
3. Tarka (the flavour bomb): heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a small pan. When hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds + 1 tsp black mustard seeds (cupboard) — let them pop 30 sec. Add 3 garlic cloves sliced + 1 dried or fresh chilli. Fry 1 min until garlic is golden.
4. Finish: pour the sizzling tarka over the dahl, stir through. Squeeze of ½ lime, chopped coriander.
5. Raita: mix 150g yoghurt or kefir (fridge) + ¼ cucumber grated + chopped mint (garden or leftover) + pinch salt + cumin.
6. Serve: dahl in bowls, crispy potatoes for scooping, raita on the side. Flatbreads if you have any.

Method (20 min)

1. Broth: heat 1 tbsp oil in a big pan. Add 3 tbsp Dapur Mariae laksa paste, fry 1 min. Pour in 1 tin coconut milk (400ml) + 600ml stock (the roast chicken stock from Sun, or Marigold bouillon). Simmer 8 min.
2. Noodles: cook 200g rice noodles (cupboard) per pack, divide between 2 bowls.
3. Soft eggs: soft-boil 2 eggs (Joe's chickens) — 6 min 30 sec from boiling, then ice water, peel, halve.
4. Poach in broth: add remaining pak choi quartered + 150g beansprouts to the broth, 1 min. Then the 400g prawns, poach 2-3 min until pink.
5. Build: ladle broth + prawns + veg over the noodles. Top each bowl with a halved soft egg, more beansprouts, coriander, sliced spring onion, chopped peanuts, a wedge of lime and a drizzle of sriracha.

Method (15 min — steak marinated overnight)

1. Rice: cook 200g jasmine rice (cupboard).
2. Sear bulgogi: get a pan smoking-hot. Add 1 tbsp oil. Lift the marinated bavette slices from the marinade and sear in a single layer 1-2 min total — thin slices cook fast and you want char, not stew. Do it in 2 batches if crowded. Tip in the last of the marinade for the final 30 sec to glaze.
3. Fried eggs: in a second pan, fry 2 eggs (Joe's chickens) in a little oil — crispy edges, runny yolk.
4. Build bowls: rice → bulgogi steak → a good pile of kimchi → fried egg on top → sliced spring onion + 1 tsp sesame seeds. Gochujang or sriracha (fridge) on the side.
5. Extra veg (optional): quick-wilt any leftover greens or beansprouts in the steak pan with a splash of soy.

💜 Flo Sunday Batch Bake — 2 new breastfeeding snacks

Both bake Sunday while the roast chicken's in — oven's already on. ~30 min active. One savoury, one sweet-ish, both freezer-friendly and one-hand grab-and-go for feeds.

1. 🧀 Miso-Cheddar Oat Cookies (savoury, ×16)

1. Oven + tray: 180°C fan. Line 2 baking trays.
2. Cream: beat 120g soft butter + 1 tbsp white/brown miso (your cupboard miso/bouillon) + 1 tsp honey until smooth.
3. Add: mix in 1 egg (Joe's chickens), then 100g plain flour (cupboard) + 120g porridge oats (cupboard) + 100g strong cheddar grated (the cheese you bought) + 2 sliced spring onions + 1 tsp sesame seeds + grind of pepper.
4. Shape: roll into 16 walnut-sized balls, flatten slightly on the trays, space apart.
5. Bake: 14-16 min until golden at the edges. Cool on the tray 5 min (they firm up). Airtight tin 4 days, or freeze.

2. 🍌 Banana-Tahini Oat Loaf (sweet-ish, 1 loaf / ~10 slices)

1. Oven + tin: 170°C fan. Line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin.
2. Wet: mash 3 ripe bananas (~360g). Whisk in 3 tbsp tahini (the tahini you bought) + 2 eggs + 3 tbsp honey + 50ml oil + 1 tsp vanilla (cupboard, optional).
3. Dry: in another bowl, mix 150g plain flour + 100g porridge oats + 1.5 tsp baking powder + ½ tsp cinnamon + pinch salt.
4. Combine: fold dry into wet until just mixed. Pour into the tin. Optional: drizzle 1 tsp tahini + a few oats on top.
5. Bake: 45-50 min until a skewer comes out clean (cover with foil at 35 min if browning fast). Cool fully before slicing. Room temp 4 days, or freeze in slices.

💜 Flo grab-and-go summary

Sunday = 2 bakes, ~30 min active, both sharing the oven with the roast. Savoury miso-cheddar cookies (protein + salt hit) + banana-tahini loaf (iron from tahini + slow-release oats, naturally sweet from banana). ~26 snacks total (16 cookies + 10 slices). Both freeze well — bag up what won't get eaten by Wed. Perfect one-hand fuel for night feeds.

Ocado basket — Sat 8 Aug 5-6pm delivery

Total basket ~£136 (a good chunk was Joe's regulars). Small shop this week — half the Asian flavour base came from the well-stocked cupboard (hoisin, sriracha, laksa/curry pastes bought fresh, garlic paste, sushi ginger, tofu, rice noodles, black beans, five-spice, sesame).