Indiana Curry and The Spice Of Life

(first published 1^st June 2013)

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s recipes are…. Yes you’ve guessed it PIES!!… No, of course they’re not, they are curries : –Easy Chicken Biryani, Indian Butternut Squash Curry and Curried chickpeas.

 

My first recipe is Easy Chicken Biryani Courtesy of Olive Magazine March 2011.

Serves 4, Prep 10 mins, Cook 50 mins

1-2 tbsp x Tandoori Paste
1 x Lemon, zested and juiced
3 tbsp x 2% Greek Yogurt
2 x Large Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces
1 x Onion, chopped
Oil
250g x Basmati Rice
400ml x Chicken Stock
A Handful of Fresh Coriander , chopped

 

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the tandoori paste in a bowl with the lemon juice, yogurt and chicken, season with a little salt and mix well with your hands.

Fry the onion in 1 tsp oil until it softens and browns, then put into a shallow casserole with the rice, lemon zest and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the rice is almost tender.
Put the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Sit the chicken pieces on top of the rice and put the lot in the oven for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.

To make it healthier, Biryani is often made with ghee and butter, which gives the rice a rich flavour; but cooking the rice in stock instead adds flavour without the calories and fat. Mixing 2% Greek yogurt with tandoori paste makes the marinade less harsh, without adding much fat.

 

My next recipe is Indian Butternut Squash Curry Courtesy of GoodFood Magazine October 2010.

Serves 4, Prep 10 mins, Cook 40 mins

200g x Brown Basmati Rice
1 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Butternut Squash, diced
1 x Red Onion, diced
2 tbsp x Mild Curry Paste
300ml x Vegetable Stock
4 x Large Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 x 400g can of Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp x Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
A Small Handful of Fresh Coriander, chopped

Cook the rice in boiling salted water, as per pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the butternut squash for 2-3 mins until lightly browned. Add the onion and the curry paste and fry for 3-4 mins more.

Pour over the stock, then cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the squash is tender. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, then gently cook for 3-4 mins, until the tomatoes slightly soften.

Take off the heat and stir through the yogurt and coriander. Serve with the rice and some wholemeal chapattis if you like.

 

And my last recipe is Curried chickpeas Courtesy of GoodFood Magazine February 2011.

Serves 4, Prep 15 mins, Cook 15 mins

2 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
1 tsp x Cumin Seeds
1-2 x Red Chillies , deseeded and chopped
1 x Clove
1 x Small Cinnamon Stick
1 x Bay Leaf
1 x Onion, finely chopped
½ tsp x Ground Turmeric
2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 x400g can of Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp x Paprika
1 tsp x Ground Coriander
2 x Small Tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp x Chopped Coriander

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the cumin, chillies, clove, cinnamon and bay leaf together until the cumin starts to crackle. Tip in the onion, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 mins until starting to soften, then add the garlic.

Continue cooking 4-5 mins until the onion is soft, then add chickpeas, paprika, black pepper and ground coriander. Give everything a good stir so the chickpeas are well coated in the spices.

Add the tomatoes and 2 tbsp water. Cook on a medium heat until tomatoes are soft and the sauce is thick and pulpy. Take off the heat and sprinkle on the coriander.

 

Smoky Pots for Gunpowder Plots

Hi everyone and welcome to this week’s blog. The recipes this week are in aide of a great British tradition, the remembrance of a treasonable act Guy Fawkes night aka Bonfire Night.

So this week’s recipes are: – Smoky Pork & Boston Beans One-Pot, Smoky Aubergine Tagine with Lemon & Apricots and Smoky Mexican Meatball Stew.

 

My first recipe is Smoky Pork & Boston Beans One-Pot Recipe by Katy Gilhooly, courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine October 2015.

 

Serves 4, Prep 15mins, Cook 40mins

 

2tbsp x Olive Oil

2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed

2tbsp x Smoked Paprika

500g x Pork Loin Steaks, quartered

2 x 400g Cans of Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed

400g x Passata

2tsp x Chipotle Paste

1tbsp x Dark Soft Brown Sugar

100g x Ham Hock, in large shreds

4 x Slices of Crusty White Bread

A Small Handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped

 

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the oil, garlic and paprika together and rub into the pork. In a large, shallow ovenproof dish, mix the cannellini beans, passata, chipotle, sugar and ham hock. Nestle the pork into the beans. Bake in the oven for 40 mins until the pork is cooked through.

Toast the bread and serve on the side. Sprinkle the parsley over the pork and beans to serve.

 

 

My second recipe is Smoky Aubergine Tagine with Lemon & Apricots Recipe by Sarah Cook, courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine August 2015.

 

Serves 4, Prep 20mins, Cook 1hr

 

2 x Aubergines, cut into large chunks

3tbsp x Olive Oil

2 x Onions, chopped

2tbsp x Freshly Grated Ginger

1½tsp x Ras el Hanout

1½tsp x Sweet Smoked Paprika

A Good Pinch of Saffron

300ml x Hot Vegetable or Chicken Stock

2 x Preserved Lemons, rind of both sliced, pulp from the centre of 1 roughly chopped

120g x Dried Apricots, halved

200g x Tomatoes, roughly chopped

1tbsp x Clear Honey

Zest of 1 Lemon, juice ½

2tsp x Toasted Sesame Seeds

2tbsp x Finely Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley

2tbsp x Finely Chopped Mint

Greek Yogurt, to serve (optional)

Wholemeal Bulghar Wheat, to serve (optional)

 

Brown the aubergines in 2 tbsp of the oil so they’re golden on all sides, but not soft in the middle yet – this is best done in batches in a large, non-stick frying pan.

Heat a heavy-based shallow lidded pan or flameproof tagine with the remaining oil, then add the onions, ginger and spices, and fry gently until softened and golden.

Meanwhile, add the saffron to the stock to soak. Stir the preserved lemon rind and pulp, apricots, tomatoes, honey and lemon juice into the onions with the saffron stock. Snugly fit the aubergines in, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 mins until the aubergines are tender. Season to taste.

Mix together the lemon zest, sesame seeds and chopped herbs, and sprinkle over the tagine. Serve with Greek yogurt and wholemeal bulghar wheat, if you like.

 

 

And the final recipe is Smoky Mexican Meatball Stew Recipe courtesy BBC Good Food Magazine February 2012.

 

Serves 4, Prep 10mins, Cook 35mins

 

1½tbsp x Olive Oil

1 x Large Onion, finely chopped

400g x Beef Mince

50g x Fresh White Breadcrumbs

1tsp each of Ground Cumin & Coriander

1½tbsp x Chipotle Paste

200g x Basmati Rice

1 x 400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes

1 x 400g Can of Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

A Small Handful of Coriander, to serve

 

Heat 1tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onion for 8-10 mins until soft, then remove from the pan.

Meanwhile, place the mince, breadcrumbs, spices and chipotle paste in a bowl, season generously and mix thoroughly. Roll mixture into 20 walnut-sized meatballs. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the meatballs for about 8 mins until brown all over.

Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions. Return the onion to the pan, adding the tomatoes, as well as a can full of water. Simmer for 5 mins, then add the kidney beans and cook for a further 10 mins, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Season the meatballs, scatter with coriander and serve with the rice.