Saturday, 16 March 2013

Chicken Katsu Curry




Ingredients

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
thumb sized piece of ginger, chopped
pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp plain flour
250ml chicken stock
1 tbsp of honey
1tbsp of soy sauce
chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
handful of plain flour
panko breadcrumbs (but any breadcrumbs will do)
basmati rice


PREPARATION

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes in a shot of oil for a few minutes to soften.


Add the flour and curry powder into the pan and stir for a minute.

Gradually pour in the chicken stock as you stir, then add the honey and soy.





Simmer for 10 minutes, then blend with a stick blender for smooth consistency.



Beat each chicken breast with a tenderizer until the whole breast is of equal thickness.





Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper


Then dip into the flour(seasoned with salt pepper and chilli flakes), then beaten egg mixture and finally the breadcrumbs.


Fry the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side in a generous glug of oil in a pan over a gentle heat until golden brown and cooked right through.


Cut the chicken breast into strips, double checking that it’s cooked through, then place on the rice, spoon over the sauce and sprinkle with the spring onions if desired.



Monday, 12 November 2012

Chicken Parmesan


Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 can tomatoes pasta sauce
  • 3 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated

Directions

  1. Working on a large surface lay down the chicken breasts. Using a tenderizer, bash the chicken till the thicker end is equal to the thinner end.

  2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and chicken seasoning.

  3. In a large prep pan or dish crack 3 eggs and whisk

  4. In another large prep pan or dish, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Spread out to cover the whole bottom of the pan.

  5. Lay down as many chicken breasts into the eggs first, then into the breadcrumb mixture coating with the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of chicken.


  6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with butter, to coat the pan. Add the chicken breasts in one layer and cook until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and repeat the process for the remaining chicken, adding a little oil and butter to the pan as needed.

  7. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spoon some tomato sauce into a greased baking dish and add the chilli flakes. Layer in the chicken pieces and top with mozzarella. Bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.



  8. Let rest for at least 15 minutes and serve with pasta.


Thursday, 6 September 2012

Sticky Chinese Spare ribs


This take away favourite can be made at home without all the MSG or artificial additives!

Ingredients

4 shallots
8 garlic cloves
5tbsp oyster sauce
200ml tomato ketchup
80ml soy sauce
70ml water
2tbsp worcestershire sauce
2tsp crushed black peppercorns
10tbsp honey
25g butter
As many ribs as you want! :)

Preparation

Saute shallots and garlic in butter till soft.



Then add remaining ingredients (apart from ribs) and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Allow marinde to cool.





Preheat oven to 150C.

Coat the ribs thoroughly in the marinade for a couple of hours, overnight in the fridge is even better.

Place the ribs seperately in a roasting pan and cover with foil.



Cook for 3 hours or until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone.





Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Chicken in mushroom sauce


Ingredients

8 chicken thighs and drumsticks
4 minced garlic cloves
100ml white wine
1 bay leaf
2 finely chopped shallots
100ml chicken stock
20g butter
150g of sliced mushrooms
90ml double cream

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 190c. Season the Chicken with garlic powder, seasoning cube, paprika, salt and pepper and set aside for 15 minutes.



Heat olive oil in an oven proof pot and sauté the chicken till they turn brown, if they cant all fit in, do it in batches.



When all the chicken is browned, set aside.


Add chopped shallots and garlic to the pot till softened.



Add white wine and bay leaf and cook for a few minutes till the liquid has reduced by half. Then pour in chicken stock



Add chicken back into pot. Place pot in oven and cook for 20 minutes.



After chicken is cooked set them aside in a warm plate and reserve the remaining liquid for the mushroom sauce.



In a separate pan, sauté the mushrooms in butter till softened



Add the juices from the pan used to cook the chicken and double cream. Stir and season to taste



Pour sauce over chicken, rice and runner beans and serve.


Friday, 24 August 2012

Traditional Oxtail stew


Ingredients

  • 1kg oxtail, cut into chunky pieces
  • 5 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp tabasco sauce
  • 3–4 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 300ml red wine
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée



Preparation method

    Preheat the oven to 150C
    Wash the oxtail pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper. Trim off as much excess fat as possible. And season with Worcestershire sauce and tabasco sauce

    Season flour well with salt,pepper,paprika and seasoning cube and coat the ox tails in flour.


    Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Brown the oxtail over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning every now and then, until dark brown all over. You may need to add extra oil if the pan looks dry at any point during the browning step. Put the browned oxtail into a flameproof casserole dish. (You may need to do this in batches.)

    Return the frying pan to a low heat and add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Add a little extra oil if necessary. Cook gently for 10 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

    Stir in the wine, beef stock and tomato purée, then tip in the ox tail. put the casserole on the heat and bring to a gentle simmer. 

    Cover the casserole dish with a lid or foilpaper and cook in the centre of the oven for 3 hours. Stir after 1½ hours, turning the oxtail in the sauce
    .
    After 3 hours, the meat should be falling off the bones and the sauce should be thick. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and transfer the oxtail pieces to a plate, set aside and keep warm.
    Skim any fat that has pooled on the surface of the sauce.Serve with mashed potato and fresh vegetables.


Thursday, 23 August 2012

Chorizo red onion salad


This is a simple and delicious Spanish inspired salad. The smoky flavours of the chorizo and the sweetness of the red onion make for light summer meal that is ready in minutes.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil or salad dressing
1 tube chorizo sausage
1 red onion
1 bag rocket leaves
Preparation
Open uo the rocket bag into a sallad bowl and toss with the olive oil or dressing
Slice the chorizo sideways into thick slices, and chop the onions thinly in half moons

Fry the chorizo slices in a large frying pan over a high heat on both sides until sizzling, crispy and red and red oil drains out of them




Remove the chorizo from the pan and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before putting the adding them to the salad bowl
Then fry the onions in the chorizo oil left in the frying pan until they are soft.

Add the onions to the salad bowl and mix together

Can be eaten as a meal on its own, but here I used it as a side dish to a steak