Tag: basmati rice

• 

  PK’s Simple Tom Kha Gai

  My way of making Tom Kha, a Thai coconut, chicken and galangal soup, one bowl at a time is great if you have a family with widely different stands on what they will or won’t eat. For example, I love tomatoes, mushrooms and spring onions so I use lots of them in my bowl. My lads don’t so they get more mushrooms, carrot and corn.

  It is also great when you have your friends over for lunch or dinner. Simply put a big pot of soup on the table with the vegetables and rice separate and everyone can build their own bowl. Don’t forget slices of lime, chopped Thai chilies and extra fish sauce. 🙂

  Note: I think this makes enough soup for 2 hungry adults.

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing the ingredients
  2. Bringing the soup to the boil
  3. Serving

  Ingredients

  • 1 poached chicken breast
  • 1 small coriander plant (roots and leaves), whole
  • 1 chunk of fresh galangal, bruised
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce for the pot and 1 Tbsp for each serving bowl
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice for the pot and 1 Tbsp for each serving bowl
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 3 Thai chiles, sliced (optional but encouraged)
  • Your personal choice of vegetables
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 saucepan/soup pot

  Preparing the ingredients

  1. Cut your poached chicken breast into cubes or slices.
  2. Bruise the galangal chunk and the lemongrass stalk and add to the pot.
  3. Bruise the kaffir lime leaves, or like I have put little tears in the edges to release the flavour better, and add to the pot.
  4. Add one small coriander plant.
  5. Add:
     • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
     • 1 Tbsp lime juice
     • 1/2 cup water
     • 2 cups chicken stock
     • 1 cup coconut milk
     • 3 Thai chiles (optional)

  

  Bringing the soup to the boil

  1. Let everything come to a boil really slowly to infuse all the flavours. I don’t move it very often and then only a gentle swirl.
  2. Once you have a gentle boil, turn the heat down a bit and add the poached chicken.
  3. Cook until the chicken is safely warmed through but not for too long or it will go stringy.

  

  Serving

  1. Build up a bowl of your favourite vegetables and add 1 Tbsp fish sauce and 1 Tbsp lime juice.
  2. Add some chicken and then add as much soup as you want (liquid only, the rest stays behind).
  3. Provide your guests with some cooked rice, slices of lime, extra chiles and fish sauce.

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

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  YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

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  MORE ASIAN CUISINE

  CHICKEN DISHES

  MORE SOUP POSTS

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 19, 2018

• 

  PK’s Asian Style Crumbed Pork Loin Cutlets

  Just like my Crumbed Panko Chicken Breasts these crumbed eye of pork loin cutlets are so lite and easy.  Simply throw some noodles or rice at it and serve with wasabi paste, Japanese Mayonnaise and Japanese Roasted Sesame Dressing.

  Your guests will be blown away!

  

  Takes about 20 minutes of preparation and cooking not including 30 minutes of refrigerating the cutlets after crumbing them.

  Steps

  1. Crumbing the pork eye of loin
  2. Shallow frying the crumbed pork
  3. Serving

  Ingredients

  • 5 pork eye of loin cutlets, each one halved
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • Cracked black pepper and table salt to taste
  • Panko breadcrumbs, enough to coat the cutlets
  • Peanut Oil, enough to cover the bottom of your fry pan

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 plate for the panko crumbs
  • 1 bowl for the whisked egg
  • 1 whisk or fork
  • 1 tray, covered in baking paper
  • 1 fry pan to shallow fry the cutlets

  Preparing the pork eye of loin

  1. Take each cutlet and slice them to give you two thin cutlets a piece.
  2. Season them with a bit of cracked pepper and salt to taste.
  3. Whisk the 2 eggs in a bowl and then mix in the 1 tsp minced garlic.
  4. Add the cutlets to the egg mix and spread the panko breadcrumbs on a plate.
  5. Take each cutlet and roll in the panko getting a nice thick coating.
  6. Pop them on the the baking paper lined tray and then refrigerate for about half an hour.

