600kcal Cha Ca and Oriental Salad

When I first mentioned to people about our new eating plan, the first reaction I got is "sympathy" because everyone thought I'll start eating like a Chinese monk. My husband had the same worries as I kind of dragged him in with me on this "health journey". 3 months into our health plan, I realise, in order not to make myself feel sorry, the 600kcal meal I make everyday have to be flavorsome, colorful and stomach-filling. The last thing we want is to feel sorry for ourselves.

Cha Ca and Oriental Salad is one of the many dishes that ticks all the boxes and most important it's so easy to make. Usually Cha Ca is made with cod, but it's perfectly ok to use other fish as long as they are not too flakey and you can portion a bigger chunk. I use salmon most of the time because it is handy. Again, this recipe is for two people.

Ingredients:

For the Cha Ca:

1. 300g cod/ salmon/ halibut/ monkfish/ catfish, diced into 1.5" chunks

2. 1 thumb size fresh turmeric - finely chopped

3. 1 clove garlic - finely chopped

4. 1 thumb size ginger - grated

5. 2 tbsp light soya sauce

6. 1 tbsp fish sauce

7. 1 tbsp sugar

8. 3 stalks spring onions - cut to 2" stalks

9. Good amount of dill

10. 1 small onion, finely sliced.

For the Oriental Salad:

1. 50g dried vermicelli

2. 1 red pepper - finely sliced

3. 100g sweet corn

4. 1 carrot - peeled and shredded

5. 150g red cabbage - finely sliced

6. 1 chilli - seed removed, then finely sliced

7. good bunch of dill - chopped

8. good bunch of coriander - chopped

For the Dressing:

In a bowl, mix together -

1. Juice of 1 lime

2. 1 cloves of garlic - finely chopped or minced

3. 2 tbsp light soya sauce

4. 1 tbsp fish sauce

5. 1 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Dice fish into 1.5" chunks, mix light soya sauce, fish sauce, sugar, grated garlic, ginger and turmeric together. Marinate fish in the mixture for at least 30mins (up to 24 hours). I usually marinate my fish for at least 2 hours.

2. You can then either pan fry the fish or cook it in the oven. To pan fry: Into the frying pan add 1 tbsp oil ,then add the onion, spring onion and fish on a hot (but not sizzling) pan. Toss it gently to make sure all sides of the fish are cooked evenly, then add dill. Pan frying will give your fish a good caramelisation on the outside but there is a risk that your fish may break if it gets stuck on the pan, so your alternative is cook it in the oven. Preheat your oven to 180c, line the bottom of your baking tray with onion, spring onions and dill and place your fish on top. Cook for 8-10mins. The flavor of the dill will penetrate the fish like you cooked it on a pan.

3. While the fish is cooking, pour boiling hot water into a bowl that's enough to cover the dried vermicelli. Cover it with a plate and let it soak for 3 mins (or according to your package). Drain.

4. Toss together with all the vegetables and add the dressing just before you are ready to serve.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!