Soy Chicken

I have a little something to tell you but I don't have a photo so you'll have to use your imagination. I'm hoping I can portray the deliciousness and ease with my words. I don't know if I can do it, but here goes.

I'm not sure where or when this started for me, but someone somewhere in my universe mentioned soy chicken. It may have been a blog, it may have been in a magazine, maybe it was a friend or someone I was eaves dropping on at my local coffee hang out (I know, I'm pathetic, I'll do anything for some adult conversation lately. Including going to a coffee shop with Austen, parking myself next to the most interesting looking people and listening in to what they're chatting about).

Anyway I Googled 'Chinese Soy Chicken' and this video came up. I fell in love with the lady who commentates the recipe while her her son pesters her in the background. Its gorgeous.

I noted down what I needed and found myself making it for friends a few nights later.

I had gone to the Adelaide Central Markets and gathered everything I needed hoping to make it for our fortnightly visitor Nikolas but it didn't happen so when my dear friend Hannah said she was coming to see Austen and I, I said, stay for dinner and whipped this up. We all loved it! I thought I'd made far too much but we demolished it with steamed broccoli tossed in oyster sauce and minced garlic. The chicken is tender and sticky and tasty and crunchy has no skin or fat left on it after the cooking process so it is wonderfully healthy, which I need at the moment (damn baby weight).

Hey, if just one of you out there makes it then I will have succeeded.

2kg chicken drumsticks
2-3 tbs miso paste
big bottle of soy sauce (I have no idea how much I used probably 1 to 2 cups)
2 tsp chinese five spice
fresh ginger, roughly chopped (I think I used about a 2 cm piece)
quite a few twists of the pepper grinder

Add all the ingredients together except the chicken in a large pot and stir to make a paste. Add the drumsticks and cover with water and more soy sauce so the water is quite black. Stir thoroughly. Place on the stove and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling, turn it down to a low simmer and cover.

After 30 minutes, turn the oven onto 180C and remove the chicken from the pot and place into baking dish.

Roast the chicken drumsticks in the oven for 20-30 minutes, remove from the oven and serve with streamed greens.

Sathya-rating ****

Chicken Korma

I won a copy of Jamie Oliver's Ministry Of Food cookbook. It really does have some fantastic recipes in it and they're never difficult because they were designed for those of us who have never really cooked.

I've heard many people say that Jamie Oliver's Chicken Korma recipe is bland and not that great - but after some investigating and reading a few forums I think it's actually his original, fancy recipe that people dislike; because this Ministry of Food Chicken Korma is DELICIOUS. Jared and I have cooked it and recooked it several times and it never lets us down.

800g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
2 medium onions
1 fresh red chili
1 thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
olive oil
a knob of butter
290g jar of Patak's korma curry paste
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
2 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g natural yogurt
1 lemon

Cut the chicken into approximately 3cm pieces. Peel, half and chop your onions. Halved and finely slice the chili. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks. Drain the chickpeas.

Put a large casserole type pan on a high heat and add a couple of glugs of oil. Put the chicken thighs into the pan and brown lightly on all sides for five minutes. Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Stir in the onions, chili, ginger and coriander stalks with the butter. Keep stirring it enough so it doesn't catch and burn but turns lovely golden. Cook for around ten minutes. Add the korma curry paste, coconut milk, the drained chickpeas and dessicated coconut. Half fill the empty tin with water, pour into the pan and stir again. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 45 mitues with the lid on. Check the curry regularly to make sure it isn't drying out. Add a little extra water if necessary. Remove the lid and cook down at a simmering heat for another 25 mins. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Serve with rice. Add a few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt and scattered coriander leaves. Service with lemon wedges for spooning over.


E.

Slowcooked Butter Chicken

I was very lucky to get a slow cooker for my birthday late last year. At the time I was five months pregnant, incredibly nauseous 24 hours a day and not really in the mood to go anywhere near the kitchen. Six months later the weather was much cooler and I had much less time to prepare dinner, what with a new baby and all, and so came my first attempt at using the slowcooker or crockpot as it seems the Americans call them.

I googled my way around the internet and stumbled across Stephanie over at A Year of Crockpotting (who literally used her crockpot for 365 days. Funny that). There are loads of recipes I am looking forward to trying but I started with Butter Chicken. Boy, am I glad I started with Butter Chicken. To be honest, I don't think I have moved away from Butter Chicken yet! I've made it several times and we're all loving it. I wonder how long till we get sick of it. No time soon, I hope because it is so incredibly easy to prepare and very tasty.

