How to Dinner episode 1: Thai-Style Chicken and Roast Pumpkin Salad with Ginger Dressing

How to DAD, Jordan Watson, gets his cooking show on, with the help of the guys at HelloFresh.

How to DAD, Jordan Watson, gets his cooking show on, with the help of the guys at HelloFresh.

Cooking for the whole family can be a challenge, so who better to give you cooking tips than one of NZ’s most well known insta-Dad’s. Together, HelloFresh and How to DAD have teamed up to show you just how simple preparing delicious dinner can be. Take a look as he gets his dinner on, cooking show style, with the help of a celebrity guest that knows what they’re doing!

HelloFresh pre-cut the produce for their boxes to make your life a whole lot easier, but if you get stuck with a whole pumpkin that seemed like a good idea at the time you bought it here are their expert tips for dicing it up.

How to: Cutting a pumpkin

• Take your whole pumpkin and slice in half horizontally using a large, sharp knife, if you have a bit of trouble getting through try shifting the knife angles up and down and you apply steady pressure.
• Scoop out your pumpkin insides with a spoon
• Turn one pumpkin half sideways, slice off the ends and discard
• With you half still on its side cut into 2cm thick strips, then turn each strip on its side as you carefully slice off the skin, then divide strip into equal sized cubes, repeat for remaining strips
• Grab your other half and repeat the process until you have a bowl full of lovely diced pumpkin.

Recipe: Thai-style Chicken and Roast Pumpkin Salad with Ginger Dressing

Make way for this hearty main meal salad in your dinner rotation. With mildly spiced chicken and a fragrant ginger dressing, this plate of bountiful greens and pumpkin will change the way you look at veggies!

Ingredients

800 g	Pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 knob	Ginger
1 clove	Garlic
1	Lime
2	Cucumbers
2	Tomatoes
1 bunch	Coriander
640 g	Chicken thighs
22 g	Thai seven spice blend
120 g	Mixed salad leaves
60 g	Crushed peanuts
1 dash	Olive oil
½ tsp	Salt
4 tsp	Soy sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Place the peeled & chopped pumpkin, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Toss to coat, then roast until tender, 20-25 minutes.
2. While the pumpkin is roasting, finely grate the ginger and garlic (see ingredients list). Zest the lime (see ingredients list) to get a generous pinch, then slice into wedges. In a large bowl, combine the ginger, garlic and lime zest and set aside. Roughly chop the cucumber and tomato. Roughly chop the coriander. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken thigh, Thai seven spice blend, the salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
3. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat with olive oil (1 tbs for 2 people / 2 tbs for 4 people). Heat for 1 minute, then carefully pour over the ginger mixture in the large bowl. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, a generous squeeze of lime juice and the rice wine vinegar to the ginger mixture and mix well to combine. TIP: The hot oil will bubble up and 'cook' the ginger and garlic.
4. Return the frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 10-14 minutes. Transfer to a plate. TIP: Don't worry if the spice blend chars a little in the pan, this adds to the flavour!
5. When the pumpkin has cooled slightly, add the cucumber, tomato, roasted pumpkin and mixed salad leaves to the bowl with the ginger dressing. Toss well to coat. TIP: Toss the salad just before serving to keep the leaves crisp.
6. Thickly slice the chicken. Divide the salad between plates and top with the Thai-style chicken. Spoon over any resting juices from the chicken. Garnish with the crushed peanuts and coriander. Serve with any remaining lime wedges.