Tag Archive for: recipes

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Thai Green Vegetable Curry

This recipe of Thai green vegetable curry comes from the book Top 100 Low-Carb Recipes by Nicola Graimes. The Top 100 Low-Carb Recipes is the essential tool for anyone who is interested in controlling their weight by cutting down their intake of carbohydrates. The key to success is eating the right type of carb alongside good sources of protein and fat.

Low Carb Diet 2

 

Ingredients:

2 tsp sunflower oil

200ml/7fl oz/1 cup reduced-fat coconut milk

150ml/5fl oz/2⁄3 cup vegetable stock (see page 23)

115g/4oz/1 cup small broccoli florets

1 corn on the cob, husk removed, sliced into 2cm/3⁄4in pieces

1 small red pepper, seeded and sliced

55g/2oz/1 cup fresh spinach leaves, shredded

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, to garnish

Spice Paste:

3 green chillies, seeded and chopped

1 stick lemongrass, peeled and finely chopped

1 shallot, sliced juice and zest of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1cm/1⁄2in piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

Method:

  • Place all the ingredients for the spice paste in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste.
  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the spice paste for 1 minute, stirring. Add the coconut milk and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until reduced.
  • Add the broccoli, corn and red pepper and cook for 3 minutes, then add the spinach and cook for another 2 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.
  • Season to taste and sprinkle with coriander/cilantro before serving.

Top 100 Low-Carb Recipes

Nicola Graimes

Top 100 Low-Carb Recipes

£5.99, available from Nourish Books

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Garlic Roast Salmon with Courgettes and Olives

Lightly roasting courgettes/zucchini with garlic and herbs brings out their sweet flavour without losing their naturally sweet crunch. I use a mixture of yellow and green courgettes/zucchini in this recipe but do just use green if the yellow ones prove elusive.

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Ingredients:
3 large courgettes/zucchini
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
16 cherry tomatoes
4 salmon fillets
2 lemon wedges
handful of parsley, chopped
handful of basil, chopped
16 pitted black olives
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
  • Slice the courgettes/zucchini diagonally into bite-size chunks. Place in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss together.
  • Line a deep roasting tray with baking paper. Spread out the coated courgettes/zucchini, scatter over the cherry tomatoes and place the salmon on top of the vegetables.
  • Squeeze the juice from the lemon wedges over the salmon and then nestle the wedges among the vegetables. Sprinkle over the parsley. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
  • Take the tray out of the oven, lift off the salmon fillets and leave to one side on a warm plate. Add the basil and olives to the tray and stir to mix through the courgette/zucchini mixture.
  • Return the tray to the oven for 5 minutes until everything is warmed through.
  • Serve the salmon on top of the vegetable and olive mixture.KM

You can find more delicious recipes on Healthy Speedy Suppers by Katriona MacGregor.

Katriona MacGregor is a chef, cookery writer and journalist who writes a hugely popular weekly column for The Telegraph. Her personal experience of stress, fatigue and autoimmune thyroid disease has lead her to create recipes that are simple to make but focus on good ingredients and wholesome food.

HealthySpeedySuppers_WEL_Cover

Katriona MacGregor
Healthy Speedy Suppers
£16.99, available from May 2016

 

 

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Sticky Toffee Tray Bake in Our Office

EmmaOur Export and UK Sales Executive Emma loves baking from Gee Charman’s Guilt-Free Baking, and sharing her cakes with us in the office. We can’t wait to try her sweets, that normally don’t last more than five minutes, and also become a good opportunity to have a little chat during a busy day. And all guilt-free! This time Emma surprised us with a Sticky Toffee Tray Bake, and it was truly delicious. You can follow Emma on Instagram.

My favourite baking book at the moment is Guilt Free Baking and that’s not because I’m slightly biased, but because everything I’ve baked from it so far has been delicious! I’m no baking whizz but I do love the exactness of baking – follow the recipe, how can you possibly go wrong? So I saw the sticky toffee tray bake recipe whilst browsing this book (for maybe the hundredth time) and had to give it a go. It’s particularly great for sharing in the office (maybe), and easy to transport. Perfect!

guilt-free baking

Firstly pre-heat your oven. I always forget and have to wait… 180/350/Gas mark 4. Also prepare your tray. I used a 12 x 8 inch tray, but you could easily use a couple of smaller ones and be creative with your portion sizes.

