Tandoori chicken bites with a yoghurt lime-mint dipping sauce

January 1, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

Lovely, simple and light. A good, low calorie appetizer from a fellow blogger

2 lbs chicken breast or thigh cut into bite sized pieces

Marinade
1/3 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp Garam Masala powder
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and black pepper

Yoghurt lime-mint dipping sauce

1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 small handful fresh mint, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I roast my own before grinding)
Juice of half a lime or a full lime if it’s not too juicy
1 clove garlic crushed
salt to taste

Mix all sauce ingredients together, stir well and allow to chill for a few minutes before serving.

Marinate the chicken with the yoghurt and spices for about 6 to 8 hours in the fridge, but bring it back to room temperature (sit out on the counter about 30 to 45 minutes) before cooking.

Place chicken bites onto a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with oil.

Set the oven to broil and broil for about 8 minutes per side until fully cooked. (165 F internal temperature)

Serve with the sauce and enjoy!

Asian flavors · Curry · Gluten Free · Meat

Thai pork and peanut curry

December 31, 2013September 13, 2018 Belinda

This is the last recipe for 2013! Happy New Year to you all and thank you so much for signing up to the blog.

This was the top BBC Good Food recipe for 2013 and is well worth doing.

Serves 4

Use a fragrant hot red curry base (available in Asian markets) as the base to this curry dish with baby sweet corn, cilantro and soy sauce.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch scallions (spring onions) sliced
a small bunch fresh cilantro, stalks finely chopped, leaves picked
1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
4 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
a 14 fl oz can of coconut milk (you can use light coconut milk too)
1/2 a 14 oz tin of baby corn, drained
juice of 1 lime
steamed Jasmine rice, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof Dutch oven.
Add the scallions and cilantro stalks and cook for 1 minute. Add the pork slices and cook for 5 mins until starting to brown.
Stir in the curry paste and peanut butter.
After 30 seconds, add the sugar, soy sauce and coconut milk, plus 1/2 can water.
Mix well, put a lid on and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid, add the baby corn and increase the heat.
Bubble for 3 minutes until the corn is heated through and the sauce has thickened a little.
Stir in the lime juice and check the seasoning.

* It can now be frozen for up to 2 months at this point

To cook from frozen, thoroughly defrost, then heat in a pan on the hob until the curry is hot all the way through.
Serve scattered with the cilantro leaves and steamy hot Jasmine rice

Asian flavors · Fish · Pasta

Addicting Asian sesame garlic noodles

December 27, 2013November 13, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

This recipe is to die for and you won’t be able to stop eating them. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature and is perfect for a pot luck as you can make the sauce ahead of time, prep whatever you’re going to add to the noodles, and just cook the spaghetti nearer the serving time.
You can augment this recipe as much as you want, but be careful with the red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it.

These noodles are great just with a few chopped scallions added, but you can also add;
cooked prawns
chopped cilantro
chopped scallions
cooked chicken pieces
chopped red pepper
corn

Sauce recipe for 1/2 lb spaghetti. If making 3/4 lb spaghetti for 4 people, double the sauce recipe. You need the extra sauce as it gets soaked up by the hot noodles.

The Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, chopped roughly
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup vegetable or avocado oil

Add the sauce ingredients to a food processor.
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water, according to the instructions of the packet. Drain the pasta and put it into a large bowl and add the sauce into the hot drained pasta.
Add anything else you want and toss well.
Enjoy!

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Soup · Whole30 compliant

Thai Pumpkin soup

October 28, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

3 1/2 lb winter squash, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 lemongrass, bashed a bit
3 – 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
14 or 15 oz can coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
fresh lime juice and sugar for seasoning
1 red chile, sliced, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F

Toss the winter squash in a roasting tin with half the oil and seasoning, then roast for 30 minutes until golden and tender.

Meanwhile, put the remaining oil in a pan with the onion, ginger and lemongrass.
Gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the curry paste for 1 minute, followed by the roasted squash, all but 3 tbsp of coconut milk and the stock.
Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then fish out the lemongrass.
Cool for a few minutes, then whizz until smooth in the blender.
Return to the pan to heat through, seasoning with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar, if it needs it.

Serve drizzled with the remaining coconut milk and scattered with chile, if you like

Asian flavors · Fish

Five spice fish

October 27, 2013January 10, 2016 Belinda

This is so full of flavor, spicy, sweet and sour all at once and really quite simple. Also pretty low in calories and ready in minutes.

Serves 4

4 white fish fillets, such as cod, sea bass, halibut, flounder, sole (about 6 oz each)
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil or sunflower oil
3 scallions, shredded
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
5 oz button mushrooms, sliced
4 oz baby corn, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry or apple juice
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix the cornstarch and 5-spice powder together and toss the fish in the mixture to coat.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok and stir fry the scallions, ginger, mushrooms and corn for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the fish and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once.