(I followed Stephanies recipe, however, I used 2 teaspoons of butter rather than 6 tablespoons and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste rather than a can).

900g boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tbs butter
15 cardamom pods
2 tsp curry paste/powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk
3 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end)

Carefully sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread ro put them in a little cheese cloth bundle. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion, garlic, and all of the spices. Plop in the butter and tomato paste. Add lemon juice and coconut milk and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily when fully cooked.

Stir in the yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Season to taste and serve with rice.

Sathya-rating *****

Chicken with Sliced Lemon and Fried Onions

Do you love lemons? I do, they are my favourite, sweet or savoury, and honestly 9 times out of 10 a squeeze of lemon makes a dish better! In my book, anyway.

So, when I saw a Madhur Jaffrey on Serious Eats for a chicken curry focused on lemon I knew I'd love it. I organised a curry night with our newly wed friends, Merryn and Jamie and started this wonderful concoction.

It didn't take too long to prepare, but I did let it bubble away on the stove, on a low simmer for an extra 30 minutes to an hour. The end result is a delicious thick gravy with tender tasty chicken. It was devoured by all. Its not too spicy, or to Indian-ey either, like Robin Bellinger, I think this would be enjoyed even by those who think they don't like Indian food or curries.

Go ahead, give it a go, I will most definitely be trying it again.

1.5kg bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (I used all thighs; it’s easy to remove the skin yourself, if you can’t find bone-in, skinless parts)
3 medium onions
Ginger fresh, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
2 tbs plain yogurt
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 whole lemon
1 tbs sugar
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

If the chicken pieces are skin-on, remove the skin. Rinse and pat dry.
Peel the onions. Chop two of them coarsely and put them into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Cut the third one in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin half-rounds and set aside.

Add 6 tablespoons of water, the ginger, and the garlic to the onions in the food processor or blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-12 inch pot over medium-high flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions and fry them, stirring, until they are darkish brown and crisp, though not burned. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on paper towels.

In the same oil, brown the chicken pieces on all sides until they are golden. Do this speedily over high flame so the chicken browns but does not cook through. I did the thighs about 2 minutes per side. You will need to do it in at least 2 batches. Remove the chicken with slotted spoon to a bowl or plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Pour in the paste from the blender (turn your face away!). Stirring, fry on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the paste turns a nice golden brown. Now put in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric and fry, stirring continuously; after another 2 minutes add yogurt, a teaspoon at a time; after 2 or 3 minutes, the tomato sauce, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to stir and fry. Finally, add salt, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Cut the lemon into 4 or 5 slices, discarding the end pieces, and remove the seeds. Add lemon slices along with the chicken pieces, fried onions, sugar, and the ground pepper to the sauce, stir, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, turning the pieces every now and then. If chicken sticks to the bottom of pot, add a little more water. You should end up with a very thick sauce.


S

Thai Basil Chili Chicken

For me if its not Pad Thai when we go out for Thai its Basil Chicken. The flavour is big and unforgettable. I love it! If I’d have known how simple it and quick this was to prepare this would be my go to recipe, I would be making it all the time.
This is a Kasma Loha-unchit recipe. I have no idea how it ended up in my pile of recipes to try, but I will be attempting more of his recipe after this one was such a huge success. It taste exactly like my local Thai restaurant, which means perfect!

2-3 tbsp peanut oil, for stir-frying
10-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces 10 Thai chillies, cut into very thin rounds
2 small kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded (optional)
2-3 tsp black soy sauce (I used Ketchup Manis – sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
2 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
1 cup fresh Thai holy basil, or Thai sweet basil leaves
Pepper

Heat a wok until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the wok surface. Toss in the garlic and shallots. Stir 15 to 20 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.

Toss in the chillies and kaffir lime leaves. Sprinkle black soy sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil. Toss well. Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper.



S

Scrumptious Chicken Wings

Recently, we were steered in the direction of a particular café that had sensational bbq rolls. They were so good we went back again! Long story short, it came up in a discussion with another friend and they had the recipe! The recipe listed barbeque sauce, which I’d never made from scratch before. I did a bit of research and mixed and matched and added the spices from the café’s bbq rolls recipe and hey presto – we had ourselves some finger-licking good wings. You must try, they’re highly addictive!

