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Curry puffs

Baked and not deep-fried, and made with lean beef mince, these curry puffs are not only a delicious fingerfood, they are a healthier alternative to traditional curry puffs. Serve them up hot for your guests with a tasty sauce on the side for dipping. How to make curry puffs: key tips These puffs are packed with flavour and it all starts with frying off the onion, curry powder and garlic. It’s important to cook the curry powder before adding the meat, as the heat releases and develops its essential oils, making the spice taste bolder and more aromatic – flavours which can then combine with the other ingredients. Cool your curry mixture to room temperature before assembling your curry puffs – you don’t want the hot mixture to make the pastry sticky and unworkable. Only take your puff pastry out of the freezer a few minutes before you plan to use it. It’s better if the pastry is only just thawed as it will be much easier to work with. If it becomes too sticky, pop it into the fridge for a bit to firm up. Try not to overfill your puffs and be sure to seal the edges well or they may split when cooking. Cook your curry puffs until well puffed up and golden, and serve immediately with a dipping sauce alongside (see the notes below the recipe for some ideas). Key ingredients in this curry puffs recipe Peanut oil is a great oil for frying as it has a high smoke point. You could also use canola oil or rice bran oil. Lean beef mince ensures the curry puffs are a little healthier than those made with regular mince. Along with the onion and mashed potato, it makes up the filling. Curry powder, garlic, fish sauce and soy sauce bring the ‘curry’ element and the seasoning, so that your curry puffs smack with spicy, salty flavour. Adding a tiny bit of sugar gives the puffs just enough sweetness to balance the savour flavours. Puff pastry gives these curry puffs their light, crispy and flaky outer, making them a delight to bite into. Delve into more delicious Indian recipes, and then wash them down with a refreshing mango lassi. This recipe was originally submitted by gale.s, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

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Greek Meatballs

Easy to prepare meatballs that are delicious to serve at a party - hot or cold.

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Quick chicken and noodle stir-fry

This is an extremely quick and easy recipe I adapted from a recipe in Super Food Ideas magazine.

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Thai chicken balls

These are one of the easiest starters to make. These chicken balls are baked, so they are much kinder to your heart and your waistline. A great idea for unexpected guests.

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Mini Meat Pies

The kids will love these party pies with tomato sauce.

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Mum's Shepherd's pie

This is a golden oldie, tried and tested many times over. It's delicious.

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Mum's porcupine meatballs

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, so when the great depression hit America in 1929 and food was increasingly hard to come by, home cooks had to get creative. Enter porcupine meatballs. Meat was scarce and had to be extended to feed the family, so a handful of rice was thrown into the mix. Canned tomato soup had been around since the turn of the century and dried culinary herbs had been a part of the home cook’s kitchen for decades. It’s soothing to know that this recipe that was borne of necessity nearly 100 years ago still stands as perfect comfort food today. Soft and tender (and not to mention gluten free!), serve these meatballs with extra steamed rice or buttery smooth mashed potatoes. How to make Mum’s porcupine meatballs: key tips To make the meatballs, prepare the onion by chopping it very finely, as large pieces of onion will cause the meatballs to fall apart. Mix everything, except the soup and water, in a bowl. The mixture will be too stiff to stir and combine well, so clean your hands and get stuck in. Roll your meatballs into balls about the size of a large walnut. Drop them into your simmering soup mixture, gently to avoid any splash, and simmer until the rice is tender and the meatballs are cooked through. Serve your meatballs with mashed potato (to soak up all the sauce) and steamed vegetables, such as carrots and broccoli. Key ingredients in Mum’s porcupine meatballs recipe Any-star beef mince will do for these meatballs, so if you want to use budget-friendly 3-star mince, then go for it! A long-grain white rice will work best for these meatballs, such as basmati. The cook has used dried mixed herbs. You can use a mix of fresh herbs, if you like. Just be sure to chop them finely. Try rolling out some more of our delectable meatball recipes on site. I particularly like the look of these massaman curry meatballs. This recipe was originally submitted by I-hate-offal, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Australia’s Best Recipes and Natasha Shaw

