Taupō cook Vanya Insull tells Alana Rae how her one-pot pasta and chocolate slice recipes made her a social media staple.
Why is it important for you to make delicious, achievable dishes?
I think a lot of people tend to feel overwhelmed in the kitchen, so I’m all about cutting as many corners as I can but still making a delicious and affordable meal that the whole family will love. I often post my cooking on Instagram stories as well so it’s accessible. People love that I show photos of the ingredients so they can identify if it’s something they have in their kitchen and whether they can feasibly make it.
What’s the most popular recipe on your Instagram?
Definitely my chocolate Weet-Bix slice. I posted it on Facebook six years ago and it got like a million views in a month. That’s how the VJ Cooks social media following grew and I started making a new video each week. The most popular recipe on my website though is a one-pot pasta. It gets about 500 views a day, so easy pastas must be something people google quite often.
The social media community is so great. I’m lucky that I don’t get trolled very often other than the occasional “there’s too much sugar in that”. Mostly, it’s people saying things like how much they love the nostalgic element to the recipes. One person said their nana used to make something like one of our recipes in the 80s, and that they couldn’t find one like it since.
Where do you hope to see your business VJ Cooks venture to next?
I think building our membership base is the main focus. At the moment, members pay for a new e-cookbook every month and we have more than 1000 who download this and also take part in our cooking competitions – this month their challenge is a beef ravioli bake. But eventually, more cookbooks would be cool. I have a team of four helping me now, so I’d love to have a studio here in Taupō and hold cooking classes in it. I think that would give me a bit of work-life balance instead of working at home all the time.
What’s your go-to comfort cook?
I love making my whatever’s-in-the-fridge pasta. I don’t really have to think, but equally I’m being creative and using what I’ve got on hand. It’s a bit of a challenge but sometimes it works out well and I’m like, “I should’ve written that down.”
What’s your earliest cooking memory?
I used to watch a lot of Alison Holst growing up. I’d pretend I was on a cooking show when I was 10 years old and baking, talking to the camera while I did it. And now I do exactly that on Instagram.
One-pot Chicken and Lemon Orzo
One-pot chicken is one of my signature dishes – baking chicken thighs gives them so much flavour. I also love how the orzo cooks in the sauce, soaking up the beautiful garlic and lemon flavours. Too easy!
Serves 4
- 500g boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- salt and cracked black pepper, to season
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 capsicum, finely sliced
- 70g baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup cream
- fresh basil, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan bake.
Cut each chicken thigh into thirds. Mix 1 tablespoon of the oil with the cumin, mixed herbs and the salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large casserole dish or ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the lemon slices to the pan and fry for 1 minute on each side to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
Reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until it just starts to brown. Add the orzo and cook for about 2 minutes, until it starts to brown and is coated in the butter.
Dissolve the stock cubes in the boiling water. Add to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to deglaze (release any caramelised bits stuck to the bottom of the pan).
Add the capsicum and spinach and stir until the spinach wilts.
Add the chicken and any resting juices back into the dish. Arrange the browned lemon slices on top.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until the top is golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Top with basil and serve immediately.
Tips and tricks
- In a recipe like this, chicken thighs work better than chicken breasts, which could dry out.
- Orzo is sometimes called risoni in supermarkets.
- The stock cubes and boiling water can be swapped for 2 cups liquid chicken stock.
Pork Lettuce Cups
If you’re looking for a fresh, light dinner you must try these lettuce cups. The kids will love piling the lettuce leaves with fillings and eating them with their hands.
Serves 4
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 500 g pork mince
- 1 carrot, finely diced or grated
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
To serve
- 8 leaves iceberg or cos lettuce
- 50g bean sprouts
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts or cashews
- fresh coriander (optional)
- Japanese mayonnaise (optional)
- sriracha (optional)
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add the mince and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the carrot, garlic and ginger, then stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and stir for a few minutes, until everything is cooked through.
To serve, fill the lettuce leaves with the mince mixture, then top with bean sprouts, spring onion and nuts. Add extra toppings of your choice, such as coriander, mayonnaise and sriracha, and serve immediately.
Tips and tricks
- If you want to add some carbs, you can also serve the pork mince mixture on a bowl of rice topped with avocado, lettuce and bean sprouts. Finish with mayo, spring onion and peanuts.
- This recipe would work well with beef or chicken mince, too.
Individual Apple Cobblers
Serves 4-6
- 3 apples
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- vanilla ice cream, to serve
Oaty topping
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup self-raising flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup milk
- 50g butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan bake. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1cm pieces. Place in a pot with the sugar, lemon juice and water. Simmer gently over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat.
Mix the oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the milk and butter and mix to combine. Divide the apple mixture between 4-6 ramekins. Spread the oaty topping evenly over the top. Bake for 35 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
An edited extract from Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull, (Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99).