  

  

  

  

  

  Shallow frying the crumbed pork

  1. Heat the oil over a high heat and then shallow fry the crumbed cutlets, in batches, until they are golden brown.

  

  Serving

  Goes great on a bed of rice and vegetables and your favourite Japanese condiments. Or in my kids case, tomato ketchup. 😉

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  ---

  YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

  MORE JAPANESE DISHES

  MORE ASIAN CUISINE

  PORK DISHES

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 5, 2018

• 

  How To Make Rick Stein’s Butter Chicken

  You simply can’t get this dish’s depth of flavours using a store bought Butter Chicken paste or simmer sauce. The result is the most succulent chicken in a creamy, nutty, tomato based sauce.

  I won’t lie to you though. This is one of the trickier recipes on the blog.

  Notes:

  • I hope to char grill the chicken better next time but oh my it was amazing anyway. I think I might hit them with a chef’s torch for a bit.
  • I also didn’t sprinkle it with Rick’s Chat masala at serving and want to do that next time.

  Steps

  1. Marinating the chicken in marinade 1 for one hour
  2. Marinating the chicken in marinade 2 for four hours
  3. Charring the chicken pieces
  4. Making the sauce
  5. Serving

  Ingredients

  • 4 large chicken breasts, skinned and deboned
  • Marinade 1
    • The juice of 2 limes
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
    • 1 tsp table salt
  • Marinade 2
    • 50g plain yoghurt
    • 50g double cream
    • 4 garlic cloves, diced
    • 5cm ginger, roughly chopped
    • 1 tsp Garam masala
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp beetroot powder (for color)
  • The sauce
    • 50g ghee
    • 5 garlic cloves, diced
    • 5cm ginger, diced
    • 400g tomato passata
    • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp Garam masala
    • 1 tsp dessicated coconut
    • 1.5 tsp table salt
    • 200ml water
    • 25g cashew nuts
    • 25g pumpkin seeds
    • 2 Tbsp boiling water
    • 1 Tbsp fenugreek leaves
    • 1/2 tsp caster sugar
    • 45ml double cream

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 bowl or dish for marinading
  • 1 wet mixer/blender (used twice so you will need to clean it)
  • 1 large heavy based saucepan
  • Several skewers

  Marinating the chicken in marinade 1 for one hour

  1. Cut each breast into 3 pieces.
  2. In a large bowl mix the:
     • Two limes worth of juice
     • 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
     • 1 tsp table salt.
  3. Put the chicken pieces in the marinade and mix to coat.
  4. Pop the bowl in the fridge for 1 hour.

  

  Marinating the chicken in marinade 2 for four hours

  1. In your wet mixer/food processor add the:
     • 50g plain yoghurt
     • 50g double cream
     • 4 garlic cloves, diced
     • 5cm ginger, roughly chopped
     • 1 tsp Garam masala
     • 1 tsp ground turmeric
     • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
     • 1/2 tsp beetroot powder (for color).
  2. Blend until smooth and add to the chicken making sure every knook and cranny is coated.
  3. Marinate for 4 hours in the fridge.

  

  Charring the chicken pieces

  1. Preheat your fan forced oven to 240C.
  2. Thread the chicken pieces on either oiled metal skewers or pre-soaked (in water to stop them burning) wooden ones.
  3. Roast for 15-20 minutes aiming for slightly charred but not cooked fully through just yet.
  4. Start the next step while the chicken is roasting.

