Easy Dinner

Here's a great recipe that my Mum made often and that I have recently started making for my family.  We always called it Ki Si Mein at home, though I suspect the authentic chinese recipe (if one exists) wouldn't use curry powder!  Despite that, it is really yummy and easy, Toddler and Hubby will both eat it, a sure winner, and it has protein, veg and carbs all in one dish:

NANNY CUGGLE'S KI SI MEIN - SERVES 4

Ingredients

1 large brown onion, chopped roughly
2-3 sticks celery, sliced
1/4 large cabbage, shredded (I know, cabbage - trust me)
500g beef mince
1 tblspn curry powder
1 pkt chicken noodle soup, plus 2 cups water
2 - 3 tblspns rice
1 cup frozen peas

Method

1. Heat some oil in a large pan and cook onion till soft;
2. Add mince and cook til browned;
3. Add curry powder, celery and cabbage and stir well;
4. Add soup mix, rice and water, give it a good stir, then cover and leave on low heat for 20 mins, it should be simmering gently;
5. Throw peas in and stir, leave simmering for another 5 mins or until rice is cooked.

All done. 

*My toddler is a pretty good vege eater but I'm pleased and surprised she will go so far as to eat cabbage in this dish.  Hubby, well, he's a bit of a 'snobby princess and the pea' he will eat lots of things, but they have to be a certain way.  For a while I refused to pander to him but in the end I got jack of seeing him raiding the pantry for something other than what I slaved over.  That's when I sat down with him and wrote a list of all his favourite foods and recipes (he is a very good cook, so I'm compteting with those expectations) and started noting the other dinners I make which he will and won't eat.  Saves money, time and frustration all round.