Recipe writer and food stylist Donna Hay’s fresh approach to cooking and dozens of elegant cookbooks have won her a devoted following over the years.

Now she has released Even More Basics to Brilliance, a follow-up to her popular 2016 title Basics to Brilliance, filled with simple flavour switch-ups that add clever twists to much-loved recipes.

Here are three easy recipes to try at home, plus an essential crispy chilli oil you’ll want to douse on everything.

Crispy chilli chicken burger

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup (125ml) Shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)
• ¼ cup (60ml) soy sauce
• 1½ tbsp finely grated ginger
• 4 x 125g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1 cup (130g) cornflour
• ½ tsp table salt
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 4 burger buns, halved
• mayonnaise, finely shredded cabbage, coriander and crispy chilli oil (see below), to serve

METHOD

1. Combine the Shaoxing, soy sauce and ginger. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
2. Combine the flour, cornflour and salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and press to coat. Heat 6cm of oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. In batches, cook chicken for six to seven minutes, turning throughout, until they are golden and cooked through. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
3. To assemble, spread the burger buns with mayonnaise. Top with cabbage, coriander, chicken and crispy chilli oil.

Serves 4

Pork wontons with crispy chilli oil

INGREDIENTS

• 375g pork mince
• ¼ cup (60ml) crispy chilli oil (see below), plus extra to serve
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 28 store-bought round wonton wrappers
• 1⅓ cups (330ml) water
• 3 tsp cornflour
• 2 tsp vegetable oil, for frying

METHOD

1. Combine the pork, crispy chilli oil, spring onion and oyster sauce.
2. Place wonton wrappers on a clean surface and brush the edges with water. Place one heaped teaspoon of the pork mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Fold the edges over, pinching gently to create pleats, and press to seal.
3. Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add 14 wontons, flat-side down, and cook for two minutes. Whisk the water and cornflour together in a small bowl to combine.
4. Pour half the cornflour mixture over the top, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for a further five minutes. Remove the lid and cook the wontons for four to five minutes or until the water has evaporated, leaving a golden lattice.
5. Invert wontons onto a plate and serve with extra crispy chilli oil. Repeat with the remaining oil, wontons and cornflour mixture.

Makes 28

Seared chilli salmon with coconut cucumber salad

INGREDIENTS

• 750g skinless salmon fillet, sliced into eight pieces
• ¼ cup (60ml) crispy chilli oil (see below)

Coconut cucumber salad

• ⅓ cup (80ml) coconut milk
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 3 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced
• 1 cup (16g) coriander leaves
• 2 spring onions, chopped

METHOD

1. To make the coconut cucumber salad, combine the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Add the cucumbers, coriander and spring onion and toss to coat. Set aside.
2. Thread the salmon onto eight metal skewers. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the salmon and cook for 40 seconds each side or until it is seared and cooked to your liking.
3. Divide the coconut cucumber salad between bowls and top with the seared salmon. Spoon the crispy chilli oil over the top and serve.

Serves 4

Crispy chilli oil

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
• 6 eschalots (French shallots), thinly sliced
• 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup (25g) dried chilli flakes
• ¼ cup (60ml) sesame oil
• 2 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans, finely chopped*
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

METHOD

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the oil and heat for one minute. Add the eschalots and garlic and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are lightly golden and the garlic is crispy.
3. Remove from the heat and stir through the chilli, sesame oil, sugar, fermented black beans and salt. Transfer to a sterilised glass jar**.

Makes 1½ cups (375ml)

Cook’s notes

*Fermented black beans, sometimes called salted black beans, are found in the Asian section of some supermarkets and at Asian grocers.

**It is essential to sterilise jars thoroughly and store crispy chilli oil in the refrigerator to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses such as botulism. When using the chilli oil, don’t leave the jar out at room temperature for too long. You can keep this in a sterilised glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. To sterilise glass jars, preheat oven to 120C. Wash the jars and their metal lids in soapy water, rinse and place on a baking tray. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before filling.

This is an edited extract from Even More Basics to Brilliance by Donna Hay, published by Fourth Estate, RRP $55.00. Photography: Chris Court. Buy now