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Vegetable Biryani

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This traditional Asian dish is very easy to make, and tastes very nice – it’s not too hot that it’ll blow your head off, but still has enough of a kick to make you remember it.

Vegetable Biryani

Serve it layered – with the rice as a base, and the Curried Vegetables on top. The sauce will drip through and the contrast of flavours, colours and textures.

To Serve 4
350g Basmati Rice
Salt and Pepper
50g Ghee, or Clarified Butter
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2.5cm Ginger, peeled and grated
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
1tsp Ground Coriander
2tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Ground Turmeric
1/2tsp Chilli Powder
3 Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
225g French Beans, halved
225g Small Cauliflower Florets
1tsp Garam Masala
Juice of 1 Lemon

1. Put the Rice in a Sieve, and rinse under cold running water, until the water runs clear. Put the Rice into a saucepan with a pint of water and a teaspoon of Salt. Bring to the boil, and reduce the heat, then simmer for ten minutes until just tender.
2. Melt the Ghee (or butter) in a large heavy based saucepan, before adding the Onion, Ginger and Garlic and frying gently for five minutes – until soft but not coloured. Add the Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric and Chilli Powder, then fry for two more minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the spices don’t burn.
3. Remove the Rice from the heat, and drain, before adding one and a half pints of water to the Onion and Spice mixture, and season well with Salt and Pepper. Stir well, and bring to the boil, before adding the Carrots and Beans, then simmer for fifteen minutes, then add the Cauliflower and simmer for ten more minutes. Finally add the Rice, mix gently and heat through.
4. Stir the Garam Masala and Lemon Juice into the Biryani and simmer for a few minutes, taste, and season, then turn and serve in a warmed dish.

Photo Courtesy of:

Baked Vegetables with a Spicy Sauce

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A simple dish, that can be used as a side for a range of meats – especially Roast dinners such as Chicken, Beef or Pork – you name it, this dish can go with it. It’s best served with a simple tasting dish, otherwise the combinations of the flavours will be too overpowering, and you may not fully appreciate the range of tastes that are on offer.

Vegetables

To Serve 6
8 Cherry Tomatoes
3 Rosemary Sprigs
125ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt and Pepper
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and halved
1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded and halved
6 Shallots, peeled
1 Aubergine, cut into thin slices
3 Courgettes, thickly sliced
1 Fennel Bulb, quartered lengthwise
175g Parsnips, halved
125g Baby Sweetcorn, halved lengthwise
225g Mushrooms, left whole
1tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Small Onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely sliced
1 Green Chilli, peeled and finely sliced
2tsp Capers
2tsp Soft Brown Sugar
Juice of ½ Lemon
175g Passata

1. Cut a small cross in the base of each Tomato, but make sure you leave them whole. Strip the Rosemary Leaves, and chop finely before adding them into a bowl with the Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Add the Tomatoes, Peppers, Shallots, Aubergines, Courgettes, Fennel, Parsnips, Baby Sweetcorn and Mushrooms, turning to make sure they are coated evenly, leaving to absorb the flavours for at least an hour.
2. Put all of the Vegetables (except for the Tomatoes) into a large, flat baking tray, and put in the oven at 220C, turning and basting for around forty minutes, until they are cooked through and browning slightly. Add the Tomatoes after thirty minutes.
3. For the Spicy Sauce, heat the Sunflower Oil, and add the sliced Onion, Garlic, Chilli and fry until they are starting to soften. In a food processor, add the Capers, Sugar, Lemon Juice and Passata, and blend until smooth. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper, and add to the Chilli mixture in the pan. Cover the pan and cook for five to ten minutes, stirring from time to time.
4. Once cooked, allow the Vegetables to drain slightly of the Oil, and serve on a plate, with the Sauce to the side

Photo Courtesy of: AndyRob

Spicy Rosemary Fries with Lemon Salt

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I love going through recipes. When I checked Jamie Oliver’s site, I chanced upon this simple but interesting recipe called April’s Rosemary Straw Potatoes with Lemon Salt. It is a simple dish with a variety of flavors. So I decided to play around with the recipe and add other ingredients.

“A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you do not like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavor, you have to add your own!” –Michael Smith, Chef at Home

Ingredients:

Zest of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons sea salt

4 cups cooking oil

1 lb potatoes

Fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon paprika

First, make the lemon salt by pounding on the lemon zest and salt using a mortar and pestle. You can also put the salt and lemon zest in a small container and store it overnight, by then the flavors would have infused.

