Main Course recipes

Choosing a main course recipe

Compare the ingredients, cooking time and equipment below to find a dish that fits your plans. Each recipe includes quantities and a step-by-step method.

• Yakisoba with Pork and Cabbage

  Preparation takes 17 minutes. Cooking takes 26 minutes. Allow 42 minutes in total. Makes 2 servings. Key ingredients: plain ready-steamed yakisoba wheat noodles, weighed as sold, raw boneless pork loin, trimmed weight, white cabbage, trimmed weight, onion, peeled weight, carrot, peeled weight. Equipment: 28–30 cm heavy frying pan, Microwave and microwave-safe dish or packaging specified by the noodle manufacturer, Tongs or two spatulas, Fine needle-tip food thermometer with a sensing section suitable for 2–3 mm-thick meat, Vegetable chopping board and separate raw-meat board, Knife, Two small sauce bowls, Clean plate for cooked pork, Two serving plates, Kitchen paper.

  Kitchen tip: Keep each batch to half the noodles, 100 g raw pork and 170 g prepared vegetables. Doubling this load in one domestic frying pan encourages steaming.

• Chermoula cod with roasted carrots and couscous

  Preparation takes 35 minutes. Cooking takes 39 minutes. Allow 57 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: boneless cod fillets, 4 × 160 g, each approximately 2.5–3 cm thick, carrots, olive oil, for the carrots, fine salt, for the carrots, fresh coriander, including tender stems. Equipment: Large shallow roasting tray, approximately 40 × 30 cm, Shallow roasting dish, approximately 30 × 22 cm, Baking parchment suitable for the stated oven temperature, Heatproof bowl of at least 1.5 litres, with a close-fitting lid or plate, Mixing bowl and two small bowls for dividing the chermoula, Kitchen scales, measuring jug and measuring spoons, Knife, chopping board, vegetable peeler and garlic press or fine grater, Kettle, fork, tongs and fish slice, Food thermometer, if available.

  Kitchen tip: Use similarly thick cod pieces and check each separately. Remove cooked fillets promptly rather than letting them dry out while other pieces finish.

• Coconut lime fish parcels with Thai basil

  Preparation takes 21 minutes. Cooking takes 35 minutes. Allow 41 minutes in total. Makes 2 servings. Key ingredients: raw skinless, boneless cod, haddock or hake fillets, dry jasmine rice, water, full-fat unsweetened tinned coconut milk, fish sauce. Equipment: Oven, Approximately 35 × 25 cm rimmed baking tray, Two 40 cm squares of baking paper rated for 200°C, 1–1.5 litre saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, Fine sieve, Scales and measuring jug, Small mixing bowl, Knife and chopping board, Two shallow heatproof serving bowls.

  Kitchen tip: Fillet thickness matters more than weight. Choose matching pieces and check each parcel; remove a thinner fillet as soon as it is ready.

• Teriyaki salmon with a glossy soy–mirin glaze

  Preparation takes 10 minutes. Cooking takes 17 minutes. Allow 24 minutes in total. Makes 2 servings. Key ingredients: boneless, skin-on salmon fillets, raw weight, approximately 2.5 cm thick, ordinary Japanese soy sauce, hon-mirin, unsalted drinking sake, caster sugar. Equipment: 24 cm non-stick frying pan with room for both fillets without touching, Broad fish slice, Small measuring jug and measuring spoons, Kitchen paper, Spoon, Clean plate for cooked fish and two serving plates, Digital probe thermometer, Microwave, if required by the rice pouch.

  Kitchen tip: Use fillets about 2.5 cm thick for the suggested cooking stages. Pieces thicker than 3 cm need longer gentle cooking; do not raise the heat to hurry them.

• Chipotle chicken tostadas with lime slaw

  Preparation takes 35 minutes. Cooking takes 59 minutes. Allow 75 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: raw boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets, peeled onion, peeled garlic, drained canned chipotle chillies in adobo, adobo sauce from the chipotle tin. Equipment: Wide, heavy-based 3-litre saucepan or sauté pan, approximately 26–28 cm across, with a lid, Two baking trays with usable surfaces approximately 30 × 40 cm, each holding four tortillas without overlap, Wire cooling racks, Pastry brush, Digital food thermometer, Sharp knife and separate or thoroughly cleaned boards for raw chicken and ready-to-eat vegetables, Coarse grater, Slaw bowl, Clean plate, tongs and two forks.

  Kitchen tip: The timeline assumes two trays and thighs that become safely cooked and tender after the stated simmer. Allow longer if the thermometer or texture check requires it.

• Spiced lamb flatbreads with sumac onions

  Preparation takes 72 minutes. Cooking takes 71 minutes. Allow 143 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: strong white bread flour, divided: 300 g for the dough and 15 g for dusting, water, instant dried yeast, fine salt for the dough, olive oil for the dough. Equipment: Digital scales, Mixing bowls and a cover for the dough, Rolling pin, Two heavy baking trays, each with at least 30 × 30 cm usable surface, fitting on separate oven shelves, Four sheets of baking parchment rated for at least 230°C, Flat board or inverted cold tray for transferring flatbreads, Wire rack, Oven gloves, Thin-tip food thermometer suitable for a shallow layer of mince, Knife and chopping board.