2kgs chicken wings
3 teaspoons chilli powder
1 onion, finely diced
1 ½ cups water
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
3 ½ tbs honey
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs Dijon mustard

Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, honey and Worcestershire.

Season with 2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, garlic and 1 teaspoon chilli powder. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 ¼ hours, uncovered, or until sauce thickens.

Preheat 200C and cut the chicken wings into 3 at the joints and discard the wing tips.

Toss the wings with approximately ½ cup of the bbq sauce. Arrange chicken in roasting tray in a single layer and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, turning at the half way point.

Remove from the oven and toss again with more bbq sauce ad serve.

S

Chicken Sandwiches for the road trip

This year for the holidays we went down the South coast of NSW, Australia to a gorgeous little place called Callala Beach for a week. To all of you out there in the middle of winter, think turquoise ocean, white, soft sand, warm long days of nothing much but, swimming, sleeping, eating and drinking. My idea of a perfect holiday.

For our trip I managed to rustle up some yummy chicken sandwiches. They're so tasty, we wished for more for days.

Sometimes I also add a little finely diced apple through the mix or put lettuce in the sandwich before serving. This recipe is pretty adaptable so feel free to add or subtract what you like. Not that you wouldn't anyway.

2 chicken breasts, roasted and cooled
1 stick of celery, finely sliced
1/2 spanish onion, finely sliced
3 tbs parsley, finely chopped
small handful walnuts
3 tbs good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
8 slices of buttered bread

Roughly chop the chicken and walnuts.

In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, mustard, juice and rind of half a lemon and mix with lots of salt and pepper. Taste to check seasoning and flavour.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Top a slice of bread with approx 2 tablespoons of the mix and pop another slice of bread on top, slice into 2 or 4 pieces and hey presto - you've got yourself some fine sandwiches.

This mix also works very well on top of cocktail toast as Canapés.

S

Easy, tasty, tender BBQ Chicken

A

We were a pair of lucky ducks who got to go away for 2 long weekends at the beach in a row! Knowing what I did I planned ahead and found a couple of recipes to try out on the barbeque. One was this ‘foolproof grilled chicken’ recipe from Epicurious.

This meal was perfect. I had never brined chicken and was new to the whole experience. I thought of skipping it but in the end, I had enough time so I made the brine and put the chicken in overnight. Let me tell you, it was well worth the effort! Wow, it made the meat so tender. Yum.

There were only 2 of us, so I cut the recipe down a fair bit as the original serves 6. Heres what I did.

1 litre cold water
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tsp salt
3 chicken breasts, each cut into 3 pieces
4 limes,
2 tbs fish sauce
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
I handful fresh mint, finely chopped
1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil

First you need to brine the chicken, up to 6 hours in advance. To start with Bring water, sugar, and salt to the boil in a large pot, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Cool completely. When cool add the chicken and pop this in the fridge with a lid for 6 hours or more (I did it overnight).

Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry.

Whisk together lime juice (3 limes), fish sauce, garlic, mint, coriander, chilli flakes, and remaining teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add oil in a stream, whisking until combined.
Turn on the bbq and let it get nice and hot for 10 minutes or so and then turn down the heat to moderately high.

Sear chicken on the bbq and close or covered with lid, turning over once, until well browned for about 5 - 10 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of your chicken). Turn off 1 burner to let the chicken cook through, approx another 10 - 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to bowl with vinaigrette and turn to coat, then transfer to platter to keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

While the chicken is resting in the vinaigrette, grill lime halves, cut sides down, uncovered, over lit burner until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes, then transfer to platter with chicken. Serve limes with chicken and serve remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Next time, I want to try the Mediterranean vinaigrette for chicken by whisking together 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 minced large garlic clove, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, and 1 tsp salt, then add 1/3 cup olive oil in a slow stream, whisking.

S

Chicken Marengo

AI’m sure many of us have a stash of recipes we’ve put aside to make, and never made them? My pile keeps getting bigger, it’s quite silly really. This is one of those recipes. No idea where it came from, but my it was worthwhile making it as Tony said it’s his favourite of all the meals I’ve cooked him. What the! I’ve put a lot of time, attention and detail into other meals and haven’t even heard a grunt.

