Red Thai Fish Curry

 

A few vegetables, some fish and a jar of thai red curry paste .. ta dah!  Red thai fish curry ... in under 30 minutes.  Just the thing for a bunch of hungry people after an afternoon of walking.

Jasmine rice
Coconut oil (or other mild cooking oil)

Onion

Garlic

Thai curry paste

Mushrooms

Red pepper

Green beans

Cod

Pak choi

Coconut cream

1.  Fry chopped onion gently in coconut oil until soft.

2.  Add crushed garlic and red thai paste to taste (the brands have different strengths, read their instructions), fry for another couple of minutes.

3.  Prep vegetables and chop into bite sized pieces.

4.  Cook the rice - I use the adsorption method - cover with cold water 1 inch over the surface of the rice in the pan, heat to boiling, then slam the lid on and turn the heat right down  It should be ready in about 12 minutes, but it's quite forgiving if you leave it alone and let it steam.

5.  Add most of the veg to the curry sauce, but not the pak choi.  Fry for a couple of minutes, then add some water and simmer until a bit soft, about 10 minutes.

6.  Add thicker stems of pak choi, stir in, and simmer for 1 minute more.

7.  Add coconut cream and dissolve into the sauce, add more water if it's too thick.

8.  When the coconut cream is fully mixed in add chunks of cod, lay over soft green leaves of pak choi.

9.  Put the lid on and let the curry cook gently for another 5 minutes.

10.  Check that the fish is cooked - opaque throughout.

11. Serve, scoff, receive praise.

Pork stir fry with noodles

 

Well, folks, it has been a while!  My cooking mojo has taken a serious dip.  We've had dinners, obviously, but not that exciting ... and I've not been in a sharing mood.  So, in an attempt to get back at it - I've gone a little oriental (well, with what I had in the fridge and cupboard).

Coconut oil
Pork steaks

Spring onions

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Medium egg noodles

Carrots

Pak choi

Mange tout

Oyster sauce

Tomato ketchup

Rice wine vinegar

Shaoxing rice wine

Soya sauce

Cornflour

1.  Prep the meat and veg.  Cutting pork into small pieces, peel and slice carrots, thinly slice spring onions, crush garlic, grate ginger etc.

2.  In a wok, heat coconut oil to very hot, then chuck in spring onions and stir in the oil.

3.  Put a pan of water on to boil for the noodles.

4.  Add the diced pork to the spring onions, stir until a little coloured.

5.  Add crushed garlic, grated ginger and chilli flakes to the pork, keep stirring.

6.  Add noodles to boiling water - for about 6 minutes.

7.  Add chopped veg to pork mixture - carrots and pak choi stems first, stir fry for a minute or two, then add the softer bits.  Keep moving around.

8.  Add oyster sauce, a squirt of ketchup, rice wine vinegar, rice wine and soay sauce ... keep moving.

9.  Slake the cornflour.

10.  Add a ladle of water to the meat and veg, keep moving.

11.  Stir in slaked cornflour to thicken the sauce, stir in well.  Add more water if it's too sticky.

12.  Drain noodles and add them to the wok.

13.  Stir together for two minutes.

14.  Serve, scoff ... add more soya sauce to taste ...

Chili and garlic squid, black bean vegetable, noodle, stir fry

Chinese New Year - and into the year of the sheep we go.

So, tonight we had garlic chili squid and a black bean, vegetable and noodle stir fry.

Noodles are traditional for a long life, I believe.  Rice noodles, in our case, to keep it all gluten free.




Chili and garlic squid

Peanut oil
Squid tubes - cut into rings
chili flakes
Crushed garlic
spring onion
salt
cornflour
water

1.  Cut squid tubes into rings, mix with chili, garlic and chopped spring onion.
2.  Make a batter (quite liquid) from cornflour and water.
3.  Dip squid into batter and fry in hot oil.

Scoff!

Black bean and vegetable noodle stir fry

Peanut oil
Black bean paste
Garlic paste
Fennel
Spring onions
Pak choi
Radish
Japanese mushrooms
bean sprouts
soy sauce
Chinese rice wine
Tomato ketchup
Water
Rice noodles

1.  Prepare all the vegetables, chopping into bite sized pieces.
2.  Heat oil in the wok, add spring onion and black bean paste.
3.  Stir fry, add veg ... from harder to softer, so they cook in time.
4.  Meanwhile cook noodles according to packet instructions.
5.  Taste veg and add soy sauce, rice wine and ketchup to taste.
6.  Add a little water if it's looking dry.
7.  When noodles are ready, drain and add to veg.
8.  Sprinkle chopped spring onions over the top.

Dipping sauce

Soy sauce
peanut oil
sweet chili sauce

Mixed to taste

Oh ... I am so full ... roll on the year of the sheep.

Caribbean roast vegetable and chickpea soup

Yesterday, a lovely wedding - this meant a night in a hotel - therefore, the compulsory full english breakfast (I'm not going to name and shame - it wasn't brilliant) - leaves you quite full, or at least wanting something tasty and nutritious and not swimming in grease.  I looked in the fridage and found the remains of the veg box (nearly) were sweet potato, butternut squash, red pepper and pak choi.  Add a tin of chickpeas, tin of tomatoes and some yogurt and tadah!


Olive oil
Sweet potato, peeled and chopped into biggish bits
Red pepper, chopped and deseeded
Butternut squash, peeled and prepared
blackenned cajun seasoning
garlic, lots of it, crushed and the tough peel removed (papery bits can be left)
Stock
tin of tomatoes
tin of chickpeas, drained

lemon, zest and juice
salt
natural yogurt

pakchoi
olive oil

1.  Roast prepared vegetables and garlic in olive oil, whit a good sprinkling of cajun seasonning - in a hot oven, until soft and slightly singed.
2.  Meanwhile gently soften a chopped onion in olive oil.
3.  Add roast vegetables and garlic to onion, add a pint or so of stock.
4.  Bring up to simmer.  Add 1/2 tin drained and rinsed chickpeas and a tin of tomatoes.  Heat through.
5. Zizz to a smoot soup - add more stock/water to taste.
6.  Tip in the remaining chickpeas, and heat through.
7.  Just before serving squeeze in lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

Top with yogurt, which has a big pinch of salt, the zest of the lemon, and the other half of the lemon's juice mixed in.

Top that with shredded and fried in olive oil, pak choi.

FAB-U-LOUS!

Salmon fishcakes, stir fried radish and pak choi, steamed green beans

I don't much like tinned salmon - but I think it's fantastic in fishcakes.

These fishcakes are gluten free, and very simple.

There was radish, pak choi and cucumber left from the veg box, and I didn't actually quite fancy salad, so I did a bit of a stir fry.  I would recommend it.

So,  from start to finish...

Potatoes
Tinned salmon
polenta
olive oil
green beans
Onion
Bunch of radishes
Pak choi
cucumber
fennel seeds
chili flakes
celery salt
garlic
white wine


1.  Peel and boil potatoes.  Mash.
2.  Stir in drained tinned salmon and season.
3.  When cooled, squish into patties and toss in polenta.  (Put them in the fridge if you have time).
4.  Fry in olive oil, keep warm in the oven while the other stuff is finished off.
5.  Steam beans.
6.  Stir fry chopped onion in light olive oil, add pak choi stems, fennel seeds, radish, cucumber, garlic and chili flakes.

Yum. Light, fresh and filling and somehow suited today's autumnal sunshine.