Mix together the soy sauce, sherry and sugar then pour over the fish.
Simmer for about 4 minutes, (you can cover the pan for some of the time, if you need to) adjust the seasoning, then serve with noodles, stir fried vegetables or plain steamy white rice

Asian flavors · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related · Whole30 compliant

Roasted cauliflower with turmeric, ginger, fenugreek and mustard seeds

October 21, 2013January 6, 2017 Belinda

You can’t have too many recipes for this extremely low calorie vegetable.

Serves 4

1 large cauliflower cut into florets of about 1 1/2 inches each
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp powdered turmeric
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, finely sliced
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (they look brown to me!)
1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 tbsp water or stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 scallions, sliced thin on the diagonal, for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the cauliflower florets for 2 to 3 minutes and immediately remove, drain and put into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, turmeric, mustard seeds, fenugreek, salt and pepper, grated fresh ginger, jalapeno and a dash of stock/water. Mix well.
Pour this mixture over the blanched cauliflower while still steaming and toss to coat everything.

Transfer this to a roasting pan and make sure to have all the cauliflower in a single layer and not crowded.

Cook uncovered until fork tender – about 25 minutes and starting to get golden brown and toasty.

Transfer to a platter and scatter with the scallions.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry

Malaysian Chicken

October 19, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

I am a sucker for Malaysian and Indonesian food so this is right up my street. The creaminess of the coconut milk, the complex citrus flavors of the lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaf and the moist, falling off the bone chicken.
What more could you want and it’s easy too.

Serves 4

Vegetable or groundnut oil
1 chopped onion
8 organic chicken thighs
3 medium-hot red chilies
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 lemongrass stalk
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
5 Kaffir lime leaves, sliced very finely
14 fl oz coconut milk ( or 1 can )
fish sauce
3 1/2 fl oz chicken stock
2 tsp soft brown sugar or palm sugar
wedges of lime

Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the 8 chicken thighs, skin-side down until the skin is crisp and golden.
Remove the chicken and set aside.

Whizz the chopped onion, garlic cloves, chilies, lemon grass stalk, outer leaves removed and inner core sliced, 1 tbsp grated ginger and a good glug of oil in the food processor.
Fry this paste in the same pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, add the turmeric, cinnamon stick, 2 star anise and the finely sliced Kaffir lime leaves, then fry for 3 minutes.

Stir in the tin of coconut milk and chicken stock, sit the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side up and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is reduced.

If for some reason the dish has too much liquid and it’s too thin, take out the chicken and turn the heat up to reduce the sauce, stirring, then put back the chicken thighs when the sauce has reduced and is thicker. This also increases the intensity of the sauce.

Add the 2 tsp of sugar and a dash of fish sauce.
Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze over before eating.

Serve with white rice.

Asian flavors · Fish · Gluten Free

Roasted salmon with miso, orange, marmalade glaze

October 13, 2013August 1, 2021 Belinda

This is dead simple, really light and gorgeous.

Serves 4

1/3 cup white miso
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp finely grated orange peel

4 x 6oz fillets of wild salmon
finely chopped scallions (green onions)

Whisk the miso, orange juice, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, marmalade and orange peel together in a small bowl.
Put the mixture into a plastic bag and add the fillets of salmon.
Marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, turning the mixture to make sure it’s well submerged.

Preheat the oven to 350F
Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil, take the salmon out of the marinade and place on the foil.
Roast for about 17 minutes checking after 15to see if the salmon is cooked.
Remove when the salmon looks done, sprinkle with the chopped scallions.

Note: I love to make this as an orange-themed meal with:
“orange and currant pilaf”
and
“spicy orange salad Moroccan-style”, both on my blog

Asian flavors · Meat

Pork fillet, asparagus and baby corn stir-fry

October 5, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Pork fillet is so lean, even leaner than chicken breast and is such a versatile piece of meat. A pork fillet usually comes in one piece weighing about 1lb 3oz, so it’s the perfect thing to have in the freezer.
This is lovely just served with some steamed rice.

Serves 4

1 clove garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 pork fillet (1lb 3oz or thereabouts) thinly sliced
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
6 fresh shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
6oz whole baby corn, drained
4- 6 spears of asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths on the diagonal
2 tbsp oyster sauce

Place the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper and rice wine in bowl and mix together well.
Add all the pork and stir until it is well coated in the marinade.
Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oils and swirl to coat the sides of the wok.
Add half the pork mixture and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the pork changes color.
Remove the pork from the wok.
Repeat with the remaining oils and pork mixture.
Add the mushrooms, corn and asparagus to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Return the pork and any juices to the wok and stir in the oyster sauce.
Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or until it has evenly heated through.
Divide among four bowls poured over hot rice.