Happy and healthy in a random way! One Pot Chinese Chicken

 

 

There are several ways in which this recipe makes me happy. Firstly, it's quick and to be honest the way things are going with what I seem to have to achieve from the point of falling in through the door of an evening and flopping into bed, something that can be cooked and dished up in double fast time makes me very happy. Secondly, 'one pot' - a phrase I am also happy to hear, although it's a little disingenuous here as if you want anything else with this lovely chicken then you are likely to need at least another pot, but the phrase 'one pot' suggests something with a low level of faff which is bound to make this occasionally lazy chef very happy indeed. Thirdly, and most importantly considering the premise of this month's Random Recipe Challenge, hosted by Belleau Kitchen, this meal is fresh, light and healthy but certainly not lacking in taste. Happy. Happy. Happy.

 

 

 

Recipes that make you healthy and happy was this month's random recipe challenge. My randomness happened by way of collecting together the cookery books that suggested healthiness, vitality, the horrible 'd' word and books that are meant to feed kids healthily and happily. I'll be honest, that amounted to about eight books altogether and the resulting random choice could have turned into some kind of salad nightmare but luckily a blind shuffle and a bit of 'dip dip do' resulted in the winner being 'Fat Girl Slim', a book by Ruth Watson, a book full of interesting recipes and the 'Sod It' chapter at the back where you can eradicate all your good work by making and then eating an amazing chocolate mousse recipe. Sometimes a 'sod it' moment is a good thing.

 

 

 

But the winner of the random recipe in this book was 'One Pot Chinese Chicken' which luckily I had the ingredients for, save the additional steamed vegetables which are an addition of mine. My only adaptation was that I only had 400g of chicken thighs and I kept the sauce quantity the same as for the 600g as stipulated in the original recipe, for around here we like our meals just a bit saucy. I also marinated the chicken for a little longer than suggested as I got busy making packed lunches and so on and therefore I got distracted. But it was okay.

 

Oh. one more thing to be happy about. Lola and Finn loved this, and that makes this recipe a keeper!

 

One Pot Chinese Chicken, adapted from 'Fat Girl Slim' by Ruth Watson

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad.

 

Ingredients:

 

600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 400g - see above)

1 level tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce, divided

1 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp caster sugar

a handful of fresh basil (I decided on coriander instead)

 

Method:

 

 

 

Cut the chicken into bitesize chunks and place in a non reactive bowl. Toss with the cornflour, the sesame oil and one tablespoon of the soy sauce. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

Heat up a wok or large frying pan over a medium high flame and add the groundnut or vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, put in the chicken and stir fry for about 3 - 4 minutes, or until just cooked. Scoop out the chicken and discard most of the oil left before placing the pan back on the heat and returning the chicken to the pan.

 

At this point, add the rest of the ingredients, including the one remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, but don't add the basil (coriander) until the last minute.

 

Cook for a further five minutes or so, stirring the chicken around in the thickening sauce. Once ready, sprinkle with coriander.

 

The original recipe gives a 'more' and 'less' option, for those who are strictly dieting and those who are not. You can serve this with steamed rice to bulk the meal out, as I did, or you can just serve with steamed vegetables, which I nearly did, but I kept the rice too, for life would be dull without carbs!

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

No Ordinary Stir Fry - Pork Yaki Soba

 

 

Following on from last week's revelation that stir fries are both quick and good (I already knew this; I had just forgotten) I heartily recommend this recipe and so does Finn (albeit without the green bits). Lola also loved this dish too and for that reason it will certainly be a keeper.

 

We do eat a lot of mince in this house. I was watching 'Food and Drink' last week (I am beyond happy that this is back on the TV, not least because it's introduced Michel Roux Jr who, despite my disappointment in learning his football allegiance, I think is brilliant) and it was declared that we are eating more mince than ever. Well, yes, if this house is anything to go by. I do buy bigger joints of meat and chicken but the kids love mince and whilst it is cheaper to buy mince, I try to buy the best I can, particularly in the light of the doubt of what animal might have been minced for consumption. But, let's be honest, there is only so much bolognese, lasagne, meatballs, etc. that even my children want to eat, and so to cook something as fresh tasting and different as this, using the ingredients that Lola and Finn like is a fabulous prospect.

