Eleven quick and easy summer weekday dinners, from pasta to Maggi goreng – recipes
(Pictured above)Rukmini Iyer’s recipe contains a microwave method for cooking rice, but I’ve successfully made basmati in a rice cooker countless times – just pop the whole garlic clove in with the rice grains.After that, it’s only a matter of stir-frying the cashews, broccoli and tofu.If you need more convincing, Iyer says this recipe was “an absolute hit with my children”.My own children happily mainline tofu and rice, and can be persuaded to have broccoli if I tell them they’re actually eating mini Christmas trees, so I believe her.There are many ways to level up your instant noodles, and this recipe follows a familiar formula: add greens for health and a fried egg for protein.
Plus, it’s seriously fast – Junda Khoo’s recipe is over in three steps,One colleague was so enamoured by this dish he bulk-ordered 200 packets of kari Maggi noodles to make this recipe on repeat,The secret to stir-fry success is to have your ingredients prepped and ready to go, and to make sure the oil in your pan or wok is smoking hot,Pine nuts have a heady, toasty characteristic all their own, with a hefty price tag to match – they go for about $55 per kg in Australian supermarket, although they’re sold in more palatable 100g quantities,So when it comes to toasting them (buy them natural, rather than pre-toasted), heed Rukmini Iyer’s warning: “Under no circumstances should you leave the pan to do something else: they will burn in an instant.
” That is the only taxing part of this recipe – otherwise you only need to simmer the chickpeas and tomatoes for 10 minutes, blitz a herby dressing and have bread at the ready.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morningWhen it comes to household chores between my husband and me, the deal is whoever cooks, the other washes up.Washing up is the short straw, for obvious reasons, so for those with a similar arrangement this one-pot recipe is a gift to your other half: here’s your dinner, and here’s a single dirty saucepan.It’s a simple recipe, but don’t rush it – properly brown your mushrooms and soften the onions for maximum flavour.Pleasingly, it contains frozen peas.
Justin Narayan, a Masterchef Australia winner, credits his mother and grandmother for this “OG” recipe – he says they made dal every day.With a simple list of ingredients – red and yellow lentils, a trio of easily acquired vegetables, spices – it’s a quick, easy and nutritious recipe to add to your weekday menu.Narayan says to serve with roti, though some steamed rice could do if you need a extra-speedy dinner.Shortly before I discovered my first-born had a dairy allergy, I was entering my halloumi era: I would fry rectangles of salty Cypriot cheese for a quick lunch any chance I got.Here, the cheese is lovingly draped on Rukmini Iyer’s chopped salad – in Australia right now, you could use fresh sweetcorn (the kernels from two ears should do it); note that tenderstem broccoli is sold here as broccolini.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe riffs on the flavours of spaghetti alle vongole, with white fish in place of the clams and an umami-powered seaweed butter.The recipe uses sea bass, but in Australia, you could try sustainable alternatives such as farmed barramundi.The tomatoes, garlic, olives and capers are traditional; the butter and tinned tuna are not.The result, however, is a weeknight saviour that can be tweaked however you like – throw in fresh tomatoes or tomato paste, saute the garlic first if you prefer, switch out the butter for olive oil.Alice Zaslavsky suggests casarecce or penne, but any pasta that has ridges or twists – to better grip the sauce – will do.
This is exactly how I like my eggs – with a slightly set yolk, lacy edges, and a drizzle of soy sauce.The clever part of Meera Sodha’s recipe is the high yield of the garlic-kicap-manis sauce, which can be spooned generously over hot white rice.At home, I have mine with a side of sliced cucumbers for freshness and crunch.If you ever needed permission to have beans on toast for dinner, consider it granted.This is more effort than dumping a tin of Heinz on Wonder White, but it does capitalise on pantry essentials like passata, white beans and spices.
The fancy bit is popping the pan under the grill so a crust forms on top – just make sure to use one with a metal handle, and watch your fingers.Breakfast for dinner is a speed-cooking classic and this recipe is ready in just 10 minutes.While the late chef Bill Granger may have popularised sweet ricotta pancakes in Australia, Nigel Slater’s takes a savoury turn with spring onions and tarragon.
