Cyder with Eloise

March 29, 2010

Devil’s Curry

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 11:09 am

I have not made many posts recently as I have been revisiting old recipes and last week Lenny took over with recipes from Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey

We had Steamed mussels with yellow kroeung coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves, the paste we made for this dish was too much for just the one portion of mussels but would taste fantastic if you marinated some chicken on skewers and then grilled or barbecued them and served with a rice salad.

and

Devil’s Curry – which we modified slightly from Rick’s recipe with the inclusion of palm sugar and fish sauce but the basic ingredients are the same.

Serves 4

Curry Paste
15 dried red kashmiri chillies, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
2 tsp paprika
20g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
100g shallots, roughly chopped
20g garlic, roughly chopped
30g peanuts
1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of salt
Blend all ingredients in a food processor to make a smooth paste.

Ingredients
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp palm sugar
4 chicken breasts, approximately 3cm cubes
2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, ground
3 tbsp vegetable oil
150g shallots, finely sliced
20g garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp Devil’s curry spice paste (above)
6 new potatoes
300g tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 bird’s eye red chilli, finely sliced

Method
Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, palm sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and cover to marinate then set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan over a medium high heat, add the shallots and garlic and fry until lightly browned. Add the spice paste and fry for 5 minutes until the aromas are released. Stir in the chicken and it’s marinade, the ground mustard seeds, potatoes, tomatoes, fish sauce and 450ml of water then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the chicken and potatoes are cooked and the sauce has reduced slightly and thickened.
Stir in the sliced birds eye chilli, simmer for 1 minutes then serve with jasmine white rice.

February 19, 2010

Chicken Fajitas

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: — tamara @ 6:36 pm

Of course Fajitas can be made from ready mixed spices but they are just as simple to put together yourself.

If you must have every kitchen gadget and have made your tortilla’s ahead of time or are using shop bought tortilla’s this is a great way to warm and serve them up in a conventional oven or a microwave. Tortilla Warmer

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts, sliced into approximately 6cm long by 1cm wide strips
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
2 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Red chilli pepper, finely chopped
1/2 handful Fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 Large onion sliced
1 Red pepper sliced
6 Corn or Flour Tortillas

Method
Grind the cumin and coriander in a pestle & mortar, add the garlic, paprika and salt and then purée. Add the olive oil, chilli and coriander and mix well together.
In a bowl cover the chicken in the marinade and leave for a minimum of 30 minutes.
In a frying pan heat some more oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the chicken with all the marinade and peppers and keep frying for 10 minutes or until the chicken is browned and cooked completely.

For a real feast serve wrapped up in tortillas with Salsa, Guacamole & Refried Beans.

February 14, 2010

Roast Chicken

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: — tamara @ 8:06 pm

Who doesn’t love Roast Chicken (well unless your a vegetarian). Roast dinner with roast potatoes and gravy. Makes me hungry just to think about it.

I like to give a little flavour to my roast chicken and this is just one such rub that I use regularly. The couscous gives the skin a crispness that rubs containing flour struggle to do, but you can omit it if your feeding anyone who is intolerant to gluten, the rest of the flavours will work just as well.

If you use dried garlic or leave the clove out until the day you cook you can easily prepare the rub in bulk to have readily available.

For the rub
1 tsp Fennel seedsRoast01
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Sage
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tbsp Couscous
1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
1 clove Garlic
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 small Onion

Grind all the herbs and spices together in a pestle and mortar, then add the olive oil, stir in. Rub all over the chicken, pop the onion into the chickens cavity.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (190c/375f).
Use a roasting tray (see below) with a basket to keep the chicken suspended out of the juices. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for 20 minutes per lb (450g) plus another 15-20 minutes extra. After the first 30 minutes remove the foil and baste. If you are roasting vegetables along side the chicken then this is a good time to add them, when you check on these you can baste the chicken again, approx 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Leave to rest covered for around 15 minutes before serving.

For a perfect roast check out this Kitchen Craft Premium Roaster Set

January 31, 2010

Chicken Biryani

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , — tamara @ 7:38 pm

This method produces really light fluffy rice and I love the sweetness of the onions.

I always remind people to count out the cloves and cardamom pods as we come across them, so no nasty soapy surprises. I could pick them out when serving, but where is the fun in that.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts and the meat from 2 chicken legs or thighs – chopped into 2cm cubes or thereabouts.
2 Onions – peeled and sliced into whole rings
2 tbsp groundnut oil
Pinch of Saffron
10 Cloves
2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 inch Ginger, peeled and grated
3 Garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Paprika
2 Cinnamon sticks
6 Cardamom pods
2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Lemon juice
200ml Yoghurt
150g Basmati rice, unrinsed