The thing I liked about the recipe is that there are not hundreds of complicated or expensive ingredients to buy. They’re all ingredients that you would have in your kitchen, with very little buying needed. If you have a food processor, the next part is easy. I realised a little late on that our hand blender at home wasn’t going to make this a simple step. But in the face of this challenge, I persevered and managed to blend the dates to within an inch of their datey life. With the dates, add the vanilla coffee essence and the bicarbonate of soda. I found adding the warm water helped with my lack of food processor as I pulverised them into a smooth puree.

Guilt Free baking

Next the butter and sugar is beaten together in a separate bowl until it’s light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time so as not to curdle your mix. Once these are in, it’s time to add the date mixture. Now, this next bit is a delicate affair so please be patient with this otherwise you will end up with scrambled egg. I’ve not tried egg and toffee pudding before, maybe it’s the next thing, but I didn’t feel it was appropriate to share this with the team. Add the mixture in little by little folding gently, and finally fold in the flour.

Guit free baking 2

Now you have everything combined, add this to your tin(s) and bake for 30 minutes until a skewer or kitchen knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave this to cool in the tin for now, or if you’re particularly brave (impatient) you could take it out and leave to cool on a rack so it cools quicker.

Whilst waiting patiently for the bake to cool, you can make the sauce. It is both easy to make and delicious. Pour the condensed milk, sugar and butter into a saucepan and gently melt it together for a few minutes until it starts to turn darker brown and thickens up.

This isn’t in the directions, but I cut the bake before pouring over the sticky toffee mixture. There’s guidance for portions per recipe, which gives you an idea of your calorie intake if you stick to it. Though to be honest when you’ve made many of these recipes, calories fly out the window! I found that having pre-sliced the bake, the toffee went everywhere. In my opinion, this is a GOOD thing!

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The photos are courtesy of my glamorous assistant, and partner Maria who had first choice on which square to have first. Again, the recipe doesn’t say this but we had a (small) spoon of cream on the side. I’ve had several sticky toffee puddings but this definitely went down as one of the more delicious versions. You’ll be pleased to know that this will keep for up to five days if you have an air tight container to store it in. Though to be honest if you work in an office like ours, any sweet treat won’t last more than five minutes!

Ingredients:
350g/12oz/2 cups pitted dates
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp coffee essence
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g/2½oz butter, softened
200g/7oz/heaped ¾ cup caster sugar
4 eggs
400g/14oz/3¼ cups self-raising flour

For the sauce:
150ml/5fl oz/scant ⅔ cup light condensed milk
100g/3½oz/heaped ½ cup dark soft brown sugar
50g/1¾oz butter

51bqP28OCqL._SX387_BO1,204,203,200_

Gee Charman
Guilt-Free Baking
Available from Nourish in August 2015

 

 

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#14days of Wellbeing Round Up

We hope you have enjoyed the past 14 days! We loved sharing our wellbeing tips and tricks with you. If you would like to find out more, and to be informed about the next time we do the #14days of wellbeing, please sign up to  our newsletter!

The books that we have included, and you might like to delve into a little deeper, are:

SuperchargedGreen

 

Christine Bailey
The Supercharged Green Juice & Smoothie Diet
£10.99 | Available from Nourish Books

 

 

 

 

 

AussieBody_front

 

Saimaa Miller
Aussie Body Diet
£14.99 | Available from Nourish Books

 

 

 

 

 

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Jo Pratt
In the Mood for Healthy Food
£ 20.00 | Available from Nourish Books

 

 

 

 

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Recipe Review/ Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken with Green Mash

Nourish books are full of recipes ideas, some of them require a dedicated time, some others are quick to make during a working day evening, and if you can combine them with the company of a good friend, then it is even better. After pondering awhile over Jo Pratt’s In the Mood for Healthy Food, our Associate Publicist Jillian and her friend decided to go for the Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken with Green Mash recipe. They definitely had a lot of fun and enjoyed the making of this delicious recipe with a glass (or two) of red wine.

Jo Pratt’s In the Mood for Healthy Food is chock-full of gorgeous recipes, so picking one for dinner was both easy and difficult. Easy because you can’t really go wrong, and difficult because it took ages to settle on one thing!

We finally decided on Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken and Green Mash, due to its short list of ingredients and simple preparation, as well as the tantalising promise of hot creamy mash on the very gloomy first night of February.

As the chicken has to marinate for at least half an hour we set about doing that right away, and it took only a few moments to zest and juice the lemon, grate in some garlic, and sprinkle in seasoning. With that poured over the chicken and popped into the fridge, we had the time to sit down with a glass of wine before needing to start on the mash.