  

  Making the sauce

  1. Grind, dice and chop the sauces ingredients.
  2. Heat the 50g ghee in the saucepan over a medium heat.
  3. Add the 5 diced garlic cloves and diced ginger and fry for a minute.
  4. Stir in the 400g tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in the:
     • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
     • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
     • 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
     • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
     • 1/2 tsp Garam masala
     • 1 tsp dessicated coconut
     • 1.5 tsp table salt
     • half of the 200ml water
  6. Simmer for another 10 minutes while you do the next step.
  7. In your wet mixer/food processor blend into a paste the:
     • 25g cashew nuts
     • 25g pumpkin seeds
     • 2 Tbsp boiling water
  8. Stir the paste into the passata sauce and the rest of the water.
  9. Add the chicken to the sauce and gently mix everything.
  10. Simmer for 10 minutes and then stir in the:
      • 1 Tbsp fenugreek leaves
      • 1/2 tsp caster sugar
      • 45ml double cream

  

  

  Serving

  I served this dish over a bed of basmati rice with some steamed vegetables and a plate of pappadums to share.

  Spoon the chicken pieces onto the rice using a slotted spoon and then add as much sauce as the person likes.

  Rick Stein says to garnish with some torn fresh coriander leaves, shredded ginger and a sprinkle of chat masala.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  ---

  YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

  INDIAN CUISINE

  CURRIES GALORE

  MORE CHICKEN DISHES

  MORE RICK STEIN

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  August 22, 2018

• 

  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Osso Buco Slow Cooker

  Considering how much I love lamb shanks I am surprised it took me this long to cook Osso Buco for the first time. I always use Hugh’s recipe for the shanks (River Cottage’s Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks) so it is a no surprise I am using his Osso Buco Alla Milanese.

  You will be using thick slices of beef or veal shins with the shin bone still present. Look at the beautiful rich colour.

  

  The result was tender beef that was falling off the bone and a lovely sauce that was hearty but less fatty than you would get cooking with lamb.

  Note: Pop this on early in the day because it might take 6 hours or more on your slow cooker’s medium setting.

  You will be:

  1. Preparing everything
  2. Sealing the beef shins
  3. Sweating the vegetables
  4. Slow cooking everything
  5. Serving

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 4 – 6 slices of beef shin with the bone still in the middle (about 1.3kg)
    • enough plain white flour to coat the shins
    • table salt and cracked black peppercorns to taste
    • 50g salted butter
    • A couple of slugs olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves, diced
    • 2 celery sticks and their leaves, chopped
    • 2 brown onions, chopped
    • 1 carrot, chopped
    • A handful of snow peas, whole
    • 2 cups dry white wine
    • 2 cups stock (I have used homemade Slow Cooker Chicken Stock and Italian Beef Stock: Brodo Di Manzo but use anything you have to hand)
    • A handful of chopped mushrooms (optional)
  •  Equipment:
    • 1 long sharp knife
    • 1 chopping board
    • 1 frypan
    • 1 slow cooker

  Preparing everything

  1. While you  let the beef shins come to room temperature prepare the:
     • 2 garlic cloves, diced
     • 2 celery sticks chopped
     • 2 brown onions, chopped
     • 1 carrot, chopped
     • a handful of snow peas, whole
  2. Dry the beef shin slices with paper towel, season with salt and pepper and then dust them in the flour.

  

  

  Sealing the beef shins

  1. Turn your slow cooker on to high, add a slug of olive oil and cover.
  2. Melt the 50g of salted butter in a frypan and then add a good slug of olive oil.
  3. Brown both sides of the shins (if they start to curl on you during cooking, clip the outer ring of connective tissue with kitchen shears).
  4. Add them to the slow cooker.

  

  

  Sweating the vegetables

  1. Add the 2 cups white wine and the 2 cups of stock to the same frypan and bring to a gentle boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to low and then add the vegetables.
  3. Cook until they soften and then add everything to the slow cooker.

  

  Slow cooking everything

  Turn the slow cooker down to medium or low and cover. Mine took 6 hours before the beef was ready.

