It’s Thai We Had A New Start

(first published 9^th April 2011)

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s recipes have spring like theme to them the recipes are, Thai Green Chicken Curry,Garlic & Herb Roast Lamb on Boulangere Potatoes, Spiced Roast Leg of Lamb with Fennel & Tomatoes.

 

My first recipe is Thai Green Chicken Curry, courtesy of GoodFood website originally printed in the GoodFood Magazine May 2002.

Serves 6, takes 20mins to prepare, and 20mins to cook.

225g x New Potatoes, cut into chunks
100g x Green Beans, trimmed and halved
1 tbsp x Vegetable or Sunflower Oil
1 x Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Rounded tbsp (or 4 tsp) x Thai Green Curry Paste (you can’t fit the tablespoon into some of the jars) or see recipe below to make your own
400ml x Coconut Milk
2 tsp x Thai Fish Sauce
1 tsp x Caster Sugar
450g x Boneless Skinless Chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
2 x Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves, finely shredded, (or 3 wide strips lime zest), plus extra to garnish
A Good Handful of Basil Leaves
Boiled Rice, to serve

 

Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Throw in the beans and cook for a further 3 minutes, by which time both should be just tender but not too soft. Drain and put to one side. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil until very hot, then drop in the garlic and cook until golden, this should take only a few seconds. Don’t let it go very dark or it will spoil the taste. Spoon in the curry paste and stir it around for a few seconds to begin to cook the spices and release all the flavours. Next, pour in the coconut milk and let it come to a bubble.

Stir in the fish sauce and sugar, then the pieces of chicken. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Tip in the potatoes and beans and let them warm through in the hot coconut milk, then add a lovely citrusy flavour by stirring in the shredded lime leaves (or lime zest). The basil leaves go in next, but only leave them briefly on the heat or they will quickly lose their brightness. Scatter with the lime garnish and serve immediately with boiled rice.

Thai Green Curry Paste, recipe by Ching-He Huang, courtesy of GoodFood Channel website.

Takes 15mins to prepare and makes 125ml

5 x Garlic Cloves, chopped
6 x Green Chillies, seeds removed and chopped
2 x Lemongrass Stalks
3 tbsp x Coriander roots, chopped
2 cm x Galangal or Ginger
1 x Large Shallots
1 x Limes, Kaffir or ordinary limes, grated zest and juice
A pinch of salt
2 tsp x Ground Cumin
1 tsp x Coriander Seeds
1 tsp x Black Peppercorns

Tip all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Store the sauce in an airtight jar in the refrigerator – it keeps for up to one week.

 

My next recipe is Garlic & Herb Roast Lamb on Boulangere Potatoes, recipe by Sara Buenfeld, courtesy of GoodFood Magazine April 2011.

Serves 8, Prep time 30mins, takes 1hr 45mins to cook.

2kg x Leg of Lamb
4 x Garlic Cloves, sliced
A few Rosemary Sprigs
A few Thyme Sprigs
2kg x Large Potatoes, (such as King Edward), peel and thinly slice
2 x Onions, thinly sliced
600ml x Organic Chicken Stock
50g x Butter

 

Heat the oven to 190C Gas Mark5. Cut small pockets into the skin and flesh of the lamb by piercing it with the point of a sharp knife. Stuff each pocket with a slice of garlic and a few leaves of rosemary, or scatter with thyme. Put in a roasting tin, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with foil. Pile your thinly sliced potatoes into a roasting tin, along with the onions, remaining slices of garlic and a good scattering of herbs.

Heat the stock and butter together, then pour over the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven with the lamb for 1hr. Uncover, put the lamb on top of the potatoes and roast uncovered for 45mins more. Allow the lamb to rest before carving, for about 15mins. leave the potatoes in the oven (covered, if starting to brown too much) until ready to serve.

 

My final recipe is Spiced Roast Leg of Lamb with Fennel & Tomatoes, recipe by Lizzie Harris, courtesy of Delicious Magazine April 2011.

Serves 6-8, takes 5 to prepare and 1hr 40mins to cook.

2kg x Leg of Lamb
6 x Ripe Tomatoes, halved
2 x Fennel Bulbs, cut into wedges

For the Marinade
2 x Lemons, zest and juice
6 x Anchovy Fillets in Oil, drained and chopped
1 Heaped tsp x Cumin Seeds
1 Heaped tsp x Fennel Seeds
1 x Mild Red Chilli, de-seeded and chopped
A Small Handful of Fresh Thyme Sprigs
4 tbsp x Olive Oil

 

In a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients. Make small incisions all over the lamb, season and smother over most of the marinade, reserving 1 tbsp. Preheat the oven to 200C Gas mark6. Put the lamb in a roasting tray and place into the oven. After 10mins turn the oven down to 180C Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 50mins.

Remove from the oven and add the halved tomatoes and fennel. Baste everything with juices and top the tomatoes with the rest of the marinade. Continue cooking for 40mins until the lamb is cooked and the vegetables have softened and are lightly charred (allow 20mins per 500g of lamb, plus 20mins to cook to medium). Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15-20mins. Carve and serve with the vegetables.