The story goes that this dish was Napoleon’s must-have meal when he went to battle. His cook threw it together after Napoleon defeated the Austrians in 1800 in the Italian town of Marengo. It’s said that Napoleon enjoyed it so much, he declared that the dish should be served after every battle. I’m not sure whether to leave this story in with the link to Tony. He’ll think he’s Napoleonic now.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 chicken breast, cut into chunks
flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
400 rams crushed tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
juice of 1 lemon
extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil, torn

Fry the onions and garlic in vegetable oil until soft.

Coat the chicken with flour, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the pieces of chicken to the pan with the oil and fry until browned on all sides.

Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and allow to simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Separately, melt butter in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms until tender. Sprinkle the mushrooms with lemon juice.

Add the mushrooms and the basil to the tomato sauce and mix well.

I served this with spinach and cheese tortellini which was a great combination or you could serve with bread.

S

The Best Chicken Sandwiches

These chicken sandwiches are in my Donna Hay cookbook which my wonderful parents gave me for my birthday recently. As soon as I saw the sandwiches I thought, I've got to make these! And as Donna Hay says, "they aren't just chicken sandwiches, they are the best chicken sandwiches!"

Then I saw a challenge on the daring bakers being hosted by http://www.ayearatoakcottage.blogspot.com/ called Show Us Your Sarnie and thought it was the perfect excuse to make these delicious sandwiches.

I was a little worried that they may be a bit girly and herby for the hard working men I was feeding them to, but I made seven sandwiches to feed four men, and they all went. Every last bite. Words the men used to describe them included "delicious" and "refreshing". I tried them and was delighted with the flavour. I'll absolutely be making them again!

12 slices white bread
Butter for spreading
2 cooked chicken breasts, skinned and chopped
6floz/170ml mayonnaise, plus extra for spreading
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
2 tbsp shredded mint leaves
Salt and pepper
6 tbsp finely chopped chives

Spread butter on one side of the bread.

Combine the chicken, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil and mint, and season with salt and pepper.

Divide between half the bread slices and top with the remaining bread. Cut into small triangles and spread one edge with the remaining mayonnaise.

Press one side into the chives and serve.

E.

Nigella's Slow-cooked Lemon Chicken

Our home welcomed a a gorgeous new dining table and chairs and on the weekend we had our first dinner party on it with lovely old friends. I love a good dinner party and always have hundreds of ideas of what I can make. Unusually this time I couldn’t set my mind on anything. Wow it was stressful.

Finally on Friday night after much tossing and turning I told myself to stop being silly, to go to sleep and I would sort it out in the morning.

I woke up even earlier than usual and delved into the cookbooks. Nothing was coming to me.

The difficulty was I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dessert (yep, next post) and it was a heavy one so I had to have something not too intense.

As I was about to give up and get a pizza for them all I remembered my trusty note book with all my favourites. It opened up to the page with Nigella’s lemon chicken and all was well.

It’s all very easy and delicious in true Nigella style. Its crispy, golden brown chicken with tangy caramelised lemon and garlic, you can eat it all. I like to serve it with a nice green salad. I’ve also made this and added a few potatoes which is great.

1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1 whole garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths
small handful fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
150ml white wine
black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300F.

Combine the chicken pieces, garlic cloves, lemon chunks, oil and thyme (leave some thyme intact for strewing over later). Mix everything together, its easiest to use your hands.

Spread all this out in a roasting tray, trying to keep the skin side up.

Evenly sprinkle over the white wine top with freshly ground pepper.

Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove the foil and turn up the oven to 200C/400ºF and cook, uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining thyme.

S

Turkey & Spiced Coconut Balls: Novel Food

Fellow food bloggers are holding yet another “blogging event” called Novel Food which I couldn’t resist. I’m an avid reader and went into overdrive trying to think of all the fun things I could do.

In the end, I went with my first idea which is from my all time favourite author, Lily Brett. Lily Brett has made me howl with laughter and bawl my eyes out over several of her books. She’s inspiring and so real the way she tells us readers the most open and honest things about herself.

Its possibly not my favourite of all her books, but it’d be up there – “You’ve Gotta Have Balls”. Or should I say Bolls as Edek would say. This book is the story of her father moving the NYC and taking over her life to a certain extent. His new Polish girlfriend, who Lily finds difficult at times as she is only wearing her lingerie underneath her apron when Lily comes over makes the most amazing meatballs.