  Serving

  Serve on a bed of basmati rice with extra vegetables and some of Hugh’s gremolata.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Related Links:

  • see all recipes using beef here
  • see all slow cooker dishes here
  • see more River Cottage posts here

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 22, 2017

• 

  PK’s Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

  This mouth-watering dish is designed to be super thrifty and dead easy to boot. I managed to use some old tired veggies and to get a free-range chook on special. I am also happy to say it took longer to eat the dish than it did to prepare it.

  I simply took a whole chicken, patted it dry and stuffed it with a whole lemon. I then rubbed a very generous amount of garlic salt, celery salt, ground black pepper and parsley flakes into the skin. The bird then went into a slow cooker that already had a bed of roughly chopped onions, carrots, a whole garlic bulb and a cup of white wine.

  

  8 hours on low and the meat was moist and falling off the bone 🙂 . I was very pleased because chicken is a lean meat and can dry out in a slow cooker if you are not careful.

  

  

  Serving

  I served it with some extra steamed vegetables on a bed of white basmati rice.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  P.S. I have a oven variant of this recipe here.

  And here are some more chicken dishes and slow cooker recipes: 

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 15, 2017

• 

  Basmati Rice

  This rice variety is originally from India. It is characterised by long slender grains and light fragrance. It is my favourite rice as it pairs well with any dish that you would normally use rice, pasta or potato in.

  I have read that this variety of rice, even white, has a lower GI than some brown rice varieties.

  The brand I use comes from India but you can buy Australian grown basmati in either dried or parboiled forms.

   

  Related Links:

  • see all recipes using basmati rice here
  • see all recipes using rice here
  • see all ingredients here

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  September 7, 2017

• 

  PK Cooks Sticky Poached Asian Chicken Thighs

  I saw this recipe online here http://www.taste.com.au/ and just had to try it. I also proved along the way that you don’t have to follow recipes exactly to get a great result. I did some steps out of order accidentally and had to rapidly reduce the sauce before everything went south.

  Everything worked out well though and I hardly had enough left over for lunch the next day :).

  The chicken was so tender and the sticky sauce had an amazing balance of citrus, salt and sugar. I will definitely be making this again but I intend to follow the instructions to the letter.

  

  You will be:

  1. Preparing your ingredients.
  2. Poaching the chicken
  3. Grilling the chicken and reducing the sauce
  4. Serving.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1kg boneless chicken thighs
    • 1 cup chicken stock (see PK’s Slow Cooker Chicken Stock)
    • a few slugs of olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
    • 1/4 cup raw sugar
    • 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
    • 2cm fresh ginger root, grated (or 1 tsp store bought minced ginger)
    • 1 stalk lemongrass, grated
    • the rind from 1 lime, finely grated
    • 2 Tbsp (or more) lime juice
  •  Equipment:
    • a long sharp knife
    • a chopping board
    • a grater
    • a citrus juicer
    • a mixing jug
    • a whisk or fork
    • an oven dish
    • a large strainer
    • a medium saucepan

  Prepare your ingredients

  1. Lay the 1kg  boneless chicken thighs out in an oven proof dish.
  2. Peel and dice the 3 garlic cloves, add to the mixing jug along with the 1 cup chicken stock.
  3. Finely grate the 2cm of ginger and add to the jug.
  4. Finely grate the 1 lemongrass stem (use the tender parts only and not the thick outer leaves) and add to the jug.
  5. Grate the rind from a single lime and squeeze 2 Tbsp of lime juice (I used my frozen lime cubes from last season). Add both to the jug.
  6. Add the 1 Tbsp fish sauce to the jug.
  7. Add the 1/4 cup of raw sugar to the mixing jug and give everything a good mix (make sure the sugar has dissolved fully).

  

  

  

  Poaching the chicken

  1. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken and cook for an hour in a fan-foced oven pre-heated to 180C.
  2. Turn the chicken half way.

  

  

  Grilling the chicken and reducing the sauce

  1. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and start reducing it.
  2. Return the chicken to the oven tray and turn on the grill to brown the chicken.
  3. When the sauce is very reduced, pour it back onto the chicken a grill for a little bit longer.