After a glass (or two), we chopped the leek and courgette, and got those simmering away. Mixed with the scent of garlicky lemon already floating around, the kitchen started smelling wonderful.

Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken and Green Mash cutting

Next went in a can of cannellini, some chicken stock, and frozen peas, and as they all cozied up together in the pot we chopped some basil and grated the parmesan, getting everything ready at the same time.

Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken and Green Mash cooking

Half an hour passed quickly, and the chicken came out of the fridge and into the pan. As soon as the lemon-garlic marinade hit the heat there was a delicious sizzling sound and smell. A few minutes on either side and the chicken was done at the same time as the mash.

In went the fragrant basil and the sharp cheese, and it was time to eat.

The chicken was deliciously flavourful, and the mash was creamy and moreish. Knowing that it was comprised of beans and veggies made us have no qualms about having multiple helpings.

This meal is easy to prepare, quick to make, and everything comes together simultaneously, giving you a warm, nutritious, and totally delicious meal. We were too full for dessert, but were tempted by the Blackberry and Honey soufflés! There’s always next time…

Lemon and Garlic Griddled Chicken and Green Mash final

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes marinating
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
juice and zest of 1 large lemon
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper

For the mash:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, finely diced
2 courgettes/zucchini, finely diced
800g/1lb 12oz canned cannellini beans, drained
150g/5.oz/1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
125ml/4fl oz/. cup hot chicken stock
1 bunch of basil, leaves and stalks finely chopped
50g/1.oz/. cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin olive
oil

Get in touch! If you want to review one of our recipes, you can write to nourishbooks.community@gmail.com.

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Jo Pratt
In the Mood for Healthy Food
£ 20.00, available from Nourish Books

 

 

 

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Get Your Breakfast Right with Jo Pratt’s Vegetarian Recipes

Impress your family and friends with this delicious breakfast or brunch dishes. These recipes are easy to make at home or at work, and they are reach of healthy ingredients to energize your day. You can get more breakfast ideas reading Jo Pratt’s In the Mood for Healthy Food.

Poached eggs, tahini and pan-fried avocado

Once toasted, the crunch you get from the bread works really well with the soft egg and avocado. As for the tahini – it really tops off the dish. This protein-rich paste made from ground sesame seeds gives some real oomph. If you’ve not already tried pan-frying avocado, then you must give this recipe a go. It has a smoky taste, similar to that of mild smoked bacon, so it’s perfect with eggs for a late breakfast or brunch.

In the mood for healthy food Jo Pratt

Serves: 4 (or 2 very hungry people)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1cm/½in thick slices
4 thick slices of fresh bread (such as sourdough or rye bread)
3 tbsp tahini, plus extra to serve
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method:

  • Bring a medium to large pan of water to the boil over a medium-high heat and add the white wine vinegar.
  • Break in the eggs one at a time and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
  • Cook for 2–3 minutes until the whites are set.
  • Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the avocado slices and fry for about 1–2 minutes on each side until slightly golden. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  • Toast the bread until golden. Spread each slice with tahini, then top with the avocado slices. Remove the poached eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon.
  • Dry any excess water with paper towels and then put the eggs on top of the toasts.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Scatter with the sumac and sesame seeds, then serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little more tahini.

Turmeric and coriander omelettes with chilli tomatoes

This is certainly a breakfast or brunch dish that’s not lacking in flavour or colour, and is guaranteed to impress whoever you make it for. Turmeric gives the omelette a vibrant yellow colour and a mellow spiced flavour, and is said to have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that could potentially ward off some pretty horrible things.

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Serves:  2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
4 tsp olive oil
For the chilli tomatoes:
4 tsp olive oil
200g/7oz/1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
a pinch of dried chilli/hot pepper flakes
1 tsp nigella seeds
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

  • To make the chilli tomatoes, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil.
  • When hot, add the tomatoes and garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes start to soften, then stir in the dried chilli/hot pepper flakes and nigella seeds and season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomatoes are squishy. Finally, stir in the spinach until it’s wilted, then keep warm while you make the omelettes.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the turmeric and coriander/cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add half the oil and swirl around to coat the base and sides of the pan.
  • Pour half of the egg mixture into the pan. Move around in the pan with the base of a fork (taking care not to scratch your pan) until you have a soft scrambled consistency.
  • Now leave the omelette to finish cooking so the egg is just set – this should only take a minute or so. Keep warm while you make the second omelette with the remaining egg mixture.
  • Transfer the omelettes to plates. Spoon half of the chilli tomatoes and spinach onto one side of each omelette.

