Treat Yourself Everyday

1-Pot Dilly Fish & Rice

Weekday cooking needs to be functional, but it also should be delicious and varied, whilst still being easy. I’ll never jump on board the meal-prep for 5 days, eat the same leftovers over a week… I think we’re time poor, but we don’t need to be doing that.

I’ve added below 7 new recipes you can add to your mid-week rotation, they all take under 30 minutes to make and are veggie or pescatarian (because we really should be eating more veggies).

• Crispy rice omelettes with savoury fruit salad

• Sour Tuna Curry

• Tangy Tamarind & Green Apple Grilled Mackerel

• Celery, Chickpea, Dumpling Salad

• Creamy Soba & Tingly Sancho Sprinkle

• Cabbage, Carrot, Tuna Stir Fry

• Brothy Watercress & Rice

For me, Thursday - Friday, I allow myself to make something that is still functional, probably with less washing up, but still a little nicer than monday-wednesday dinner (I need to look forward to something). This recipe below for my 1 pot fish & rice fits into that category perfectly - it takes 45-50 minutes to make, but the bulk of the cooking is completely hands-off.

---

This recipe is inspired by baghali polo, an Iranian broad bean and dill rice. Mum’s way of showing love and care really stands out in her cooking. She mostly made Seychellois food, but once she moved to Switzerland, she started broadening her culinary world. She made baghali polo for my sister’s then Iranian boyfriend - Mum loved the dish so much, that she continued making it as I was growing up. I was inspired by that and the fish biryani she makes - both have quite a few similarities, apart from the spices she uses in the biryani which are a lot warmer.

---

1-Pot Dilly Fish with Rice

SERVES: 3-4

PREP/COOK TIME: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

For the Rice:

2 Brown Onions, peeled and thinly sliced

200g Frozen Broad Beans, defrosted, shelled (optional)

270g Basmati Rice, washed

320ml Water

40g Dill, minced (stalks and all)

1 Pinch Saffron Threads

Yoghurt, to serve

1 Lemon, cut into wedges

For the Fish:

1 Garlic Clove

1 Tbsp Lebanese 7 spice

¼ Tsp Turmeric

4x120g Cod Fillets

Method:

1. Grate the garlic into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir the 7-spice and turmeric through. Season with salt and pepper, then stir the fish through. Set aside to marinate.

2. Meanwhile, place a frying pan (that has a lid) onto medium-high heat with a generous drizzle of oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook until starting to brown, 10-15 mins. Transfer ¾ of the onions to a plate.

3. Add the rice, dill, broad beans, saffron and water into the onions. Season with a generous pinch of salt, stir and bring to the boil. Once boiling, place a lid on, reduce the heat down to low and cook, undisturbed for 18 minutes.

4. Remove the lid, place the fish fillets on top, then return the lid and leave to steam on low for another 10-15 mins, until the rice and fish are fully cooked.

5. If the fish is still not cooked through, preheat the grill/broiler to high and slide it under until cooked through. Let the fish & rice rest for 5 minutes, covered before serving.

6. Fluff the rice using a fork and share between plates. Top with the fish, a dollop of yoghurt, some browned onions and a wedge of lemon. Finish with some freshly cracked black pepper.