  

  

  Serving

  Serve with your favourite rice, some fresh spinach (the heat of the meal will blanch them) or some asian vegetables and a few sprigs of coriander.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  July 2, 2017

• 

  PK Makes Nagi’s ‘Chinese Restaurant’ Chicken Satay

  I love old school Anglicised ‘chinese restaurant’ chicken satay.

  Perth is very lucky now to have cafes and restaurants that serve all manner of global cuisines from the cultural traditional through to really clever fusion. However, growing up in Perth we were not spoilt for choice eating out, there was only Pizza Hut, Red Rooster and the local ‘Chinese Restaurant’.

  This dish is far from traditional chinese cuisine but it hits fond childhood food memories. It is quite frankly the best satay chicken I have ever had.

  There are 3 main preparation steps that look a little daunting at first but the recipe is actually really easy. With all credit to Nagi of www.recipetineats.com for the way she created and laid the recipe out.

  All I am trying to do is spread her amazing work :).

  Note:

  • I have converted the powdered ingredient quantities in the original recipe to use whole grains using my own crazy rule of thumb.
  • I have gone heavy on the onions and garlic as per my childhood memories.

  You will be:

  1. Prepping and tenderising the chicken
  2. Making the satay seasoning
  3. Making the satay cooking sauce
  4. Cooking the chicken
  5. Serving

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • Chicken:
      • 2 chicken breasts (a little over 500g)
      • 2 tsp baking soda
    • Satay Seasoning:
      • 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
      • 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
      • 3/4 tsp white peppercorns
      • 0.5 tsp tumeric powder
      • 0.5 tsp chili powder (I used store bought Kashmiri chili powder but you can make your own with this FoodHack.)
      • 3 tsp curry powder (any will do and extra points for home-made)
      • 1 tsp table salt
    • Satay Sauce:
      • 3 – 4 Tbsp Peanut Butter (I used http://kraftnuts.com.au/range/2/peanut-butter-smooth just to increase the trip down memory lane)
      • 3 tsp raw sugar
      • 2 tsp soy sauce (light or normal but not thick like ketjip manis)
      • 3 tsp rice vinegar
      • 2 tsp hot sauce (I used Eaglobe piment sriracha)
      • 1 tsp fresh lemon grass (very finely diced)
      • 2/3 cups coconut milk
      • 1/2 cup water
    • For the wok:
      • A good slug of peanut oil
      • 1 – 2 large brown onions
      • 4 garlic cloves
  •  Equipment:
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a bowl for the chicken to tenderise in
    • a mortar and pestle
    • a small bowl for the spices
    • a small whisk or fork
    • a small mixing bowl for the sauce
    • a wok or deep fry pan

   Steps:

  Prepping and tenderising the chicken

  1. Slice the breasts in a long-wise fashion and then cut the flat slices in half.
  2. Pop the slices into a bowl and sprinkle them with the 2 tsp baking soda (Nagi says this tenderises them and I can confirm that it really works).
  3. Pop them back into the fridge while you make the seasoning and sauce.

  Making the satay seasoning

  1. In a mortar and pestle grind the:
     • 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
     • 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
     • 3/4 tsp white peppercorns
  2. When you have the your desired amount of grind add the ground spices to a bowl with the:
     • 0.5 tsp tumeric powder
     • 0.5 tsp chili powder
     • 3 tsp curry powder
     • 1 tsp table salt
  3. Give everything a quick mix.

  

  Making the satay cooking sauce

  1. In a different mixing bowl mix until smooth the:
     • 3 – 4 Tbsp Peanut Butter
     • 3 tsp raw sugar
     • 2 tsp soy sauce
     • 3 tsp rice vinegar
     • 2 tsp hot sauce
     • 1 tsp fresh lemon grass (very finely diced)
     • 2/3 cups coconut milk
     • 1/2 cup water
  2. Add the satay seasoning and mix again.
  3. Refrigerate if you are not cooking the chicken until later in the day.

