I used Warburton’s Soft White Rolls for this burger in particular as I love how the soft roll goes with the crunchy slaw. They work out at 4sp each so if you use anything else, be sure to remember to adjust the points.

Glazed Korean Beef Burgers

Ingredients

For the burger patties – ( makes 6 patties – 3sp per patty on all plans)

500g lean beef mince

1 tsp sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated (or ½ tbsp ginger paste)

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

½ tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp gochujang paste

150ml water

For the slaw – makes 6 portions – 1sp per portion on all plans

½ finely shredded red cabbage

1 small carrot, peeled and grated

3 tbsp lightest mayonnaise

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp sriracha chilli sauce

To serve

Bun of your choice (I used a Warburton’s White Sliced Roll which is 4sp on all plans)

Salad leaves

2 spring onions, sliced

Butternut Squash Chips (if you fancy)

Method

Take a frying pan, spray with 1kal and add the sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Fry for a few minutes and then add the ketchup, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, gochujang and water. Stir and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a little and turn the heat down to low.

Take a large bowl, add the mince, season with salt and pepper and add half of the sauce from the pan. Combine everything together and form into burger patties. Pop into the fridge for 30 minutes to let the burgers set a little.

Whilst the burgers are setting you can make the slaw. To a large bowl add the mayo, honey, rice wine vinegar and sriracha and mix. Remove a little of the sauce mix and pop into a small bowl (you will spread this on the burger buns later when you are building the burger). Add the red cabbage and carrot to the large bowl, mix everything together and season with salt to taste. Pop in the fridge until you serve.

Next take a griddle/frying pan, heat and spray with 1kal and then, cooking 2 burgers at a time, cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Keep in a warm oven until all the burgers are cooked and then, using half the remaining glaze, brush over the burgers and pop back in the oven for a few minutes (add a little water to the glaze if its reducing to make it more saucy). Finally remove the burgers from the oven and brush with the last of the glaze.

To serve, spread the base of the bun with a little of the reserved mayo sauce mix, top with salad leaves, then a burger, then a spoonful of the slaw and then a sprinkle of spring onions. Squish down a bit and enjoy!

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This recipe works perfectly as an evening meal hot or, if left to cool and refrigerated, as a weekday lunch. It was also be the perfect addition to any BBQ or buffet table.

If you aren’t a fan of mackerel you could make this recipe using chicken.  Cook the chicken any way you prefer or if using the method below, season with salt and pepper and then pop under the grill for 5-7 minutes, flip and grill for 5-7 minutes on the other side until cooked through. You can then either chop the chicken into pieces or shred. Whichever you fancy!

You can get gochujang in most large supermarkets these days. I usually get mine in Sainsbury’s (who also sell it in their convenience stores) or from Amazon. It’s cheaper in store (a large pot is only £2.50 and lasts ages!)

Korean Mackerel and Potato Salad

Serves 2 = 5sp per serving (Flex)

Ingredients

400g new potatoes, halved

½ tsp gochujang chilli paste

2 tbsp lighter than light mayo

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove, peeled and grated

2 mackerel fillets, skin on, raw

Sprinkle of crushed chillies

Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

¼ cucumber, peeled into strips

2 spring onions, sliced into small rounds

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Small bag of salad leaves, roughly torn

Drizzle of Sriracha (if you like spice!)

Method

Pop the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and add 1 tsp table salt. Boil for 15-18 minutes (or until soft – check by poking with a knife).

Meanwhile, pop the grill on to a medium high heat. Take a small baking tray, cover with tin foil and lay the mackerel fillets on the foil, skin side down. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Spray with 1kal and then pop under the grill for 5-6 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Remove from the grill and pop to one side.

Whilst the potatoes and fish are cooking, make your dressing. In a large bowl mix the gochujang chilli paste, mayo, white wine vinegar and garlic. Mix and pop to one side.

Prepare all of the other vegetables.

Once the fish has cooled a little, flake the flesh away from the skin being careful to remove any bones.

Drain the potatoes and add to the dressing. Toss the potatoes in the dressing and then add the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, coriander, salad leaves and mackerel. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in so everything is coated well in the dressing. Drizzle over a little sriracha if you like it spicy.

Pop into two bowls and enjoy!

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For anyone who hasn’t tried Gochujang chilli paste , it really is worth giving a go. I get mine online (I’ve ordered from both eBay and Amazon) but you can also pick the paste up in most large supermarkets (I’ve bought it in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s before). It’s really worth making the effort to get a hold of as it has the most delicious flavour, unlike any other chilli sauce I’ve tried. I’ve already got a few other recipes on my site which use it so you may have it in already!

I’ve included the recipe for my Spicy Peanut Dip below which is a great way to finish the dish. If you haven’t got all the ingredients for the dip, feel free to leave it out and simply serve with a wedge of lime per person. The dip also works beautifully as a salad dressing!

