And the best drinks to pair with them, of course.
A couple of months ago, we may have gotten excited about prepping creative festive garnishes for our guests’ Christmas cocktails (who even were we?). But by this point in summer, even the most enthusiastic hosts have lost a little mojo. And even though we’re coming to the end of the season, it can still be too hot to even think about pans, grills, barbecues, ovens or flames of any kind. Or maybe we’re just done with cooking.
But all that doesn’t mean our taste buds are dead – we still want delicious things for very minimal effort, cost or heat of any kind. So, what to do? We’ve pulled together six no-cook dinner ideas – and the best drinks to match with them – that tick all the late-summer boxes.
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1. Poke bowl and alcoholic iced tea
Okay, we said there’s no cooking, but you will have to boil the kettle to soften your grains for a poke bowl – or perhaps pop a packet of rice in the microwave. But that’s fairly low on the kitchen-heat scale. You can put as much or as little effort into this dish as you like. You could add some marinade and cut the avocado just so – or not. You determine where you’re at. Prawn and mango, or salmon and avocado, are excellent poke bowl combos, so if you start there, you’ll be set for success.
Your drink for this dish? All you have to do is open the can. Brookvale Union Vodka & Peach Iced Tea is everything a good premix should be, with lots of delicately layered sweet and clean flavours. It’s clear they’ve put a lot of work into this tasty drink so you don’t have to.
2. Fresh sashimi, a juicy salad and a fresh rosé
Because it’s 7pm and the temp still hasn’t dropped below 30, dinner must be a beautiful piece of tuna sashimi from the market (thinly sliced, please), and we’re pairing that with a watermelon and feta salad. A great dish needs elements to contrast and complement. The buttery texture from the sashimi, the juicy, crisp, slightly sweet watermelon and the salty, creamy feta make a top-tier trio. Light but moreish, the only other ingredients you need are a little soy and lime for the tuna, along with mint and lemon for the salad. Brava!
The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the watermelon (read: not hard), so start by pouring yourself a cold glass of Serafino Sorrento McLaren Vale Rosé, which is very much doing another part of the complementing with this meal. This is a dry, fresh style with high minerality, which makes it light and easy.
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3. Girl dinner and a glass of pinot
‘Girl dinner’ was coined by TikTok, but it’s universally understood, especially by women, as the ultimate snacky solo dinner of choice. Most often it’s some kind of snack plate that resembles something like a toddler’s meal or a Ploughman’s board, depending on your stage of life. Crafting these is more about feeling than traditional food pairings. Craving both Weet-Bix and grapes? Go for it. Vegemite crackers and hommus? Get it, girl. Classic choices? Pickles, ham, cheese, chocolate, bread or chips, sliced peaches and maybe some leftover roast chicken.
It would be most fitting if you paired this with a glass of Amisfield Pinot Noir, and yes, this occasion warrants such a quality wine. Cited as one of the most reliably delicious NZ pinots for under $100 (check the reviews on our site), it will pair with literally anything, so follow your stomach – you can’t go wrong.
4. Rice paper rolls and a zesty premix
Making rice paper rolls is as much art therapy as it is cooking. Turning your hard sheets soft with a quick dunk in a water bath, then layering crisp slices of lettuce, carrot, cucumber, red cabbage, shredded chicken – it’s very relaxing. Add some thin rice noodles and a lot of peanut sauce, and roll it all up. You can eat as you go, or finish several little folded delicies and then head to the couch.
Your drink for this needs to be sparkling and tangy – RYSE Vodka Lemon Soda is exactly what we’re talking about. Low-cal, no preservatives or artificial sugars, it’s actually flavoured by the real slice of lemon in each serve. The wedge bobs to the top when you crack the can. Dinner and a show, no?
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5. A cooked-chook wrap and a frozen G&T
The continued tradition, gentrification and expansion of the local chicken shop in Australia is nothing to be mad about. Being able to eat perfectly seasoned, warm roast chicken without leaving your suburb? This is living, Barry. There are many ways to eat a cooked chook, but when it’s been sun, surf and sand all day, or just a hot day in the office, a chicken wrap is perfection. Add some fresh cucumber, cheese, hot sauce – or not. Salt, pepper and chicken is enough to make your mouth water anyway.
Serve this easy dinner with Rob Libecans’ recipe for a Frozen G&T. We think it might just be the best use of lime sorbet potentially ever.
6. Soba noodle salad and a flavoursome mid-strength
Zaru soba (cold soba noodles) is the simplest and best way to eat these Japanese noodles, and it’s so fast to make, too. Chop some shallots, make a dipping sauce of mirin, soy and stock, plate up a vacuum-sealed pack of cooked, chilled noods, and slurp them up. Refreshing, satisfying and practically effort-free.
The same goes for the beer pairing with this one – Balter Captain Sensible. Fast becoming the staple of people who really like good beer, it’s only 3.5% ABV, but still with bucketloads of tropical flavour. Discovering this mid-strength feels like a real win. It’s also the perfect bready brew to pair with the soba, particularly when the sun is setting on a scorcher of a day.
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