Minchi

Have you ever procrastinated over what to do with roast beef dinner leftovers? If so, what’s wrong with you ;-)? Instead of being greedy and helping yourself to seconds, thirds or fourths (how big was your joint??), instead you can turn them into a nutritious meal that will feed your family during the week.

Minchi from the Hairy Dieters is an usual mish-mash of flavours and textures which originates from the region of Macau in China. But this is more like a cross between a curry and a hash on top than a conventional Chinese takeaway. And as random as the combination of ingredients might seem, they make for a surprisingly delicious dish. I used leftover roast beef, but you can make this even cheaper if you use 250g of minced beef.

If you’re looking for other leftovers inspiration, check out beef stroganoff or if you want a more conventional hash, you can’t go wrong with corned beef hash, also from the Hairy Dieters.

Recipe: Minchi

Calories: 326 per serving

Serves: 4

Book: Hairy Dieters – Make it Easy

Prep time: Approx 15 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato (about 250g)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 250g leftover roast beef (diced), or 250g fresh mince
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 150g peas
• 100g fresh baby spinach
• Sea salt

To garnish:

• Low-cal spray
• 4 eggs
• 4 spring onions (sliced into rounds)
• A few sprigs of coriander
• Hot sauce

Cost per portion: Approx £1.09 (based on using 250g of lean beef mince)

Method:

Cut the potato into 1cm cubes. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add salt, then the potato. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok. When the oil is hot and the air above is shimmering, add the cubes of potato and stir-fry them until they’re cooked through and golden brown. Remove the cubes from the wok with a slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper to drain.

Add the second teaspoon of oil to the wok. When it’s hot, add the onion. Stir-fry over a medium heat until it’s starting to take on some colour, then add the garlic and meat. Sprinkle over the five-spice and continue to cook until the meat is brown. Add the soy sauce, peas and 50ml of water and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Put the potato cubes back into the wok to heat through and stir in the spinach. When the spinach has wilted down, remove from the pan and the heat.

Spray with a frying pan and fry the eggs until cooked to your liking. Serve the minchi with a fried egg on each serving and garnished with the spring onions and coriander. Bring some hot sauce to the table so people can add some if they want.