Finn never fails to amaze me with his food choices. My original plan when I made this was for it to be for me and Phill as this type of cuisine has been generally rejected by Lola and Finn in the past, but on tasting it, it didn't have the potent kick of say, a Thai green curry; in fact it was tasty, chicken-y with a hint of ginger and garlic. And weirdly, it felt restorative, a bit like a far eastern chicken soup. I decided to try it out on Lola and Finn, knowing would entertain it and the likelihood was that Finn would just reject it. He didn't. He loved it. He left the broccoli of course, but you can't have everything.
Phill and I are playing at healthy eating so we can eat lots of glorious food on holiday and seeing as the 'd' word is the not the one to inspire me to avoid chocolate or cheese, I have decided to eat the things that are fresh and good instead and not deprive myself too much. The fact of the matter is I get tetchy and unmanageable and start buying shoes and blingy jewellery if I can't eat chocolate or cheese. I got Anjum Anand's Ayurveda inspired 'Eat Right For Your Body Type' in a TKMaxx clearance moment as I am a great fan of her Indian food which is fresh, appealing and easy to make. As far as I can make out, in terms of Ayurveda I am mostly kapha with some pitta, and so this recipe isn't suitable for my dosha, though I did substitute the coconut milk for low fat coconut milk which might make it better for me. I don't know if I subscribe to the Ayurveda teachings or not; I think it is one of those things were you need to follow it and see if you can see a perceptible difference in your health and well being, but what I do know is this tasted great! Here is the recipe, with some Ayurveda advice for those who want it.
Chicken Laksa with noodles, adapted from 'Eat Right For Your Body Type' by Anjum Anand
Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad generously
My adaptions in red
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
1 small–medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
10g peeled ginger, made into a paste
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and made into a paste
a teaspoon of coriander stalks
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and 1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (pitta please omit)
250ml good-quality chicken stock
3 medium chicken breasts or 4 boned thighs, skinned and cut into large pieces (I used thighs)250–300ml coconut milk (I used low fat coconut milk)3⁄4 tsp garam masala (pitta please omit)
2–21⁄2 tsp lime or lemon juice, or to taste
180–190g rice noodles (you can also use wheat), cooked according to packet instructions
200g vegetables of your choice, blanched or steamed (for example, choose from green beans, broccoli, mangetout, bean sprouts, bok choy, edamame beans) - I used broccoli and frozen peashandful of fresh mint and coriander leaves and a little finely julienned carrot, to serve (I used coriander and a wedge of lime)
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and 1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (pitta please omit)
250ml good-quality chicken stock
3 medium chicken breasts or 4 boned thighs, skinned and cut into large pieces (I used thighs)250–300ml coconut milk (I used low fat coconut milk)3⁄4 tsp garam masala (pitta please omit)
2–21⁄2 tsp lime or lemon juice, or to taste
180–190g rice noodles (you can also use wheat), cooked according to packet instructions
200g vegetables of your choice, blanched or steamed (for example, choose from green beans, broccoli, mangetout, bean sprouts, bok choy, edamame beans) - I used broccoli and frozen peashandful of fresh mint and coriander leaves and a little finely julienned carrot, to serve (I used coriander and a wedge of lime)
Method:
Heat the oil in a medium non-stick saucepan. add the onion and cook until soft and turning golden at the edges. add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for 40–50 seconds, stirring often until the garlic smells cooked. add the spices, seasoning and a small splash of water and cook until the water has evaporated and the paste has had 20–30 seconds to cook. (To be honest, as I had to make the garlic and ginger into a paste, I just blitzed my onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks with a bit of vegetable oil and then put it all into the pan).
Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes. the water should be quite reduced. add the chicken, coconut milk and garam masala, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat until the chicken is done, around 3–4 minutes for breast and 5–6 minutes for thigh (depending on how large the pieces are). The curry should be of a medium creamy consistency. stir in the lime or lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Place the cooked noodles in individual bowls or deep side plates, add the chicken on one side and the vegetables in neat piles on the other and pour over the coconut curry. Garnish with lots of fresh mint and coriander.
This looks wonderful Stella...
ReplyDeleteThis looks good & flavourful! I've never tempted making laksa before but yours look so appetizing! Drooling just by looking at all the yummy pictures !
ReplyDelete