Raducanu stunned by wildcard Preston in Hobart after tough Australian Open draw
Emma Raducanu ended her preparations for the Australian Open with a miserable 6-2, 6-4 defeat by Taylah Preston, a 20-year-old Australian wildcard, in the quarter-finals of the Hobart international.As the top seed in Hobart, a small WTA 250 tournament, Raducanu had entered with a real opportunity to compete for an elusive second career WTA title since her win at the US Open more than four years ago. Instead, the challenging rainy conditions were seemingly all it took to unsettle the Briton, who put in a dismal performance on Thursday evening. Her defeat against Preston, the WTA No 204, is her fourth-worst defeat by ranking since 2021.On a day of frustrating rain delays, the players were only on court for about 10 minutes before they had to return to the locker room with Raducanu trailing 1-2
Sports piracy explodes in UK with 3.6bn illegal streams and rise of black-market bookmakers
The number of illegal streams of sports events in Britain has more than doubled to 3.6bn in the past three years according to a new report, which provides a stark illustration of the challenge facing broadcasters and leagues in combating piracy.The Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s national 2024-25 report also highlights that there is a symbiotic relationship between sports piracy and unlicensed gambling, with 89% of illegal streams in this country featuring adverts for black-market bookmakers.Illegal betting has exploded over the past four years with unlicensed operators earning £379m in the first half of 2025, giving them 9% of Britain’s £8.2bn online gambling marketplace, a huge increase on their 2% market share in 2022
Roger Federer hails Alcaraz and Sinner’s ‘great’ rivalry amid Australian Open return
Roger Federer hailed the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the six-time champion returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement in 2022.Federer, who last travelled to Australia in 2020, will headline the inaugural opening ceremony with a doubles exhibition match alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt.“The rivalry with Alcaraz and Sinner is a great one,” said Federer. “They play incredible tennis. I think that French Open final was unreal
New York Giants reportedly closing in on John Harbaugh as next head coach
The New York Giants are closing in on a deal to hire John Harbaugh as their next head coach, with negotiations ongoing but momentum building toward an agreement, according to an ESPN report Wednesday night.While contract details are still being finalized and no paperwork has been signed, sources told ESPN that both sides expect the process to reach the finish line barring an unexpected snag. One source characterized the talks as active and substantive, with issues still to be worked through.Harbaugh, 63, became available last week after an 18-season run with the Baltimore Ravens, where he compiled a 180–113 record, won a Super Bowl following the 2012 season and established one of the league’s most consistent teams.The Giants, who have gone 7–27 over the past two seasons, identified Harbaugh as a priority target early in their search to replace Brian Daboll, who was fired in November
Home hope Alex de Minaur handed no favours with tough Australian Open draw
Local hopes of ending a half century-long drought in the Australian Open have been tested after No 6 seed Alex de Minaur was handed a nightmare draw for the first grand slam of the year beginning on Sunday.In the first round at Melbourne Park the Australian faces former world No 6 Matteo Berrettini, who helped Italy win a third successive Davis Cup in the final in November.Another former top 10 player, 29th seed Frances Tiafoe, is a potential third-round opponent, while the 10th seed Alexander Bublik looms in round four entering the tournament in career-best form.If De Minaur can reach the quarter-finals – a stage he has never passed in grand slams – he is likely to play Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed who has beaten the Australian in all five matches the pair have played. Another Australian, 79th-ranked Adam Walton, will face Alcaraz in the first round
‘Smiling assassin’ Jordan Smith basks in spotlight after hitting $1m tennis jackpot
Pending tax advice, tennis coach Jordan Smith is Australia’s newest millionaire, thrust into the global spotlight after beating top professionals in the One Point Slam on Wednesday night.Smith’s improbable run to the $1m prize made him a magnet on Thursday morning at Melbourne Park, amid more than a dozen local and international interviews, selfies, promotions and autographs.At 10.30am, having slept for less than three hours and with no food in his stomach, Smith was just trying to do his best with all the attention. “No one’s really experienced this before, right?” he said
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