And so I go into the spirit of things, got down to my lingerie, put on the apron like Zofia and made meatballs. They were super easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

100 grams coconut flakes
900 grams turkey/chicken mince
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 heaped tbs breadcrumbs
2 eggs, whisked
2 teaspoons hot curry powder (I used garam masala)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
Oil
700ml of tomato passata (or 2 tins or crushed)
2 cloves of garlic
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala or curry powder

Preheat the oven to 190C

Using a food processor, pulse the coconut until ground.

Put the mince, coconut, onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, curry powder, cardamom, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. It should be firm.

Form into balls and put on a well greased baking tray. Spray with oil (or brush) and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

In the mean time, heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and quickly fry off 2 garlic cloves. Add the tomatoes and the spices and bring to a simmer. Season.
When the balls are ready serve with the tomato over the top with toasted coconut.

S

Gordon Ramsay's Malaysian Chicken Curry

This recipe came highly recommended and intrigued me as the spice combination was different to any curry I have made. Which if I may say so myself, is a few. That and the fact our household loves a good Sunday afternoon curry.

It was relatively easy and fool proof and came out creamy, tangy and spicy. Mmm.

Curry Paste:
5 garlic cloves, peeled
4-5 long red chillies, trimmed
2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed, outer leaves removed and sliced
5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
2-3 tbsp groundnut oil

For curry:
800grams chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
400ml coconut milk (I used coconut flavoured evaporate milk)
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp palm sugar (or soft brown sugar)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
400g green beans, trimmed
Salt and pepper
handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn

To make the curry paste. Put the garlic, chillies, lemon grass, ginger and shallots in a food processor to form a paste. (Or you can use a pestle and mortar).

Next, heat the groundnut oil in a large heavy-based pan. Tip in the curry paste with 1 tsp ground turmeric and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the pan, stirring to coat in the paste. Add the lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, stock, sugar, soy and fish sauces and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for half an hour to an hour until the chicken is tender.

Skim off any excess oil on the surface of the curry. Taste add salt and pepper if you think its needs. Add the beans and cover for another few minutes until the beans are tender.
To serve, scatter the coriander leaves over the curry and serve with rice and roti.

S

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

Being brought up vegetarian I had never had this soup but had always thought it would be tasty. I came across and easy recipe and made it quickly with much ease last week for dinner.

We had it served with some toast and it was a delicious dinner . I made it again on the weekend but used tofu and vegetable stock as an easy vegetarian soup and we loved it again. I know it'll be made often. I guess you don't need the ginger or sesame oil but the ginger at least is great during this cold epidemic here in Oz.

1 litre chicken/vegetable stock
6 spring onions
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 chicken thigh fillets, skinless, sliced finely/tofu
420 grams canned creamed corn
2 cups corn kernels
salt and freshly ground pepper
sesame oil
2 tablespoons corn flour mixed with a little water, optional, to thicken soup
1 egg, lightly whisked

Heat the chicken/vegetable stock.Separate the white from the green parts of the spring onions. Slice both finely.

In a large pot heat a little oil and fry off the chicken/tofu with the sliced white part of the spring onion and the ginger. Let this gently fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the creamed corn and corn kernels.Turn the heat up a little and stir this well before adding the stock and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add half the sliced green parts of the spring onion.Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.

If you prefer a thicker soup, then at this stage, stir in the mix of corn flour and water. (I didn't do this).

Just before serving while stirring the soup, drizzle in the whisked egg - this sets as soon as you add it to the soup so it's important to keep stirring to break it up and get a speckled finish. Serve, sprinkled with the remaining green sliced spring onions.


S

Slow-cooked Chicken with Sweet Roasted Tomatoes

I found this recipe on Jamie Oliver’s website recently and thought it sounded great. As always happens with me and Jamie’s recipes half way through I realised it wasn’t going to work according to his recipe.

I thought it was going to be a bit of a disaster, but it ended up being delicious. Not as easy as Jamie announced though.

The chicken fell off the bone, it was that tender and had a wonderful smoky, sweet and spicy flavour.

Here’s what I did -

4 chicken drumsticks and 6 wings
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped
4 - 6 tomatoes, quartered
3 potatoes, chopped into large pieces

1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves

3 fresh red chillies, finely chopped

olive oil

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Put the chicken onto a deep tray and add all basil, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic cloves, chilli and salt and pepper and drizzle over some olive oil. Massage everything together. Put it in the oven for 40 minutes, covered.