  Cooking the chicken

  1. Bring the chicken and sauce out of the fridge.
  2. Chop up the 2 brown onions and mince the 4 garlic cloves.
  3. Add a slug of peanut oil to your pan and bring it to medium heat.
  4. Prepare any garnish (I went with some fresh sliced jalapenos and spring onions from my PK’s Working Garden).
  5. Add the onions and garlic to the hot oil and keep everything moving until they soften.
  6. Add the chicken slices and keep it moving until the chicken is beginning to brown.
  7. Add the satay sauce and stir fry until the sauce has reduced to your desired thickness (say a few minutes).

  Serving

  A bit of rice, some chilis, a side of asian greens in oyster sauce (e.g. Choy Sum) and I am in heaven.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Related Links:

  • Recipes using chicken
  • More Chinese cuisine

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 25, 2017

• 

  PK Makes Rick Stein’s Chettinad Chicken

  This is by far my favourite recipe from the TV series and book, ‘Rick Stein’s India’ (see BBC link here).

  In my family’s version we keep the heat factor low and serve it with lightly steamed vegetables to keep it kid friendly. Well that is what my wife (who hates chili and curries in general) tells everyone but you didn’t hear it from me. Also in my defence, she shouldn’t have bought me a book full of curry recipes :).

  

  Despite the shameful lack of chili and heat, our version of this dish is still amazingly dry, peppery and oh so flavoursome. I think it loses some of the colour that so defines these type of curries however. I hope I am forgiven though as the result is very tender, sticky chicken calling out for some rice and sides of your favourite green vegetables :). Edit: I now use ground annato seed to impart a natural red colouring but one without the heat of chillis.

  A couple of recipe notes:

  • This dish calls for the use of a lichen called dagarful and I beg you to try it. I used cinnamon as a substitute originally but I have used the real deal in this post and there is no going back.
  • I use my home-made chicken stock instead of water.
  • Please check out my masla making tips in PK’s Curry Paste Kit before you start.

  You will be:

  1. Making the dry masala.
  2. Cooking the chicken.
  3. Serving.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • Dry Masala
      • 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
      • 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
      • 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
      • 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
      • 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (go 1 Tbsp or more if allowed)
    • Chicken
      • 1kg skinless boneless chicken thighs, chunky sliced, short ways
      • 200g red shallots, diced
      • 200ml home made chicken stock
      • 50ml olive oil
      • 1 tsp fennel seeds
      • 8cm cinnamon stick
      • 1 Tbsp dagarful, rinsed and rough chopped (or an extra 3cm cinnamon stick)
      • a very large handful of curry leaves (the more the better)
      • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
      • 4cm ginger, peeled and grated
      • 1 tsp raw sugar
      • 1 tsp table or ground rock salt
  •  Equipment:
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a frypan
    • a dry mixer
    • a deep frypan for the chicken

  Steps:

  Making the dry masala

  1. In a frypan, dry roast the 1 Tbsp fennel seeds, 1 Tbsp cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp coriander seeds and 1 Tbsp black peppercorns.
  2. Allow to cool and then and to your dry spice mixer.
  3. Add 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder as well and then give it a quick pulse.

  Spice heaven:

  

  Coarsely ground dry masala (looks and smells amazing):

   Cooking the chicken
  

  1. Peel and dice the 200g of red shallots.
  2. Chop the 1kg of chicken thighs short ways to get roughly 2.5cm chunks.
  3. In a deep frypan heat the 50ml olive oil.
  4. Add the 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 Tbsp dagarful and the 8cm of cinnamon stick and stir for a few minutes.
  5. Add a very large handful of curry leaves and the 200g of red shallots. Stir until the latter are soft.
  6. Add the 1kg of chicken and stir for a few minutes.
  7. Add and stir for a few minutes the:
     1. dry masala
     2. 4 cloves garlic
     3. 4cm ginger
     4. 1 tsp raw sugar
     5. 1 tsp table salt
  8. Add the 200ml chicken stock.
  9. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the sauce is much reduced and sticky.

