Lunch Box: Chicken Meatballs with Herby Freekeh and Green Veg

Pour the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. While it heats, finely chop the parsley and the lemon. Stir in freekeh, cover, reduce the heat to low-medium, and simmer for 10–15 mins until the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir through the parsley and lemon zest. Set aside to cool slightly.

Make the meatballs: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and fry 3 tbsp red curry paste for 3 mins until fragrant. Meanwhile, finely chop the coriander stalks and zest a lime. In a large bowl, combine chicken mince, the coriander stalks, lime zest, fish sauce, eggs, breadcrumbs, the fried curry paste, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until sticky. Wet your hands and form into 12 meatballs (about 60–70g each).

Cook the meatballs: Wipe out the frying pan, add more oil, and fry the meatballs over medium heat for 10–15 mins, turning to brown evenly, until golden and cooked through.

Trim green beans and chop broccoli into small florets. Bring a pan of salted water to a rolling boil and blanch the veg for 3–4 mins until just tender. Drain and shock in iced water to keep their colour and crunch, then dry thoroughly.

In a large bowl, add pesto, grate in Parmesan, zest and juice a lemon, and drizzle in a few glugs of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the drained greens and toasted almonds. Toss to coat.

Make the Jalapeño Yoghurt Dressing: Deseed and roughly chop the jalapeños. Add to a blender with Greek yoghurt, avocado, roughly chop fresh coriander, and the juice of the limes. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides. Season with salt to taste.

Divide the freekeh between your lunchboxes. Top with chicken meatballs and the dressed greens. Serve with a generous spoonful of the yoghurt dressing or pack it on the side for drizzling later.