Method
In a small pot put the saffron with approx 10 tsp boiling water and leave to infuse.
Heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan and fry the onion slices until golden brown. Remove from pan and drain well on kitchen paper. Set aside.
Grind 4 cloves in a pestle and mortar and then roughly grind 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp coriander seeds, put in a mixing bowl, with ginger, garlic, cayenne, turmeric, paprika, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods, 1 tsp salt, lemon juice, 1/2 the saffron mixture and the yoghurt. Mix well and then coat the chicken in the marinade, leave to marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.
Use some of the oil from the fried onions to grease a casserole dish (preferably one that can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven with a tight fitting lid – ideally a Le Creuset style pot). Spread the meat evenly out over the bottom of the dish, reserve any extra marinade. Sprinkle over the meat 3/4 of the onions.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3 (160c).
Bring to the boil 2 1/2 pints of water, add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods and 6 cloves and infuse on a low heat for 5 minutes before adding the rice. Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain, the rice should still have a soft bite to it.
Take a large scoop (approximately 1/4) of the rice and mix it in with any remaining sauce from the marinade. Spread evenly over the meat mixture, and then follow with the remaining rice, pour over the remaining saffron mixture and sprinkle on the onions. Cover the dish with tin foil and the lid. Place on the stove at a medium heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Serve using a large spoon so you do not mix up the meat and rice. You can leave the dish covered for up to 30 minutes before serving without having to heat it up.

January 16, 2010

Nonya Chicken Curry Kapitan

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 6:00 pm

Nonya is a description for the coming together of two cuisines, Chinese and Malay (nyonya). Coconut, chilli and ginger or galangal are the key ingredients, as are the sweet & sour flavours you get with lime and palm sugar or tamarind paste.

I have made a nonya chicken curry before from a recipe by Madha Jaffery, although it was quite different with tomatoes, potatoes and tamarind.

This recipe is adapted from Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey.

Ingredients
4 Dried red chillies, soaked till soft in hot water then chopped
200g Shallots, roughly chopped
2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp Turmeric powder
25g Garlic, roughly chopped
1 inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Lemongrass stalks, chopped
1/2 tsp Shrimp paste
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
3 Chicken breasts, sliced
3 tbsp Desiccated coconut
300ml Coconut milk
1 Cinnamon stick
1 tsp Palm sugar
1 tsp Salt
Juice 1/2 Lime
Coriander, chopped to garnish

Method
Put the ingredients for the curry paste into a blender – Chillies, shallots, spices, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, shrimp paste and 1 tbsp of oil.
Heat a dry frying pan and add the desiccated coconut and stir until lightly golden. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush to a fine powder.
Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy based saucepan and add the spice paste and fry while stirring for 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken and continue stirring for 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, cinnamon stick, sugar and salt, simmer for 30 minutes to reduce the coconut milk. You can spoon off any excess oil that appears on the top.
Add the lime juice and ground coconut and simmer for a further minute. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain basmati rice.

September 21, 2009

Chicken Paella (from left-overs)

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , — tamara @ 6:43 pm


I always over prepare Sunday Dinner, but nothing gets wasted. Here’s a recipe for left-overs from a Chicken Roast Dinner.

Serves 2

Make a chicken stock from the Chicken Carcass.
If I do not have enough left over chicken then I supplement it with some frozen seafood that I always have in ready – just in-case.

You can play around with these quantities depending on what you have to hand.

Ingredients:
1 pint Hot Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Leek (Or Onion) – Sliced
1 Clove Garlic – Sliced
125g Paella Rice
75g Green Beans/Peas/Broad Beans – Chopped or Sliced
25g Spinach/Cabbage – Chopped or Sliced
1 Tomato – Chopped
150g Chicken – Already cooked and shredded
Pinch of Saffron
½ tsp Chilli Flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Method:
Cook the Leeks until soft in the olive oil.
Add the Paella Rice and stir to coat in the oil before adding 1/3 pint of stock.
When the rice has soaked up the stock add any ingredients that require cooking (If you are adding left over already cooked vegetables then hold on to it for now.)
Add another 1/3 pint of stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes adding more stock as required.
When the rice has just started to lose its bite add the remaining (and cooked) ingredients and simmer until heated completely through.

Our paella was heavy on the chicken so we served this with Castillo La Paz, Tempranillo (Under £10 and widely available). You could try a Rioja or if you’re having more of a seafood dish then why not try a Manzanilla Sherry.

June 17, 2009

Beer Bum Chicken

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 9:50 am


The BBQ went very well this year, it was quieter then usual but that was by design, it meant we could concentrate more on providing great food rather then a mass of burgers and sausages.

Beer Bum Chicken: Piri Piri or Lemon & Coriander.
Leg of Lamb: Harrisa or Rosemary & Thyme

I made this great Mint Jelly to go with the Lamb, just a little different to the normal mint sauce that I find can be a little acidic.

Ingredients:
200ml White Wine Vinegar
150g Caster Sugar
1 packet Gelatine (0.5oz) (or 2 teaspoons of Powdered Pectin)
200ml Rosemary Wine
Finely chopped bunch of Mint

Rosemary Wine: (Made at least 2 weeks before)
Add 2 sprigs of rosemary to a bottle of wine and lightly shake, leave to steep for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Method:
Heat the vinegar in a pan to boiling point and simmer to reduce the liquid by about ¼.
Mix the sugar and the gelatine and slowly whisk into the pan until dissolved.
Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the mint. Simmer for about a minute and then spoon into a sterilised jar.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Powered by WordPress