RecipeTin Meals (“RTM”) is our food bank where we make meals for the vulnerable. We love adding new dishes to our rotation so our recipients have something new to look forward to. Here are 8 new recipes that have quickly become favourites!
SEE WHAT WE DO AT RECIPETIN MEALS!
RecipeTin Meals (RTM) is the food bank arm of my business, based in Sydney. With a team of 4 chefs, we cook 600 homemade meals every single day (plus desserts!) which are donated to the vulnerable in our community.
We started RTM during the pandemic, and from the outset I was determined that our meals would be of the same standard as the food I make for family and friends. That’s why most of the recipes come straight from my website or cookbooks!
Today, we have a rotation of over 70 recipes, giving us the variety to keep things exciting for our recipients. Here are 8 new dishes we’ve recently added to the RTM menu that have been a big hit! (See the original RTM Top 10 list here.)
8 New Recipes We’re loving at RTM
With bonus commentary from Stephen Fixter, our head chef at RecipeTin Meals (and one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life!)
1. MALAYSIAN SATAY CHICKEN CURRY
This is EPIC!!! I was so excited when I found out we make this at RTM so hundreds of people across Sydney get to enjoy it too!! Chicken marinated in satay seasoning, simmered in a peanut satay sauce, made from store-cupboard staple spices – no jar curry paste. Reader fave!
Stephen says: This is a personal favourite. The peanut-y satay smell when this is cooking is amazing!
2. baked bbq chicken
Glazed sticky chicken baked in a homemade BBQ sauce! I am in awe of the effort my chefs go to with all the sides they make and pack into the meal containers. ❤️
Stephen says: I don’t really like BBQ sauce, but this homemade one is really good! We even add a bit of liquid smoke for authentic smokey flavour. It’s served with Slaw, steamed corn and roast potatoes, sprinkled with chives.
3. sichuan pork & eggplant
I’m so thrilled we make this at RTM! It’s a Sichuan cult classic I’ve chased for years, cracked by our very own Chef Hannah. (Fun fact: she’s from Sichuan!)
Stephen says: This is not a dish many people are familiar with but has serious wow factor. Our recipients are loving it, especially at our weekend hot meal service in the city.*
* On Saturday evenings, our meals are distributed at two locations in Sydney city. Some is served hot to enjoy on the spot, while others are packed in containers to take home and reheat.
4. LAMB KOFTA TRAY BAKE
A one-tray baked dinner!
Stephen says: This is my kind of meatball. I mean, just imagine how much better this Middle Eastern spiced kofta smells compared to a boring regular meatball!
Nagi makes a one-tray baked meal out of this, but because we scale it up to 600 servings, we make the components separately: baked meatballs, marinated roasted vegetables (we use this marinade), yogurt sauce and basmati rice instead of flatbreads.
5. Korean BBQ chicken
The recipe on the cover of TONIGHT!
Stephen says: This marinade is great, and I love how colourful it looks in the meal pack: this chicken with julienned carrots, pickled radish, fresh tomato and cucumber on white rice, sprinkled with green onion. No sauce required!
6. CAJUN BEEF PASTA
With lots of hidden vegetables!
Stephen says: We got a lot of positive feedback on this one from our recipients. Nagi makes this in one pot but because we scale it up 150x, we have to make the pasta and sauce separately, and combine them when packing.
7. honey pepper chicken
A recipe made using Charlie, my all-purpose stir fry sauce!
Stephen says: This is a “safe” recipe* but something a little different. I like that it’s flavoursome with a warm feel from the pepper, but not too spicy so even children can enjoy it.
8. GOLDEN COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY
This coconut sauce is to-die for!
Stephen says: The first time we made this at RTM, we forgot to bag the spices. It was not fun picking out 450 pieces of star anise and 150 cinnamon sticks!! My apron looked like the work of an angry abstract artist with a pot of yellow paint.
This is also a personal favourite at home, even the kids love. I like that it’s a curry but not a spicy Indian one.
Any surprises on that list?
There you have it – the top 8 new recipe hits we’re making at RTM!
In the early days, our meals leaned more heavily towards Western dishes, so it’s been wonderful to see how much recipients enjoy a wider variety of cuisines from around the world. The feedback has been fantastic, the RTM chef’s enjoy cooking a broader variety of food, they get challenged creatively and technically to find the most efficient way to scale up a recipe for 5 servings to 600 servings.
There are some on this list that caught me by surprise! Some I thought would be too difficult to scale up and a couple I didn’t think would have broad appeal with our recipients.
What about you? Any surprises on this list? 🙂 – N x ❤️
Life of Dozer
Important meeting with our website designers in progress. CEO on the floor.
And CEO’s assistant trying to climb the corporate ladder??