 

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Jo Pratt
In the Mood for Healthy Food
£ 20.00, available from Nourish Books

 

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Cleansing Cucumber Salad After the Christmas Excess

by Nisha Katona

This is how Europeans redecorate their gut flora after the Christmas excess! This is a great Eastern European dish. Its so light, tangy and full of flavour that it often sits with meat as a carbohydrate replacement. No one misses lumpen spuds with this stunner at the table. When I make this, I use 8 cucumbers and it still goes in a flash. All the vitamins, and all the pleasure.

Cleansing Cucumber Salad After the Christmas Excess

Ingredients:
4 Cucumbers
1 level tablespoon of distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
1/2 crushed clove garlic
pinch of paprika (optional)
2 tablespoons creme fraiche (optional)

Method:

  • Peel and slice the cucumbers using the slicing bit of your grater.
  • Add in all the ingredients and toss.
  • Taste and check the sweet,salt,sour balance. If you want it more sour then add more vinegar. This dish is a matter of taste and you will make it your own.
  • You can add creme fraiche or not depending on how light you want the dish. Try both ways and see which you prefer. The cucumbers will release their juice and an incredibly delicious liquor will form as the dish sits. Drink it and taste the goodness!

You can check Nisha’s video tutorial at www.nishakatona.com

Pimp My Rice_Cover_WEL

 

Nisha Katona
Pimp My Rice
£20.00, Available from Nourish Books

 

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Are you suffering with Leaky Gut?

This article has been cross-posted from www.christinebailey.co.uk .

Your gut really is the gateway to good health. When your gut is dysfunctional it can result in a wide range of health conditions. One topic which is widely discussed in gastroenterology research as well as the field of immunology is ‘leaky gut’ or ‘intestinal permeability’. But what exactly is it?

The lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is composed of small epithelial cells that lie side-by-side each other forming tight junctions. These tight junctions act as a barrier between the interior of the body (blood/circulatory system) and the exterior of the body (the lumen of the GI tract). Under healthy conditions, our gut permits the absorption of vital nutrients from the gut lumen while presenting a barrier against the passage of harmful substances into the body.

A leaky gut arises when there is an increase in permeability of the intestinal mucosa that in turn leads to the increased absorption of intestinally derived endotoxins, antigens and inflammatory mediators. Gluten for example is known to cause the gut cells to release zonulin, a protein that can break apart tight junctions in the intestinal lining. Other factors including infections, medications, toxins, stress and age can also cause these tight junctions to break apart. When the epithelial cells and junctions start to break down it allows the passage of toxins through and between the cells into the blood. These foreign molecules may include undigested food molecules, toxins or bacteria. As a result our immune system is activated to eliminate or destroy these unwelcome molecules. This activation of the immune system leads to an inflammatory response and can lead to a wide range of signs, symptoms and health conditions.

This can lead to long term health consequences. In fact increased gut permeability has been linked with symptoms far from the gut including autoimmune conditions, depression, arthritis, diabetes and other conditions in which a pro inflammatory state continues.

Healing a leaky gut is one of the most important things you can do to restore overall health and vitality and I discuss in detail how to do this in my new book: The Gut Health Diet Plan.

When the gut becomes damaged instead of being a source of nourishment it becomes the source and gateway of toxicity and inflammation. Research has shown that intestinal permeability is associated with a range of health conditions not just IBS type symptoms. For example systemic inflammation, allergic reactions such as eczema, asthma or hayfever and progression of autoimmune conditions. By restoring the health and function of the gut, you prevent potential invaders from passing into the bloodstream where they can evoke inflammation locally in your gut but also systemically throughout your body.

Signs of leaky gut include:

  • IBS symptoms: bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhoea
  • Asthma, eczema, seasonal allergies
  • Hormonal imbalances, PMS
  • Autoimmune conditions e.g coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hashimotos
  • Chronic fatigue / Fibromyalgia
  • Mood disorders, depression
  • Candida overgrowth
  • Food allergies
  • Inflammation in the body
  • Skin conditions e.g acne, psoriasis

Damage to the gut lining may occur for a variety of reasons including gut infections, sensitivity to certain foods (particularly gluten and dairy), oxidative damage, medications, stress, alcohol, smoking, nutritional deficiencies and poor diet. Therefore identifying key food triggers is also an important step in supporting long term healing. However healing the gut requires more than simple removal of known allergenic foods. It needs nourishment with nutrient dense and specific healing foods – this is why I have written the Gut Health Book to provide you with delicious, nourishing recipes to restore gut health.