After 40 minutes mixed everything around and separate the chicken and potatoes from the tomatoes etc. Return the chicken and potatoes to the oven for 20 minutes, till brown and crisp. Put the tomatoes etc into a pan and simmer on the stove mashing the tomatoes and removing the garlic skins and adjust seasoning.

To serve, place the chicken and potatoes on a plate and pour the desired amount of tomato on top.

S

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

I bought a copy of the latest Cuisine, which is a New Zealand foodie magazine a little while ago when I was sick. There was a gorgeous pie the cover and an article on a NZ pie-maker who was all the rage there.

I assumed the recipe would be on the next page and was upset to discover this wasn’t the case. They had just enticed me by how wonderful this pie-man was and then left me high and dry.

Being brought up vegetarian, I am not a pie- connoisseur like most Aussies. I can’t put my finger on it, but there has always been something off putting, to me, about all those meat pies in the bakeries, servos etc but the idea of a home made one sounded great! It kept popping into my head whenever I wasn’t somewhere where I could try and find a recipe. But finally, I had the chance and I did some recipe reading and comparison, plus I grilled Tony for some details on flavour etc (which if you know him, is quite a feat)!

And here is what I came up with. And, if I may say so myself, it was damn-near perfect! Yum!

What you’ll need to share in my pie-joy:

150 - 200 grams mushrooms, quartered
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
25 grams butter
25 grams flour
200 - 250ml chicken stock
Olive oil
3 tbs cream
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
Fresh parsley
3 sheets of puff pastry (I just used plain old frozen style)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 220C.

I used a spring-form pan for this pie, but you could use any pie dish, really. I allowed the puff pastry sheets a few minutes out of the freezer and then cut a circle and put it on the bottom and then cut the 2nd sheet into 3 pieces (about the height of the pan) and used them to make the sides, but pinching each piece together.

Fry mushrooms in a little olive oil for a few minutes and set aside.

Melt the butter in saucepan and add the flour and fry for a minute for 2. Add the chicken stock and turn up the heat and stir till simmering. Add the cream and reduce till it’s syrupy. Add a squeeze of lemon, seasoning and the finely chopped stalks of the parsley bunch and allow to cook for a minute.

Take off heat and add the chopped parsley leaves, mushrooms and chicken and stir thoroughly, making sure everything is coated with the sauce.

Pour the mixture into your prepared tin. Cover with the final sheet of pastry cut to fit. Pinch sides together and brush with the beaten egg. Finally cut air-holes into the lid of the pastry.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Let the pie sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving with whatever your heart desires.

S

Stuffed Chicken

Due to this low carb diet I am on, I am very limited in what i can eat. But I really felt like something yummy for dinner. Marika suggested stuffing a chicken breast with some goodies. After much deliberation it was decided that I would stuff it with Camembert and Pesto! And then wrap it in Prosciutto! Three of my favourite things! God Bless This Diet!

The prosciutto works well at keeping the cheese and pesto inside the chicken. I was very ameteur at my cutting technique as I slit right thru to the bottom of the chicken breast so all the pesto was oozing out, but the prosciutto saved the day and kept it all inside. It was a delicious meal that was relatively simple!

2 chicken breasts

2 tbsp good quality pesto

4 slices (1cm wide) good quality camembert

10 slices thin prosciutto

Knob of butter

Tablespoon olive oil

(Serves 2)

Preheat oven to 200C.

Slice the chicken breast through the centre horizontally. Not completely end to end. Leave about an inch uncut at either end. Marika taught me the trick that if you put the chicken breasts in the freezer for about half an hour before preparing, it is easier to cut and get it right.

Place the pesto and the camembert inside the pocket. Push closed as tighly as you can and wrap 5 strips of prosciutto around each chicken breast, making sure all gaps where cheese or pesto my dribble out are covered.

Melt olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Sear each side of the chicken breast until browned and then place in an oven at 200C for approximately 45 mins. Serve with your favourite vegetables.
E.

Sathya's First Tagine

Well, I finally joined the gang. The Tagine Gang, that is. Thank you, Laura, Liz and Cath.

I was lucky enough to receive this beautiful Emile Henry cooking item on the weekend.

I quickly messaged Liz to ask her what ingredients I need to make one that day! Her reply was simple. chicken maryland, tinned tomatoes and prunes and vegetables and I should be right.

I did as I was told and when I got home I looked up a recipe I had sent Liz months earlier when she got her tagine. Unfortunately I didn't have everything needed, but it was a good guide, as I had no clue. I came up with what you will find below, and it was yummy!