Korean Beef Bulgogi

Serves 4 = 5sp per serving

Ingredients

600g raw rump steak, fat removed

1 large onion, peeled and roughly sliced

1 leek, woody base removed and sliced into 2 inch long strips

1 pack of round ended lettuce (such as little gem, romaine, Chinese leaf – something you can wrap the meat in), woody base removed and separated into individual leafs (you want at least 3 leaves per person)

Marinade

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tbsp light brown sugar

1tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp Gochujang chilli paste

1 small pear, peeled and coarsely grated

1/2 tsp salt

Spicy Peanut Dip 

Mix below ingredients in a bowl and use water to loosen to your preferred consistency.

Serves 4 = 1sp/24kals per serving

2 tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp Gochujang chilli paste

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Method

Add all of the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. Add the steak, onion and leeks, coat everything in the marinade and then cover the bowl with cling film. Leave to marinade in the fridge for anywhere between 30 minutes and overnight.

Once you are ready to cook, take a large frying pan or griddle pan, spray with 1kal and heat to high. Remove the steaks from the onion/leeks, letting any excess marinade drip back into the bowl, and begin cooking the steaks to your liking (we like ours pink in the middle so I cook for 3-4 minutes on each side).

Once cooked to your liking, pop the steaks to one side, onto a plate to rest. While they are resting, stir fry the onions and leeks in the same pan you cooked the steak in (add a little water to keep the pan lubricated and to stop the marinade burning).

Once rested for a few minutes, slice the steaks into strips. Then turn the heat off the pan and toss the meat all together with the stir fried onion and leeks.

Serve with accompaniments of your liking. I chose to wrap the Bulgogi in lettuce cups and the hubbie had his with lettuce cups a small portion of lemon pepper rice (40g dried – add an extra 4sp). I also served both with some stir fried tender stem broccoli (0sp) which I stir fried in the pan after I removed the steak, onions and leeks.

I also finished the dish with a drizzle of my spicy peanut dip which was a lovely way to make the meal feel a little extra special.

Enjoy!

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The result was delicious. The slaw in particular has the most delicious flavour and can also be added to any salad for lunches during the week. Give it a whirl, you won’t be disappointed.

Spicy Chicken Burgers with Gochujung Chilli Slaw

Serves 2 = 4sp per serving (Flex)

Ingredients

For the chicken – 0sp per person

2 x 200g chicken breasts, flattened with a meat mallet or rolling pin

2 tsp Korean Red Pepper Chilli Powder (or crushed chillies)

1 lemon, halved

For the slaw – 1sp per person

2 tbsp lightest mayonnaise

1 tsp gochujang chilli paste

½ tsp white wine vinegar

Pinch of garlic granules

½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely sliced

¼ red or white cabbage, finely sliced

To accompany

2 x Warburton’s thins (3sp per thin)

Mixed Salad Leaves

2 x mini corn on the cob (I use the mini Tesco ones which are 89g (0sp each)

BNS chips

Method

First make the slaw – pop the mayo, chilli paste, white wine vinegar and garlic granules in a big bowl and mix together. Then add the onion, carrot and cabbage and combine everything together. Pop in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Next, pop each chicken breast in between two sides of baking paper and with a meat mallet or rolling pin, beat to 1/2 cm thick. Then sprinkle each side with the red pepper powder and season with salt and pepper.

Spray a frying pan or griddle pan with 1kal and then fry the chicken breast on each side for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. As you are cooking the chicken, squeeze over the juice of the lemon to keep it nice and moist.

Pop your accompaniments on to cook and then, once readt, you can pop your burger together.

Lightly toast the thins and then add a little slaw, top with the burger and then a few salad leaves.

Serve with a mixed salad, BNS chips and corn on the cob if you fancy (the 8sp here covers you for the chicken, slaw, thin and corn on the cob!)

Enjoy!

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The hubbie and I do love a quick and easy spaghetti bolognese and we are always looking at ways to change it up and make it more exciting. That’s why, after trying and loving my new spice paste, I thought it might be a nice addition to this dish and I have to say, not only is it a nice addition, I’m not sure we will make a bolognese without it again! The addition of a few new ingredients really does take the bolognese to a whole new level and funnily enough, after it has simmered, it doesn’t actually taste too strongly of the paste. Instead the result is the most delicious meaty/beefy and yet tangy dish which tastes so incredibly indulgent, all for a bargain of 4 points per potion.

I’ve made this a few times and served it with either 60g of normal spaghetti or butternut squash noodles or even 60g of whole grain rice (remember to add the points for the rice or pasta). All have been delicious. I urge you to give this one a go very soon!!