  Kitchen tip: The schedule assumes a 60-minute rise and two trays. Extend it if the dough has not roughly doubled or the lamb needs more cooking.

• Keema curry with peas

  Preparation takes 11 minutes. Cooking takes 47 minutes. Allow 58 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: raw minced lamb, preferably 15–20% fat, onion, finely diced, fresh ginger, finely grated, garlic, finely grated, rapeseed or sunflower oil. Equipment: Heavy-based sauté pan approximately 28 cm wide, with at least 3 litres capacity, Heatproof bowl for the browned lamb, Separate frying pan for warming chapatis, Chopping board and knife, Fine grater, Sturdy spoon or spatula, Measuring jug and kitchen scales, Digital food thermometer, Clean tea towel for keeping chapatis warm.

  Kitchen tip: Use a wide pan and brown only 250 g lamb at a time. If moisture pools, let it evaporate before expecting browned patches; this may take longer.

• Miso-glazed salmon with sesame greens

  Preparation takes 14 minutes. Cooking takes 27 minutes. Allow 30 minutes in total. Makes 2 servings. Key ingredients: boneless, skin-on salmon fillets, raw weight, each approximately 2.5–3 cm thick, mild white miso, mirin, Japanese soy sauce, or 5 ml water if the glaze base is already quite salty, water for the glaze. Equipment: Oven, Shallow metal baking tray, approximately 30 × 20 cm, Foil, optional for lining the tray or shielding the glaze, 28 cm frying pan with a lid, Small mixing bowl and small bowl for toasted seeds, Measuring spoons, Spoon or pastry brush, Colander, Fish slice, Clean serving utensils.

  Kitchen tip: Start with chilled, fully thawed salmon. If using frozen fish, thaw in the fridge beforehand and follow the pack's use-by instructions; this schedule starts with thawed fillets.

• Pan-browned Albóndigas in Tomato Sauce

  Preparation takes 30 minutes. Cooking takes 66 minutes. Allow 80 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: raw beef mince, approximately 15% fat, raw pork mince, approximately 10–20% fat, soft white bread, weighed without hard crust, whole milk, egg, approximately 50 g without its shell. Equipment: 28–30 cm deep sauté pan with lid, approximately 3 litres, with a base large enough for 20 meatballs in one layer, 26–28 cm frying pan, Two hob rings, Mixing bowl, Digital scales and measuring jug, Knife, chopping board and fine grater, Flexible spatula and spoon or tongs, Digital food thermometer, Clean serving bowls and utensils.

  Kitchen tip: Mash the soaked bread thoroughly, mix only until combined and roll without compressing to avoid dense meatballs.

• Chana masala

  Preparation takes 10 minutes. Cooking takes 35 minutes. Allow 45 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: neutral cooking oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed oil, cumin seeds, onion, finely chopped, fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated, garlic, finely grated or minced. Equipment: 28 cm (11-inch) deep frying pan or sauté pan, approximately 3 litres (3 quarts) capacity, Chopping board and knife, Fine grater, Colander, Measuring jug and measuring spoons, Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula.

  Kitchen tip: Finely chop the onion so it softens within the stated cooking time; large pieces will take longer.

• Fish and chips

  Preparation takes 25 minutes. Cooking takes 55 minutes. Allow 80 minutes in total. Makes 4 servings. Key ingredients: floury potatoes, peeled, skinless, boneless cod, divided into four approximately 150 g fillets, 2–3 cm thick, plain flour (all-purpose flour): 150 g for the batter and 50 g for dusting, cornflour (cornstarch), baking powder. Equipment: Heavy, deep 8-litre (8½-quart) pot, approximately 24 cm (9½ inches) across, or a thermostatically controlled deep fryer, Clip-on deep-frying thermometer, Instant-read food thermometer, Wire rack and two rimmed baking trays, Slotted spoon or frying spider, Tongs, Two mixing bowls and a shallow dish, Whisk, Knife and chopping board, Kitchen paper or clean kitchen towels.

  Kitchen tip: The 80-minute estimate allows for preparation, heating the oil and frying two batches at each stage. A smaller fryer that holds only one fish fillet at a time will take longer.

• Pad Thai

  Preparation takes 30 minutes. Cooking takes 12 minutes. Allow 42 minutes in total. Makes 2 servings. Key ingredients: dried flat rice noodles, 3–5 mm wide, unsweetened, ready-to-use tamarind cooking paste or purée, not concentrated extract, fish sauce, palm sugar, or light brown sugar, warm water, for the sauce. Equipment: 30 cm (12-inch) nonstick frying pan, Large bowl for soaking noodles, Colander, Small bowl and spoon for mixing sauce, Spatula and kitchen tongs, Clean plate for cooked shrimp, Instant-read food thermometer.

  Kitchen tip: Follow the noodle package's preparation method, but avoid making the noodles fully soft before stir-frying; they will continue cooking in the sauce.