GutHealingDietPlan_final

Christine Bailey
The Gut Health Diet Plan
It will be published in 2016. Pre order your copy on Amazon.

 

 

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Fun Recipes You Can Make With Your Child

In The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers & Children, Bridget Wardley & Judy More select 365 inventive meals, including delicious recipes you can make with your kids, who are often more willing to eat food that they have helped to prepare. Counting and weighing ingredients, and stirring and mixing foods boost physical co-ordination and improve their maths as well as teaching them how to cook.Fun and easy, they will enjoy and be proud of their creations.

Do-It-Yourself Pizza
There is no better way to introduce your child to cooking than a homemade pizza that he can share with his friends. Letting children choose their own pizza topping is also a great way to entertain a small group.

Preparation: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pizza bases
6 tbsp passata or tinned tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
selection of washed and prepared vegetables for the topping, such as red and green peppers, courgettes, mushrooms, sliced cherry tomatoes and tinned sweetcorn, drained
40g (1½oz) diced ham or cooked chicken (optional)
4 tbsp grated mixed cheese, such as Cheddar and Parmesan
6–8 thin slices mozzarella, cut into strips

Method:
ADULT:

  • Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.

CHILD:

  • Spread the passata or chopped tomatoes over the pizza bases.
  • Sprinkle with oregano.
  • Top with their choice of vegetables and meat (if using).
  • Sprinkle over the grated cheese and add strips of mozzarella.

ADULT:

  • Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Serve with salad.

Apple Smiles

Preparation: 10 minutes
Makes 5–6 smiles
Ingredients:
1 red eating apple
3–4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
puffed rice cereal (for the teeth)

Method:
ADULT:

  • Core and slice the apple into 1cm (¼in) slices.

CHILD:

  • Pat the apple slices with a paper towel to dry them. This will help the peanut butter to stick.
  • Spread one side of each apple slice with peanut butter.
  • Sandwich 2 slices together and squash them a little so that the peanut butter begins to ooze out onto the apple’s skin –the lips.
  • Place 5–6 pieces of puffed rice in the peanut butter to form the teeth, as if in a smiling mouth.

Mini Trifles BBRecipesBabiesToddlersChildren
Making this traditional pudding will be great fun for your child. Use whatever soft fruit is in season or fruit tinned in juice.

Ingredients:
2 slices Swiss roll
2 tbsp orange juice
1 ripe peach, sliced
12 strawberries, rinsed and hulled
150ml (5fl oz) custard
2 tsps whipped cream (optional)
coloured sugar strands, to decorate (optional)

Method:
CHILD:

  • Put 1 slice of Swiss roll in each of 2 small ramekin dishes.
  • Spoon a tablespoonful of orange juice over each.
  • Cover with the peach slices and strawberries.
  • Spoon the custard over.
  • Top with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the coloured sugar strands (if using).

#cookingwithchildren

BigBook-300x386

Bridget Wardley & Judy More
The Big Book of Recipes for Babies, Toddlers & Children
£12.99
Available from Nourish Books

 

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Spice Up Your Weekend With an Indian Lunch

