Adam Liaw's 7 Days of Dinner is the kitchen companion for everyday Aussies

Fish-finger tacos 

Ingredients

• 12 frozen fish fingers
• 12 corn tortillas
• lime wedges, to serve

Salsa roja

• 3 roma tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 bird's eye chillies, or to taste
• 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, finely sliced
• 6 stalks coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• Red cabbage slaw
• 1/4 red cabbage, very finely shredded
• 1/2 red onion, very finely sliced
• 3 stalks coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• salt and black pepper, to season

Yoghurt mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup (125g) mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup (125g) thick yoghurt

Method

1. To make the salsa roja, heat a grill pan over a high heat. Add the whole tomatoes and grill for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until blistered. Transfer to a blender with the garlic, chillies, chipotle, if using, and salt and blend to a smooth purée.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. Fry the onion and coriander for about two minutes until the onion softens, then add the tomato purée and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. To make the cabbage slaw, combine the ingredients in a bowl and toss.
4. To make the yoghurt mayonnaise, combine the mayonnaise and yoghurt in a small bowl.
5. Cook the fish fingers according to the packet directions and toast the tortillas on a grill pan until warmed. Top each tortilla with a bit of the slaw, a dollop of the salsa roja, a fish finger, a drizzle of yoghurt mayonnaise and serve.

Tomato-sauce chicken

Ingredients

• 800g chicken thigh fillets, sliced into 1cm wide strips across the grain
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 egg, white
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable oil, for deep-frying, plus 1 tbsp, for wok frying
• 1/4 cup (30g) potato starch or cornflour (cornstarch)
• 3 thick spring onions (scallions), julienned, to serve

Tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup (120ml) tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
• 3 tsp potato starch or cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 1/4 cup (60ml) water

Method

1. Combine the chicken with the wine, egg white, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside for about 15 minutes. Heat the deep-frying oil to 180°C in a medium saucepan. Toss the chicken with the potato starch to coat and shake off any excess.
2. Fry the chicken, in two or three batches, for about four minutes per batch until cooked through. You can tell when deep-fried meats are cooked when they start to release their liquid. The oil will sizzle when the chicken is first added, from the moisture on the surface of the chicken, but should then quieten down. When the chicken is cooked through it will start to release its moisture and the oil will start to sizzle again. When you hear that sizzling, remove from the oil and set aside on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
3. Return the saucepan to the heat and heat the oil to 200°C. Fry the chicken again, in two to three batches, for about one to two minutes per batch until crisp and golden.
4. To make the sauce, heat a wok over a medium heat. Add the oil and fry the garlic for one minute or until fragrant. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, except the cornflour slurry, and bring to a simmer. Add a little of the cornflour slurry, tossing until the sauce thickens. Add the chicken, toss to coat and serve garnished with the spring onion.

Hayashi stroganoff

Ingredients

• 25g butter, plus extra to serve
• 500g thinly-sliced beef
• 500g button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large brown onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
• 1/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 cups (500 ml) beef stock
• 1 tbsp porcini powder or shiitake powder (optional, see tip, below)
• 200g sour cream
• salt and black pepper, to season
• steamed rice, to serve
• 2 tbsp finely shredded parsley, to serve
• cornichons and small pickled onions, to serve

Method

1. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat, add half the butter and fry the beef until browned. Remove from the pot. Stir in the mushroom, onion and garlic and fry for about five minutes until browned.
   
2. Add the remaining butter, paprika, tomato paste and flour and fry for about three minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for about one minute until thickened and starting to catch on the base of the casserole dish. Add the mustard and half the beef stock, stirring to remove any lumps that form, and repeat with the remaining stock.
   
3. Return the meat to the casserole dish along with the porcini or shiitake powder, if using, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for five to 10 minutes until the mixture is combined and thick, then stir through the sour cream and adjust the seasoning.
   
4. Add a knob of butter to the steamed rice. Scatter the stew with parsley, and serve with the buttered rice, a few cornichons and pickled onions.

Apple-skin cake

Ingredients

• 25g unsalted butter, for greasing
• 1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 150g caster (superfine) sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 red apples
• 2 green apples
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp raw (demerara) sugar

Whipped sour cream

• 300ml thickened (whipping) cream
• 1 cup (250g) sour cream
• 25g icing (confectioners') sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced. Grease a round 20cm springform cake tin with the butter, then line with baking paper and grease again.
2. Reserve any of the leftover butter that you used for greasing. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar in a separate bowl, then fold in the vegetable oil and flour mixture.
3. Peel the apples, reserving the peel to top the cake. Roughly chop the flesh and discarding the core. Transfer one-quarter of the batter to a new bowl and combine with the skins. Combine the apple flesh with the remaining batter, spread into the base of the cake tin and top with the apple-skin mixture. Break up the reserved greasing butter and place on top, then scatter with raw sugar. Bake for one hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of the whipped sour cream.

• 7 Days of Dinner, by Adam Liaw. Hardie Grant Books. $45.