You can buy Korean chilli paste from most supermarkets or you can buy it online (on Amazon). It has the most amazing flavour;  a little savoury, a little sweet but nice and spicy.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 6 – per serving = 4 points or 383 cals, 5.9g fat, 56.7g carbs, 28.4g protein

Ingredients

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

500g lean beef mince (5% fat)

2 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 peppers, deseeded and finely diced

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional – leave out if you don’t like it too spicy)

3 tbsp gochujang chilli paste

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 beef stock cube made up with 500ml boiling water

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

150g spinach, roughly chopped

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

To serve (add the extra points/calories)

60g dried spaghetti per person

Method

1. Brown the mushrooms in a large pan in a single layer (no oil needed). Don’t season or shake the pan as this will release water from the mushrooms and they will go gooey. If you leave the mushrooms untouched, they brown and take on a lovely nutty flavour. Do this in batches, then remove from the pan and pop to one side.
2. Spray the same pan with low-calorie cooking spray and then add the mince and onion, season, and brown for 7–8 minutes until the mince is cooked through. Add the garlic, peppers and chilli and fry for another few minutes before adding the chilli paste and tomato purée.
3. Stir, simmer for a minute, and then add the soy and beef stock with the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. While the sauce is reducing, pop the pasta on and cook according to the packet instructions.
5. Once the sauce has reduced and the mixture is not as wet, add the Parmesan and spinach, stir, and simmer until the spinach has wilted. Season to taste.
6. Serve the sauce with the pasta and sprinkle with a final flourish of Parmesan.

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You can buy Korean chilli paste from most Asian supermarkets or you can buy it online (I bought mine from souschef.co.uk). It has the most amazing flavour;  a little savoury, a little sweet but nice and spicy. I also ordered the Korean chilli powder at the same time but, if you don’t like things too hot, you can leave this out (or if you like it hot but don’t have this ingredient, replace with ½ tsp normal chilli flakes).

This chilli paste is definitely worth investing in and will feature in a few of my upcoming recipes too! For 11sp this dish really is a bargain!

Spicy Korean Chilli Chicken – Dak Galbi

Serves 2 = 11sp in total (5sp for the chicken and marinade and 6sp for the rice)

Ingredients

For the marinade

½ tbsp. gochujang chilli paste

1 tsp Korean red pepper powder (optional if you like it hot – replace with ½ tsp crushed chillies if you don’t have red pepper powder)

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. honey

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

Pinch of salt

For the rest of the dish

400g chicken breast, raw and diced or sliced

1 white onion, finely sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

120g basmati rice, dried

½ a small cucumber

½ a small courgette

Splash of white wine vinegar

Method

Combine all of the marinade ingredients with a small dash of water (up to 2 tsp) and stir until the chilli paste has dissolved. Pop the chicken in a large bowl and then add the marinade, coating well. Marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).

Next pop the rice on the cook. Then either sprialize or julienne peel the courgette and cucumber. Pop into a bowl, top with a little white wine vinegar and toss through. Pop in the fridge until you come to eat.

Next, spray a wok with 1kal and then add the onion and pepper. Season. Fry on a high heat until the onion starts to soften and then add the chicken (reserving the marinade in the bottom of the bowl). Stir fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes until cooked through and then add the rest of the marinade. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is nicely coated in the marinade.

Finally serve the spicy chicken on top of the rice, add the cucumber and courgette salad to the side and top with a sprinkling of spring onions (and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds if you have them).

Enjoy!

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The end result was better than I would have hoped for. Bursting with flavour and pack with delicious meat and vegetables, this really is a fulfilling evening meal. Best of all, its incredibly easy to put together. I buy my steaks from Aldi usually and (after removing the fat), find the portion size left per person lovely and generous, especially for the price.

Personally I love the look of arranging a whole sliced steak on top of my stir fry but if you prefer, feel free to add the beef back to the sauce mixture at the end and toss to coat.

Feel free to add any of your favourite veg to this. Next time I’m going to get some beansprouts, carrots and courgettes involved. You could replace the rice with noodles or even carrot and courgette spiralized noodles (this would lower the points to 9sp per potion). The world’s your oyster!

Korean Beef Stir Fry 

Serves 2 = 13sp per serving (Flex)

For the sauce

1 tsp corn flour

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce

½ tbsp brown sugar and honey

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

2 tbsp water

For the stir fry

80g basmati rice

Small pack of tender stem broccoli

2 x rump steaks (150g each), seasoned with salt and pepper

1 x chilli, finely chopped (and deseeded if you don’t like it too hot)

2 x peppers, deseeded and sliced

Handful of mushrooms, sliced

4 spring onions, sliced into rounds

½ bag of spinach

Large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Method

Pop the rice on to cook in some salted boiling water. Five minutes before it is ready, pop a steamer (or colander) over the top of the pan to steam the broccoli.

Next put the corn flour into a bowl or jug and add a little cold water to turn into a paste. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients a whisk together until well combined.

Next, spray a large frying pan with 1kal, heat the pan and then cook the steaks to your liking. I cook them for two minutes on one side, then flip and cook for two minutes on the other side. Remove the steaks from the pan and pop onto a plate to rest.

Then in the same pan, add a little of the sauce and then stir fry the chilli, peppers, spring onions and mushrooms until softened a little (2 or 3 minutes). Then add the rest of the sauce and simmer until it starts to thicken (add a little more water if it gets too thick). Turn the heat down and then add the spinach. Once wilted, add the coriander, stir through and switch off the heat.

In a bowl, pop your rice in the bottom. Next using tongs, lift the veg out of the sauce and pop onto the rice. Then, slice the steak to your preferred thickness and arrange on top of the veg. Pour the sauce over the steak and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Top the steak with the steamed broccoli.

Enjoy!

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