  I love the colours of this dish’s ingredients:

  

  Sauté the spices, red shallots and curry leaves:

  Add the chicken, stir and then add the garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and dry masala:

  Cook until the sauce is thick:

  

   

  Serving

  1. Cook your favourite rice, mine is basmati :).
  2. Steam some green vegetables for a splash of colour.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are more Indian cuisine posts and Rick Stein recipes:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  December 13, 2016

• 

  PK Makes Ching He Huang’s Beef in Oyster Sauce

  My hat off to the BBC chef Ching He Huang and her simple but flavoursome Beef in Oyster Sauce recipe.

  This dish caught my eye because it calls for tenderising, with a mallet or rolling pin, beef eye fillet (tenderlion) steaks. I can see you shaking your head but trust me it is a transformational part of the recipe. The meat literally melts in your mouth!

  

  Ching’s “… approach is to demystify the notion that Chinese cooking is complicated and time consuming by demonstrating traditional recipes that can be easily adapted for the home cook…”.

  Mission accomplished!

  You will be

  1. Bashing and flash seasoning the beef.
  2. Stir frying the vegetables
  3. Stir frying the beef
  4. Serving

  You will need

  • Ingredients (as the only main it served 2 adults and a hungry toddler very well):
    • 350g beef eye fillet steaks
    • 1 tsp light soy sauce
    • 1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
    • a pinch of raw sugar
    • ground rock salt and ground black peppercorns
    • 2 slugs of peanut oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
    • 300g baby spinach leaves
    • 1 carrot, chopped into matchsticks
    • a handful of snow peas, sliced or whole
    • 1 Tbsp dry Sherry
    • 1 cup of your favourite rice (mine is basmati)
  •   Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • several sheets of baking paper
    • a bowl for marinading the meat
    • a tenderising mallet or a rolling pin
    • a wok or deep fry pan
    • a serving dish

  Steps:

  Bashing and flash seasoning the beef

  1.  Place the eye fillet steaks in between two sheets of baking paper and bash the stuffing out of it with a rolling pin or tenderising mallet. I know right :).
  2. Thinly slice the bashed beef and place into a bowl.
  3. Season with the:
     • 1 tsp light soy sauce
     • 1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
     • a pinch of raw sugar
     • ground rock salt and black peppercorns to taste.

  

  

  

  

  Stir frying your vegetables

  1. Chop and slice all of the vegetables.
  2. Add a slug of peanut oil to the frypan and get it nice and hot.
  3. Add the 3 cloves garlic (finely diced) and chopped chili to taste if you like it hot.
  4. Add the 1 carrot (sliced into sticks).
  5. Add the handful of snow peas.
  6. Keep everything moving all the time and then when you think it is time chuck in the 300g baby spinach leaves.
  7. As soon as the spinach leaves wilt and become warm put the whole lot into a serving dish. I sometimes cover them to keep everything piping hot.

  

  

  

  Stir frying the beef

  1. Add another slug of peanut oil to the frypan and get it nice and hot again.
  2. Add the now seasoned beef slices and stir fry for a few minutes at most, remember that they will continue to cook after you take them out of the pan. We don’t want them to be chewy.
  3. Pour the 1 Tbsp dry Sherry over the meat and quickly toss everything.
  4. Add the now cooked beef to the cooked vegetables waiting in the serving dish.

  

  Serving

  Serve from a central dish and let everyone take what they need. Make sure there is plenty of rice and good conversation. 🙂

  

  

  Thanks again to Ching,

  PK

  Here are some more Chinese and asian fusion posts: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  November 17, 2016