Hubby's Birthday Meal

Last night I cooked hubby his birthday meal of choice.

This is so quick and easy as a 3 course dinner, it takes little preparation and always goes down as a hit.

Serves 5

What you'll need

STARTER
15 x medium sized king prawns
1/4 cup self raising flour
1/4 corn flour (available in the health section of most supermarkets)
1 small egg
3/4 cup soda water (ice cold or it'll flop)
Oil
Sweet chili sauce
Fresh lemons

MAIN
5 x 300g rib eye, rump or sirloin steak
Soy Sauce
Honey
Crushed garlic and ginger mix
Salt to taste

Sushi or Jasmin rice
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Cumin seeds
1 x large onion
3 x medium cloves garlic
2 x large carrots
2 sprigs spring onions or chives
2 x oranges

2 x medium sized aubergines
1 x pack baby marrows
Butter
Lemon juice

DESERT
4 tablespoons cake flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
A small splash of vanilla extract
A tot of Kahlua or Amarula
1 large coffee mug

PREPARATION
Remove prawns from the freezer, make sure they haven't been frozen too long or they will be floury in texture, and allow to defrost

In a large bowl, pour half a cup of boiling water and add 4 tablespoons of honey, mix until honey has melted
Add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
and 2 teaspoons of crushed garlic and ginger
Coat each steak in the marinate and salt to taste.
Place the steak in back in the marinate and allow to stand for the day, occasionally turning to allow the sauce to cook through.

TEMPURA PRAWNS
Pull the heads off each prawn
Cut the prawn along the spine with a pair of scissors. At the tail, cut down and toward the abdomen so as not to remove the tail.
Peel the skeleton off, taking care not to remove the tail
Using a toothpick, at the head of the prawn, grab hold of the gut. Gently lift, the hole gut should pull out easily.

Put your side plates out and make a pretty squiggly pattern of sweet chili on it
Quarter a lemon and put on each plate

Pour enough oil in a large pot to cover the prawns completely and bring to the boil.
The oil needs to be hot!!!!

In a deep bowl, sift your flour and corn flour (you may use 1/2 a cup of regular flour if you like, it doesn't alter the taste, only the texture of the prawns)
Lightly beat your egg in a bowl and add the soda water and mix through lightly. (No.... you didn't do something wrong, it's supposed to foam like that)
Add your egg/soda water mix to the flour
Do not mix too much, the consistency should be more on the lumpy side, not smooth.
Grab your prawns by the tail and thoroughly coat each one with your batter, taking care not to get the batter on the tails.
Drop them in the oil
They are done when the batter has turned golden brown
Take the prawns out and lightly pat with roller towel to absorb extra oil

Place 3 prawns on each plate over the sweet chili sauce and serve immediately.

MAIN

RICE
Dice your onions finely
Dice your carrots finely
Leaving your garlic still in the skin, use the side of your knife and crush it
Put your rice on to boil
At the same time in a different pot place enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of your pot and add your cumin seeds and lightly fry
Add your onions and fry until limp
Add 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and stir through
Add your garlic cloves and stir through
Allow the onions to brown through
Turn the heat all the way down to 1 on your stove and add the carrots
Stir through and leave
Chop your spring onions into tubes and set aside
Soften 1 orange to allow for easy squeezing

Once the rice is cooked, wash lightly and drain thoroughly
Add your onion/carrot mix
Squeeze the juice of one orange into the mixture and mix thoroughly
Add the spring onions just before serving and mix through

A little trick.... the reason I use sushi, Jasmin, or Basmati rice is for pretty presentation.
I place the rice into a medium sauce bowl and compact it with the back of a spoon.
Tip the bowl onto a plate and the rice comes out in a perfect little shape

MAIN
VEGGIES
Slice your baby marrows in half
Slice your aubergines into circles about 5mls thick
Sprinkle a little salt on each aubergine slice and allow to sweat for about 5 minutes
In a large pan, melt your butter and add a decent splash of lemon juice
Lightly fry your veggies
Place a lid on your pan and allow to steam on low heat

MAIN
STEAK
I cook our steaks on a hot rock, I find that it seals the meat nicely and keeps all the juices in
Cook your steaks as required.

Place your marinate in the microwave and heat, it should thicken slightly and use to garnish your main.

Serve with a slice of orange for the rice.

DESERT
Add dry ingredients to your largest mug and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using), vanilla extract and Kahlua and then mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate
Can be served with custard, ice cream or cream

And there you have it, a very simple 3 course meal to serve 5.

ENJOY