Peel and slice the potatoes to the size that you desire. Some prefer it really thin to make it crispier. Soak them in water. Pat the fries dry before frying.

In a frying pan or deep fryer, heat the oil. Drop in a potato strip right away. Once it floats, the oil is hot enough. Remove the cooked potato you used to test the oil temperature. Fry the potatoes for 2-4 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Drop the garlic and rosemary in the last 30 seconds or when the fries are almost cooked. Make sure that the potatoes are not crowded in the fryer.  Let the oil cool in between batches. Drain the oil from the fries using paper towels.

In a brown paper bag or covered container, combine the salt and paprika. Transfer the fries in the bag/container and shake it until the fires are covered in the salt mixture. Serve warm.

Photo Courtesy Of: joyosity

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

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Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, very tasty. Full of flavour and with a range of textures, this dish is a great filler, and very simple to make. It’s also very healthy, and also a great way to increase the amount of vegetables you eat each day.

Thai Chicken Noodles

The longer you leave the marinade, the stronger the taste – the recommended amount of time is leaving it overnight, and keeping it in the fridge will help absorb as many flavours as possible.

To Serve 6
450g Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into thick strips
1tsp Caster Sugar
1/2tsp Salt
1/2tsp Pepper
1/2tsp Ground Ginger
1/2tsp English Mustard Powder
1/2tsp Ground Turmeric
1/2tsp Medium Curry Powder
4tbsp Olive Oil
350g Courgettes, sliced
150g Mangetout, trimmed
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
3tbsp Clear Honey
4tbsp Lemon Juice
2.5cm Ginger, peeled and grated
250g Egg Noodles
50g Salted Cashew Nuts

1. Mix the Chicken with the Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Ground Ginger, English Mustard Powder, Ground Turmeric and Medium Curry Powder in a flat tray, making sure that the Chicken is completely coated in the spices. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Heat two tablespoons of the Oil in a frying pan. Sauté the Courgettes off for two or three minutes, and then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the Mangetout and Pepper to the pan, and fry off for two to three minutes. Add to the bowl with the Courgettes.
3. Heat the rest of the Oil, and cook the Chicken in batches until all cooked through and golden brown. Return all of the Chicken to the pan, and mix in with the Honey, Lemon Juice and Grated Ginger. Cover, and simmer for five minutes, or until the Chicken is tender.
4. Cook the Noodles according the instructions on the packaging, before cutting into smaller pieces. Mix with the Chicken and Vegetables, then season with Salt and Pepper to taste, before sprinkling with Cashew Nuts and serve.

Photo Courtesy of: stevendepolo

Spicy Salmon Parcels with a Zesty Ginger Butter

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Salmon and Ginger Parcels

Serve with freshly cooked vegetables of your choice, this dish is relatively fast and easy to make, and also quite cheap as well – you’re looking at around £4 per portion, which is quite low for a dish with such varied flavours and textures in the dish – the soft, succulent flesh of the meat, and the crispness of the pastry.

To serve 4
50g Butter, at room temperature
2cm Fresh Root Ginger, Grated
Zest of ½ a Lemon
125g Frozen Filo Pastry
4 x 125g Salmon Fillets, Skinned
½ Red Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped
½ Green Chilli, Deseeded and Chopped

1. Mix half of the butter with the Ginger and Lemon Zest, then season well. Wrap in Clingfilm and shape into a sausage and chill until set – it should be around thirty minutes
2. Heat the oven to 200C and melt the remaining Butter in a small pan, and set aside.
3. Unroll the FIlo Pastry and cover with a clean, damp tea towel, and keep covered as much as possible. Brush with a small amount of the melted butter, and lay another sheet on top. Place the Salmon Fillet on top in the middle of the layers of Pastry, and season with a small amount of the Chillies and Black Pepper. Repeat with the other three Salmon Fillets
4. Unwrap the Ginger Butter, and slice into four equal rounds, and wrap the Pastry up to make a parcel. Transfer to a non-stick baking tray, and brush with the remaining Melted Butter.
5. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes, until Crisp and Golden.

Serve fresh from the oven, with a range of various seasonal vegetables.

