Chicken, Pumpkin And Chickpea Curry

Rich, creamy, flavoursome and a little bit seasonal (it's currently autumn/winter). I know this is very similar to a couple of other recipes I’ve posted in the past, but I do love a curry and sometimes changing just a few little things can alter the flavour dramatically.

You will need:
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
3 medium onions, sliced
6 chicken thighs, boned and very roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
3 chillies, finely chopped
2/3 tbsp curry paste*
1 small pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
250ml chicken stock
1 can reduced-fat coconut milk
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

Method:
1. Heat the vegetable oil over low/medium heat in a large saucepan with a lid.
2. Add the onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, until they begin to caramelise.
3. Turn up the heat to medium, add the chicken and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until just coloured.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another minute.
5. Stir in the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly to stop it catching, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
6. Add in the pumpkin, stock and coconut milk, stir, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
7. Add in the chickpeas, stir and continue to cook until the pumpkin is tender.
8. Remove from the heat, stir through the coriander and serve.

Notes:
Serve over rice, with a naan or maybe both (definitely both).

* You can easily substitute with curry powder if you don't have paste.

Shredded Chicken With Chilli Sauce And Mayo In Ciabatta

For dinner on Saturday I made seasoned chicken, served with boiled rice and grilled veg. It was nothing particularly special, but the chicken turned out amazing (I seasoned it with Dunns River Chicken Seasoning and lightly tossed it in flour). After everyone had finished eating I was overjoyed to discover that I had 2 thighs leftover, these were promptly boxed up and popped in the fridge for my Sunday breakfast. Sunday morning and I treated the chicken the a quick warming in a hot pan, cut it off the bone, shredded it up and served it on a toasted ciabatta with lashings of chilli sauce and a little squirt of mayo. It went down an absolute treat with a fresh pot of tea and a packet of sweet n salty popcorn.

Friday Night Chicken And Chips

Home made salt and pepper oven chips, seasoned (Aldi chicken seasoning is awesome), oven baked, skinless chicken thighs with a side of corn on the cob and pickles. Maybe not the most diet friendly dinner in the world, but a whole lot better than the takeaway chicken and chips I was fancying, and almost caved in and bought.

This Week I’ve Mostly Been...

This week I’ve mostly been a complete and utter fatty, I should really know better by now.

Shallow Fried Chicken

Another simple recipe I discovered after the tragic loss of my deep fat fryer. Crispy fried chicken is one of lifes pleasures and this recipe is both easy and very tasty.

You will need:
6 Chicken legs (separated into thighs and drumsticks)
2pt Of buttermilk (alternatively add a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar to ordinary milk)
300g Plain flour
4tsp Salt
2tsp Black pepper
1tsp Cayenne pepper
Plenty of oil for frying (should be about 1 inch up the side of the pan)

Method:
1. Add the chicken and buttermilk to a large bowl, cover and allow to stand in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
2. In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne.
3. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, gently shaking off any excess and drop into the resealable bag. Do this in batches so you do not over load the bag.
4. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated completely. Transfer the chicken to grill racks, pressing the coating to ensure it has properly adhered to the chicken.
5. Pour approximately 1 inch of oil into a large pan and bring to a medium/high heat. Add the chicken to the pan in small batches and fry for 20 - 25 minutes. Do not overload the pan.
6. Line the grill racks with paper towels and drain the chicken. Continue frying in small batches until all the chicken is cooked.

Notes:
Use the left over seasoned flour to make a simple gravy by stirring into some melted butter to make a roux, cooking out the flour on a low/medium heat and then thinning it out to the desired consistency using chicken stock.

Shallow Fried Fish

This isn't strictly my own recipe, I adapted it after the tragic loss of my deep fat fryer. This is a standard beer batter recipe modified to give a similar effect to deep fat frying using just a frying pan. It's excellent if you're craving some old school, homemade fish and chips, but don't necessarily have the required equipment.

You will need:
2 White fish fillets
75g Plain flour
1tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
100ml Pale ale
300ml Of oil (should be about 1cm deep in the pan)

Method:
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually add the ale, whisking continuously until the batter is smooth and free from lumps.
3. Heat the oil on a high heat.
4. Pat the fish dry with some kitchen paper and remove any stray bones.
5. Put the fillets into the batter and turn them over a few times to make sure they are evenly coated.
6. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping half a teaspoon of batter into the pan. If the batter immediately rises to the surface and the oil bubbles all around it and it turns golden within sixty seconds the oil is hot enough to fry.
7. Take one of the fillets and turn it over in the batter again and then holding it at either end, lay it flat in the hot oil, skin side up, then quickly do the same with the second fillet.
8. Reduce the temperature a little and cook for 3 minutes.
9. When the fillets are golden turn them over and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes, or until golden, on the other side.
10. Remove the fish from the pan and drain on some kitchen paper before serving.

Notes:
Serve along side Rustic Rosemary Oven Chips, Quick Mushy Peas and a round of buttered crusty bread for a homemade, slightly healthier, slightly more up market "chippy tea".

Rustic Rosemary Oven Chips

I'm not a big fan of potatoes, but these chips are awesome and can be used as a side dish for just about anything or make an excellent snack in their own right. Another simple recipe I came up with after the tragic loss of my deep fat fryer.

You will need:
3 Medium potatoes
1tbsp Olive oil
2tsp Dried rosemary
1tsp Coarse sea salt
1tsp Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Place a grease proof paper lined baking tray in the oven and preheat it to 230°C.
2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and cut them into chips about 1cm thick, leaving the skin on.
3. Boil the chips, in lightly salted water, for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the oil and dried rosemary to a large frying pan and heat gently, allowing the rosemary to flavour the oil.
5. Toss the chips in the oil, ensuring they're thoroughly coated, before spreading them evenly on the preheated try.
6. Season with the salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Notes
Serve along side Shallow Fried Fish, Quick Mushy Peas and a round of buttered crusty bread for a homemade, slightly healthier, slightly more up market "chippy tea".

Homemade Chicken Doner Style Kebab

So I’ve been playing around with homemade doner style kebabs recently, this is my take on the chicken doner.

You will need:
5 skinned and boned chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 large red pepper

For the marinade:
2tbsp natural yoghurt
1tbsp tomato puree
1tsp oregano
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp cumin
1tsp cayenne pepper
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/2tsp salt
The juice of half a lemon

To serve:
Pita bread/flat bread/tortilla wraps
Mint yoghurt sauce
Salad

Method:
1. Put the chicken thighs in a bowl, add in all the marinade ingredients and give it a good mix with your hands, massaging it into the meat. Allow the meat to marinate for a couple of hours minimum, ideally over night.
2. Fold the thighs over and feed them onto 2 skewers, using 2 will make the kebab easier to turn and handle later on.
3. Place on a raised grill rack over a fairly deep baking tray and put into a 225 degree (Celsius) preheated oven for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes take it out of the oven and turn the kebab over using the skewers, baste with the juices in the bottom of the baking tray before adding the roughly sliced onion and pepper to they tray.
5. Put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes until the meat, onions and peppers have started to caramelise around the edges.
6. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes or so before carving, as seen in your local kebab shop.

Notes:
Serve on a tray with the pita bread/flat breads, mint yoghurt sauce and salad.