This is an old favourite from Ken Hom‘s classic Hot Wok, using the cucumber from this week’s veg boxes.
Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
Ingredients
Cooked rice – see below
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp groundnut oil
225g onions, coarsely chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
175g cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
100g fresh or frozen sweetcorn kernels
1 tsp chilli oil
Method
Combine the eggs with the sesame oil. Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until it is hot. Add the oil and, when it is hot and slightly smoking, add the onions, salt and pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add the beaten eggs and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the cooked rice and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes. Finally add the cucumber, sweetcorn and chilli oil and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes. Turn on to a warm platter and serve hot or cold as a rice salad.
Rice
Enough rice to fill l measuring jug to 400 ml level
600 ml water
Put the rice into a large bowl and wash it in several changes of water until the water becomes clear. Drain the rice and put it into a heavy pan with the water and bring it to the boil. Continue boiling until most of the surface liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. The surface of the rice should have small indentations like pitted craters.
At this point, cover the pot with a very tight-fitting lid, turn the heat down to as low as possible and let the rice cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly and then put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
If you can’t eat corn off the cob you could try cutting the kernels off the cob and putting them in this hearty soup. The recipe can be found in River Cottage Veg Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes if using dried beans
Ingredients
2 Tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
a handful of fresh oregano or marjoram, chopped
100g small dried beans, such as pinto, navy or cannellini beans, soaked overnight or 400g tin beans, drained and rinsed
1 litre vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
750g squash, such as butternut or onion, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm chunks
200g French beans, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
Kernels cut from 2 cobs corn
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently for about 10 minutes. Add the paprika and 1 Tbsp of the oregano. Cook for another minute.
If using dried beans, drain them after soaking and add to the pan, with the stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the beans are completely tender (dried beans vary, and sometimes this may take over an hour).
Add the squash, stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the squash is just tender. If using tinned beans, add the drained, rinsed beans, the squash, bay leaf and stock at the same time, and simmer until the squash is just tender, 10-15 minutes.
Then add the French beans and corn kernels and simmer for a further 5 minutes. To finish, season well with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in the remaining oregano, leave to settle for a couple of minutes, then serve.
I like to eat freshly-picked sweetcorn with Cornish butter (preferably from Trewithen Dairy). When I’m not feeling so pure but want to keep it simple, I use this recipe from Riverford Organic Farms.
The chillies are ripening in Camel CSA’s polytunnel. One will be enough in this dish, as they’re quite hot.
Serves: 4
Preparation: 5-10 minutes
Cooking: 5-10 minutes
Ingredients
4 corn cobs, cut into 3-4cm pieces
about 75g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2x 5cm lengths lemongrass (optional),
2 mild red chillies, deseeded & finely chopped
zest & juice 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
sea salt & ground black pepper
Method
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan. Add the sweetcorn, lemongrass and chilli. Stir for 2 mins. Add the lime zest and juice, with 4 tbsp water.
Cover and cook for 6-8 mins, stirring every now and then, until the corn is cooked. Keep an eye on the liquid and top up a little if needed. Season to taste and stir in the coriander to serve.
