Triple-Tested recipes
Kick off your festivities in style with our cookery team’s favourite tipples and nibbles – the only recipes you’ll need to get the celebrations started…
Sesame Prawn Balls
‘Your best-loved Chinese takeaway prawn toasts in ball form. Whenever I serve these, a crowd gathers!’
Hands-on time 30min, plus chilling and cooling. Cooking time about 20min. Makes 24
• 400g raw peeled king prawns
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 2tsp soy sauce
• 3 medium eggs
• 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 50g plain flour
• 100g sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil, to fry
• Sweet chilli sauce, to serve
1 Whizz the prawns, garlic, ginger and spring onions in a food processor until fairly smooth. Add the soy sauce, 1 egg, 50g breadcrumbs and some seasoning. Whizz again to combine. Scrape into a bowl.
2 With wet hands (to prevent sticking), roll the mixture into 24 balls and place on a baking tray. Loosely cover and chill for 1hr to firm up.
3 Put the flour into a small, shallow bowl, and the remaining breadcrumbs and sesame seeds into a second bowl. Lightly beat the 2 remaining eggs in a third bowl. Working a few at a time, roll the prawn balls first in flour to cover (gently shake off excess), followed by the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Return to the tray. Repeat coating with remaining balls.
4 Pour oil into a large, heavy-based, deep pan until it comes ⅓ of the way up the sides. Heat oil to 180°C. Fry balls in batches for 4min, turning halfway, or until deep golden and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, lift on to kitchen paper to drain. Cook remaining balls, monitoring oil temperature. Leave to cool slightly. 5 Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.
PER CANAPÉ (without dip) 74cals, 5g protein, 4g fat (1g saturates), 4g carbs (0g total sugars), 1g fibre
GET AHEAD Fry balls a day ahead; cool, cover, chill. To serve, reheat on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 for 10min.
Celeriac Remoulade with Chorizo
‘You can also serve the toasts beside bowls of the remoulade and fried cho