I have to say, I didn't find as relaxing as I expected a slow-cook recipe to be. I obviously had her too full and she overflowed, leading to burning, which lead to firealarm games. I must admit, I was hungover, so it took me a few times to cotton and and take some liquid out, which I then added later when everything had cooked down.

1 leek, chopped
1 capsicum, diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 pieces of chicken Maryland, each cut in half
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp stock/bouillon powder
500ml water
1 cinnamon quill
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
4 garlic cloves, finely diced or crushed
Salt and pepper
200 grams prunes, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 150°C.

On a large plate put the flour and salt and pepper and turn the chicken in the flour mix to coat.

Place the base of the tagine on the stove on high heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Fry the chicken on each side briefly to seal.

Remove the chicken, once sealed, and put to one side.

Add a little more oil in the base and fry the leeks until soft. Add the capsicum, potatoes and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Season.

Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, water and spices and bring to a simmer.

Put the lid on the base and transfer to warm oven.

Cook in oven for 2 - 3 hours stirring occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes or couscous, or on its own.

I love the art of slow cooking, and to be fair you could very easily do this in a cast iron pot or casserole dish but the tagine, does somehow make a difference. I am not an expert yet, so I can't say why.

S

Chicken & Snake Bean with Thai Basil

Now, I know that you might think, everyone can cook a stir-fry and it is true, but not everyone gets it just right, I’m no expert but I find that effortless dishes like this can easily be made too rich so it’s important to go back to the basics every now and then…. And as you can see this meal is minimal work with maximum flavour. I’m a big fan of salt and used salted cashews instead of toasted. I also find that you can chop and change the vegetable contents as you please, or to suit what’s in your fridge, just having the core spices and sauces in your cupboard is the key.

700g snake beans
1 tablespoon of peanut oil
880g chicken thigh fillets, chopped coarsely
2 medium white onions, sliced thickly
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of five-spice powder
½ cup of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ cup of cashews, toasted
½ cup of loosely packed thai basil leaves

Cut snake beans into 5cm lengths

Heat half of the oil in wok or large frying pan; stir-fry chicken in batches, until browned all over and cooked through.

Heat remaining oil in wok; stir-fry onion, garlic, and five spice until onion softens. Add beans; stir-fry until beans are tender. Return chicken to wok with sauces and nuts; stir-fry until sauce boils and thickens slightly. Just before serving stir in basil. Serve with rice if desired.

E

Sathya's Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Murphy paid me a visit last week on my well deserved week's annual leave and landed me with a god awful cold.

By day 4 I dragged myself into the kitchen and made this curry. I put loads of chilli, garlic and ginger and sure enough the next day I was a lot better.

Problem with me is, I always cook for 10 people, when there is only 2 of us! Thankfully Stacy and Will came to the rescue, thanks guys.

Ingredients:

2 tsp mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp cummin seeds
8 coriander seeds, smashed in mortar & pestle
½ tsp tumeric
7 curry leaves
2 tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp ground cummin
½ tsp asafoetida
2 tsp chilli flakes
3 fresh chillies
3 cm ginger
2 onion
3 garlic
2 tins diced tomatoes
tbs tomato paste
4 tsps of stock powder
vegetable oil
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
8 chicken thighs, large dice
300g green beans, cut in half
greek yogurt
streamed basmati rice

Frying all the spices, etc can go fast, so I find it easiest to have everything ready on the bench next to me for east access.

I put the onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies into a food processor to chop to a mush. According to the experts who have taught me their tricks, this makes a nice “gravy”.

In a large pot heat up a tablespoon of oil. You will need a lot of oil to fry all these spices, so feel free to add more.

Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once these begins to sizzle and pop add the cummin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and chilli flakes. I had a cold when I made this curry so I added a lot of chilli so use your own chilli opinion. Fry for a minute or 2.

Add the ground cummin and coriander to this mix and stir through.

Add the processed mix of onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies to the spices and and fry for 5-10 minutes. Turn down the heat so as not to burn.

In a separate pan, fry the chicken quickly to seal.

Add the tinned tomatoes, chicken, potatoes, 4 cups of water, stock cubes, tomato paste and season.

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer and allow to simmer for as long as possible. Minimum 30 minutes, maximum 2-3 hours. Allowing the curry to simmer for several hours will cause the meat and potatoes to fall apart nicely.

Serve with rice, yogurt, and chutney or pickle as you desire.

S