If you’re choose to spend a good part of Christmas Day in the kitchen, the last thing you want to do is to spend Boxing Day there, too. Feeling tired and lazy, you may dread the thought of eating leftover ham for weeks. I’m here to help.

I don’t love eating leftovers, but reimagining them in different ways may convince you to push past Christmas feast fatigue. I’ve amped up the flavours and taken Christmas table stalwarts in decadent – but relatively low-effort – directions. I promise the bright flavours, salt and crunch will help you shake off any dustiness from the day before.

Christmas ham kottu roti

Kottu roti is a flavour-packed Sri Lankan street food dish of stir-fried flaky roti, chopped vegetables and a protein of your choice seasoned with a big spoonful of curry sauce. With its varied textures and big, spicy flavours, it is fun to eat and easy to make. Chopped Christmas ham makes a sensational addition, and there are plenty of other easy shortcuts. Frozen roti paratha is readily available in supermarkets, as is off-the-shelf curry paste, or you could use a combination of curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder and cumin, plus a spoonful or two of coconut milk.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ brown onion, sliced
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sliced Christmas ham
• 100g cabbage, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 3 roti parathas, sliced into 2cm pieces
• 2 tbsp Indian curry paste
• ½ green capsicum, cut into thin strips
• soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat until smoking, then add the onions and curry leaves and saute lightly until softened. Push to the side and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Crack the eggs into the oil, allow to fry for about 30 seconds then scramble gently.
2. Add the sliced ham to the pan and saute over medium-high heat until it begins to colour – 3-4 minutes. Allow the pan to heat up again and add the cabbage and sliced roti. Stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the curry paste and a few tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce.
3. Turn the heat to medium and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes before adding the sliced capsicum and chilli. Chop the roti with your spatula as you fry, then taste and adjust the seasoning with soy sauce, salt and pepper. When the kottu roti is dry and aromatic, transfer it to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

Viet-Cajun-inspired prawns with lemongrass, basil and garlic butter

As a break from our usual festive menu of bucketloads of chilled seafood followed by bucketloads of cherries, one Christmas my family served a seafood boil. It was so much fun – simple to make, impressive and immersive.

The idea is to boil corn and potatoes and serve them at the table with cooked prawns doused in flavoured butter, inviting everyone to use their hands to dig in.

I’ve combined Vietnamese ingredients (fresh herbs, fish sauce and lemongrass) with traditional Cajun spicing for this buttery flavour bomb. Use scissors to chop everything into chunks, and serve with more butter and plenty of napkins. You can add other shellfish and molluscs, too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg cooked prawns, shell on
• 300g baby potatoes, boiled
• 2 corn cobs, cut into pieces and boiled
• lime wedges to serve

Viet-Cajun butter

• 500g unsalted butter
• 1 stalk lemongrass, halved lengthwise and bruised
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (see note)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• ½ tsp white pepper
• ½ cup fish or chicken stock or water
• juice of 1 lime
• ⅓ bunch coriander, stems and leaves chopped finely
• ½ bunch basil, leaves picked, some reserved for garnish

METHOD

1. Make the butter sauce by melting the butter in a large lidded saucepan over low-medium heat. When melted, add the lemongrass and garlic and slowly bring to a simmer, then add the Old Bay seasoning, fish sauce, chilli and white pepper.
2. Cook over low heat until the garlic is soft and smells amazing, then add the stock (or water) and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the lime juice and herbs.
3. Add the prawns, potatoes and corn to the pot, stir to combine and close the lid, allowing the prawns to warm in the butter for 5-10 minutes. Arrange the prawns, potatoes and corn on a large serving platter and pour on a generous amount of the flavoured butter. Top with more fresh basil leaves and sliced chilli and serve with extra lime wedges.

Serves 2-3

Note: Old Bay seasoning, a combination of celery salt, paprika and other spices, is available in tins at supermarkets and food stores.

Indonesian-style potato fritters with chicken or turkey

Perkedel or begedil are seriously delicious fried potato patties found in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. They feature crispy shallots and aromatic Chinese celery folded through soft mashed potato, dipped in egg then shallow-fried until crisp and golden. They’re an excellent way to use up leftover mash and shredded chicken or turkey. They’re extra delicious served with a spicy dipping sauce such as sambal, or this chilli and lemon-spiked sauce. Chinese celery is available at Asian grocers but you could use coriander or sliced spring onion instead, or leave it out.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g mashed potato
• 200g shredded chicken or turkey
• 2 tbsp crispy shallots
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 stalk Chinese celery, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs
• vegetable oil for frying

Chilli and lemon dipping sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp kecap manis
• 1 tsp sliced green chillies
• 2-3 slices lemon, chopped into pieces

METHOD

1. Combine the potato, shredded chicken, crispy shallots, cornflour, white pepper and Chinese celery in a large bowl. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Using wet hands, roll the mixture into 8 patties, place them on a tray and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish and set aside.
3. To make the dipping sauce, combine the ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Add enough cooking oil to a heavy-bottomed pan to shallow-fry and heat until the oil is smoking. Gently coat each patty in the beaten egg and lower into the hot oil. Fry in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, being careful not to handle the patties too much or they will break. Lift them out of the oil with a spider and set them on a cooling rack or on a dish lined with paper towel to drain.
5. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Serves 4