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Bacon and beef pasta bake

With so many great ratings, the general consensus is that this bake is “Easy and delicious – a real winner!” Everything can be cooked in the one pan, including the pasta, meaning there is very little washing up to do. No wonder this dish is so popular! How to make a bacon and beef pasta bake: key tips If you have a large ovenproof frying pan, you can cook this bake in the one pan, without the need to transfer the mixture from the frying pan to a baking dish, so that it can go into the oven. Cook the bacon, onion and garlic in the pan first, so that the onion softens and the bacon starts to colour. Then add the beef mince and cook, breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon to prevent any lumps, until the mince is lovely and browned. The caramelisation of the mince, bacon and onion will add loads of flavour to your bake. When you add the sauce, stock and vegies, bring the mixture to the boil, while stirring occasionally to ensure any of the flavours stuck on the base of the pan are incorporated into the mixture. After stirring in the uncooked pasta, ensure that any pasta is submerged in the sauce so that it can absorb the liquid as it cooks in the oven. Key ingredients in this bacon and beef pasta bake recipe Regular beef mince and bacon rashers make this bake a meaty affair. To keep the fat content down, you can always use lean beef mince and short cut bacon. Using a bought pasta sauce is a simple way to add a smack of flavour to a pasta bake. The cook uses a pasta sauce with red wine, but feel free to use whatever bought pasta sauce you prefer. For the mixed vegetables, the cook uses grated carrot, grated zucchini, chopped capsicum or chopped champignons, depending on what they have at home at the time. Spiral pasta is a great short pasta for any pasta bake as the spirals will help the sauce cling to the pasta. It’s also an easy pasta shape for kids to pick up on a fork. Here are another 23 easy pasta bakes you may like to add to your rotation, as well as a delish-looking one-pan lasagne. This recipe was originally submitted by kaer, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

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Meatballs in curried sauce

The mango chutney in this dish enhances the curry flavour, although it is very mild. Served over rice, the whole family will love this one with meatballs that are nice and tender.

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Chop suey chow mein

A quick and easy meal that I have been making since 1971.

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Swedish meatballs

Well worth the time it takes to roll.

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Hamburger patties

We used to make these for the roadhouse we owned a while back. They had the reputation of being the best for 1500 kilometres.

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Beef and Beans Casserole with Damper Top

This hearty casserole will become a firm family favourite. It’s packed with vegies, minced beef and beans, and topped with a cheesy damper for mopping up the delicious tomato sauce.

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Spicy chicken rolls recipe

Move over beef sausage rolls, these top-rated spicy chicken rolls with pops of cheese are the new favourite in town. A batch of 32 only takes 30 minutes to prep and bake, so you can roll them out to your guests in a jiffy. Any leftovers make an awesome lunch box or after-school snack. How to make spicy chicken rolls: key tips Sometimes a thick mince mixture can be difficult to combine. This is when I like to get my hands in and give everything a good mix. Spread the mixture along one long edge of the pastry in a sausage shape – make sure it’s nice and even so that the thickness will be the same throughout the chicken rolls. Whisk the egg and milk together to make the egg wash. You’ll use the wash to seal the pastry edges and to brush over the tops of the chicken rolls so they’ll bake gorgeously golden. Partially cutting the chicken rolls into portion sizes at first helps to prevent them from coming open while baking, while allowing the steam from the meat to be released. Key ingredients in this spicy chicken rolls recipe Butter puff pastry is puff pastry made with butter instead of vegie oil, and also contains no sugar. It forms a deliciously rich and flaky pastry on these chicken rolls. Opt for lean chicken mince in this recipe, as fat is released from the mince while the rolls are cooking, and excess fat can make your pastry soggy. Taco seasoning and cheese combine to add a little Mexican spice and flavour to these tasty chicken rolls. Here are all the insider tips on how to make sausage rolls, as well as some delicious recipes, including these easy vegetarian ‘sausage’ rolls. This recipe was originally submitted by maggie-ann, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.