Photo Courtesy of: Xelliex

Tod Man Pla

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Don’t know what these are? They’re Thai Fish Cakes. Different in taste and consistency to more traditional fish cakes, as they’re a bit spicier, and intended to be used as a main course when served with Rice.

Tod Man Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

You can easily change the Fish used in these with Chicken or Pork, and they’ll still taste great, which makes them a very useful last minute meal idea! The mixture of tastes and textures in this dish make it a great party food, and a nice suprise for the tastebuds – just make sure you’ve let people know they are spicy before they bite in!

To serve 4

450g Skinless, Boneless Cod Fillet, cut into Chunks
1 Beaten Egg
1tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1tsp Brown Sugar
1tbsp Cornflour
1tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
75g Chopped Green Beans
4tbsp Oil

1.      Put the Cod chunks into a food processor, and pulse to have them chopped roughly.

2.      Add the Curry paste into the processor, as well as the Beaten Egg, Sugar, Salt and Cornflour. Blend well to make sure a nice mix.

3.      Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and mix in the Green Beans and Coriander.

4.      Cover the bowl with cling-film, and chill for forty five minutes

5.      Split the mixture into fifteen to twenty balls, and then flatten them slightly (to make a cake-like shape).

6.      Heat the oil in a pan (preferably a non-stick one…It’s easier to clean at the end!), over a medium heat.

7.      Cook the Fish Cakes in batches for around three to five minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Pat dry on a piece of crumpled Kitchen Paper.

8.       Serve with a Salad or Stir-Fried Green Vegetables and Rice.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Mild Meat Curry

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Mild Chicken Curry

This mild dish is a very simple and easy to cook meal, which is a very popular dish due to the mix of flavours, textures and colours.

If you’re after a vegetarian alternative, have a look here

To serve 4

1 Onion

2 Garlic Cloves

2tsp Fresh Ginger

15g Butter

1stp Ground Turmeric

1 ½tsp Garam Masala

Small Pinch of Chilli Powder

2 ripe tomatoes

100ml coconut Milk or Natural Yoghurt

200g Poultry, Fish or Vegetables (or a mixture)

Juice of 1 Lemon

2tbsp Chopped Coriander

1.        Chop the Onion, crush the Garlic and grate the Ginger, before cooking in the butter, until they begin to change colour

2.       Add the spices, and cook gently for two more minutes. At this point, if you’d like the curry hotter, add more Garam Masala, Chilli Powder and Garlic. The trick is to start off mild, and taste all the time. It’s easier to make it hotter, but not as easy to make it cooler!

3.       Add the Tomatoes, and then start to simmer for ten to twelve minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken, but make sure it doesn’t boil.

4.       Cook the meat off, making sure you keep lots of the juices ready for the main curry.

5.       Add the meat or fish to the pan, and simmer gently until heated through. Add the lemon Juice, and stir well. At this stage, check the tastes. As mentioned earlier, add more spices to get the taste right for you.

6.       Serve with freshly cooked Rice and warmed Naan bread, and topped with the Coriander.

Photo Courtesy of: RovingI

Spicy Meatballs

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Full of flavour, with a small chilli kick to them – these Italian meatballs will become a firm favourite in any family house. If you want, remove some of the white wine.

Serve with some fresh made, toasted Ciabatta, and garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan and basil.

To serve 4

400g Lean Minced Beef

2tsp dried mixed Italian Herbs

30g breadcrumbs

1 Small Red Onion, finely chopped

4tbsp Olive Oil

4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

1 mild red Chilli, finely chopped

125ml White Wine

2tso fresh Oregano, or 1/2tsp Dried

1can of Chopped Tomatoes

180g Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half

4 sprigs of Basil, left whole

350g of your favourite Pasta

4tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

1.       Mix the herbs, breadcrumbs, meat and onion in a large bowl, and season.

2.       Roll into twenty, even sized balls, before heating 2tbsp of Oil In a frying pan. Fry the meatballs in batches for around five minutes each batch, turning until light brown all over. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

3.       Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the Chilli and Garlic and cook for one minute, add the wine and then boil until reduced by half. Stir in the Oregano, Tomatoes and Basil, and then bring to the boil for fifteen minutes.

4.       Add the meatballs, and simmer for five minutes.

5.       Cook the pasta according to taste, drain, then serve with the meatballs, with a sprinkle of Parmesan and basil for decoration.

Photo Courtesy of Avlxyz