Karma chichen
Nisha Katona invites you to try three recipe ideas, adapted by her mother. A little twist of traditional Indian dishes to surprise your family with an Indian Lunch.
Madras pimped cheese on toast
Every Indian living abroad needs to get their spice fix for the day. This was my mother’s way and now it is mine.
We had a version of this in Nepal and I have never forgotten how sublime it tasted. Mum worked hard to crack the right formula and voila. It also appeals to her need to take a great British staple and pimp it Indian style.
This dish is utterly addictive and great for a lunchtime treat or sly supper spectacle. It is so very simple but it has so much flavour.
The addition of the paste really gets this dish singing. No matter what time I eat this, it takes me straight to that Kathmandu guest house with the sun on my back and a slice of golden Himalayan heaven in my hand.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:
4 pieces of bread-toasted on one side
grated cheddar
chopped red onion
chopped coriander
1 spoon Madras OR Balti Paste
black pepper
chopped green chili
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together, cover the non toasted side of the bread and grill until bubbling and golden.
Korma popcorn chicken with a spiced spinach yoghurt dip
This dish has its origins in my mother’s cocky resourcefulness. Ever has it been the way with Indian mothers, that they will not be outdone by any of the big chains!
I remember driving though one particular fried chicken chain with her and relishing the cute little balls of fried deliciousness. Nothing irks my mother more than this; than her own daughter enjoying a dish that she had not created.
She set to work in her kitchen of alchemy and invited me over one night, triumphant, at her creation. She had trumped the fast food warriors and I have to take my hat of to her.
These Korma popcorn balls were utterly light, packed with flavour and to top it all extremely quick and simple to make.  The Spinach dip is a quick construction job; deeply tangy and satisfying, a perfect cooling creamy accompaniment to my mothers lip smacking golden orbs of culinary genius.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Chopped chicken breasts
pataks korma paste
lemon juice
garlic puree
1 egg
salt
gram flour
oil
pureed spinach
greek yoghurt
pataks madras paste
Method:
Popcorn Chicken
  • Rub the chicken pieces with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of Korma paste,lemon juice, garlic puree, egg, salt.
  • Drag the pieces through the gram flour and plunge fry
Raita
  • Combine the yoghurt, a dessertspoon of the madras paste and the spinach, a touch of lemon juice and salt.
Tikka and tamarind glazed ribs
This dish is a firm family favourite. It is one of our signature New Years Eve Dishes. Ribs are such a great party cut of meat! These ribs are so simple and quick to prepare that you can create a banquet hall pile of them in no time and they make a stunningly extravagant centrepiece. I used to make these using just the tamarind but it was the addition of the tikka paste that really got people talking about them.  We are plagued by requests for this recipe and here it is. Marinade, roast and enjoy.
Ingredients:
pork ribs
pataks tikka paste
honey
garlic
tamarind paste
onions
ginger/garlic paste
garamasala powder
chopped coriander leaf
Method:
  • Rub the ribs with garlic and garamasala and roast.
Make the glaze as follows:
  • Fry onions, ginger and garlic, add 2 dessertspoons of Pataks Tikka Paste, 1 dessert spoon of honey, 1 dessert spoon of tamarind concentrate.
  • Simmer adding a little water to loosen the glaze. Add in the ribs and simmer for the last few minutes, sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with a finger bowl!

Pimp My Rice_Cover_WEL

 

Nisha Katona
Pimp My Rice
£20.00, Available from Nourish Books

 

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Hot chocolate soufflés for your Bonfire night!

Guy Fawkes failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament saw the beginning of the 5th of November anniversary, still celebrated in the United Kingdom with fireworks, bonfires and parades. This is a perfect night to spend with friends and a warm chocolate idea! Try the hot chocolate soufflés, a recipe extracted from our book Chocolate by Jennifer Donovan.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 20–23 minutesSouffle_168

Ingredients:
melted butter, for greasing
80g/23/4oz/1/3 cup caster sugar, plus extra for coating
2 tbsp cornflour
250ml/9fl oz/1 cup milk
100g/31/2oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 eggs, separated, plus 2 whites icing sugar, sifted, for dusting

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 190˚C/375˚F/gas 5. Grease 4 x 200ml/7fl oz/3/4-cup capacity ovenproof cups with melted butter and coat lightly with sugar.
  • In a small bowl, mix the cornflour to a paste with 2 tbsp of the milk. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the remaining milk with the chocolate and 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp of the sugar over a low heat. When the chocolate has melted, whisk in the cornflour paste, using a hand whisk. Continue whisking until the mixture boils and thickens, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before beating in the egg yolks. Set the mixture aside to cool completely.
  • In a large bowl, whisk all the egg whites to soft peaks, using an electric hand mixer, then add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whisked whites into the chocolate mixture, using a metal spoon, and divide equally between the prepared cups.
  • Bake in the hot oven for 15–18 minutes, or until the soufflés are well risen. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

To get more delicious chocolate recipes, take a look at Chocolate by Jennifer Donovan.

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Jennifer Donovan
Chocolate
Available from Nourish Books
£9.99

 

 

 

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Pimp My Rice Recipes for you to try!

Here are two rice recipes to spice up your kitchen! Across continents, rice is the dramatic centrepiece of the table and at the heart of life. In Pimp My Rice, Nisha Katona shares recipes from her home kitchen and around the globe. Here are two great examples from the book for you to try!

pimp my rice recipe card_smokemysquashpimp my rice recipe card_gingerbeerrhubarbrice

 

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Nisha Katona
Pimp My Rice
£20.00, Available from Nourish Books

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