 

I happened upon this recipe on a bit of a google 'mooch' where I put in the words 'pork mince' and 'stir fry' to see if anything actually happened. Everything came together at the Independent website where Bill Granger in his column had published a recipe groovily called 'Pork Yaki Soba'. Firstly, I don't think I have ever cooked anything more exotically named and secondly apart from the carrots cut into matchsticks faff, this is a pretty simple recipe to make. Half an hour tops, and you have a meal on the table.

 

Lastly, I know little about noodles. I couldn't find ramen noodles in the supermarket but I found buckwheat soba noodles, and seeing as there was 'soba' in the title, I thought they would suffice. And they were heavily reduced, as was a lot of the Chinese/Japanese section of the 'world foods' aisle. Some things around here just don't sell. It maybe totally unauthentic and 'Unjapanese' (Is that even a word?) but some egg noodles would be really delish with this.

 

Anyway, here we are. Be amazed!

 

Pork Yaki Soba, adapted from Bill Granger's recipe in the Independent newspaper

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad

 

Ingredients:

 

400g dried ramen noodles (I used buckwheat soba noodles, see above)4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin
4 tsp sesame oil
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of white pepper (I just used ground black pepper)4 tbsp light-flavoured oil, such as sunflower
2 cm piece ginger, shredded
2 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
500g minced pork
Stir fry veg (I used sugar snap peas)

Chopped coriander to garnish

 

To serve

 

Chilli sauce

 

Method:

 

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain, then rinse under cold water and set aside.

 

 

Mix the soy, mirin, sesame oil, sugar and pepper in a small bowl with a splash of water.

 

 

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat, add the ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds.

 

 

 

 Add the carrot and pork and stir-fry until the pork is browned.

 

 

 

Add the remaining vegetables and cook until just starting to soften, followed by the noodles and sauce. (I just served the pork on top of the noodles rather than mixing it all up).

 

Cook until the noodles are heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

 

 

 

 Serve immediately with chilli sauce to taste.

 

 

Cakes not balls: Turkey cakes with Wasabi Guacamole

The first dish I cooked from the Ottolenghi cookbook was turkey meatballs which was, frankly, a revelation. I know it's hardly some sort of haute cuisine and I daresay it isn't gracing the menus of many Michelin starred restaurants just now but the fact is that it (or they I suppose) taste totally fabulous. I also think that any recipe that manages to impart some semblance of flavour into turkey mince is one worth keeping and cooking regularly.

So when I was perusing the Guardian website for something else it was with such happiness that I saw this. Firstly, an Ottolenghi recipe. Fabulous. Secondly. Turkey mince. Well, it has to be okay doesn't it? And it was...

Wasabi and kids don't do really go together and I'll be honest I didn't even try. I gave Lola and Finn a little guacamole before I put wasabi into it which they tried but weren't massively excited by. That's okay, Phill isn't greatly excited by it either. However, the addition of a little wasabi just transformed the guacamole into something with pizazz, which married well with the turkey cakes. Phill was pleasantly surprised.

Lola and Finn really enjoyed the turkey cakes. I suppose what makes these cakes rather than balls is that they're flat rather than round and are baked. I also think you could make these into burgers and they would be lovely topped with feta and a tomatoey, chilli relish.

Turkey Cakes with Wasabi Guacamole from The Guardian website

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad generously.

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

2 courgettes, coarsely grated (net weight 250g) (Two medium ones for me)Salt and black pepper
600g minced turkey, or chicken (I used 500g)2 medium free-range eggs
1½ tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp chopped coriander
3 tbsp chopped mint
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
60g chopped spring onion
Sunflower oil, for frying
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp mirin
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds (which I forgot to use!!)

For the wasabi guacamole:

2 ripe avocados, peeled (net weight 300g)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp wasabi paste
20g chopped spring onion
Salt

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

 Put the grated courgette in a sieve, mixed with a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and leave to drain for about 15 minutes.

Squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands, then put the courgette in a large mixing bowl along with the turkey, eggs, cumin, coriander, mint, garlic, three-quarters of the spring onion, a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Mix together well. then shape into 12 patties weighing about 80g each (or just eyeball it, like I did)

Because turkey mince is so bland, I always worry about whether I have seasoned the meat enough. Fr that reason I take a little of the mixture and fry it off to taste for seasoning. If I need to add more, then I do so. You'd be surprised how much salt you might need to make turkey mince taste of something  When you're happy with the seasoning then shape into 12 patties weighing about 80g each (or just eyeball it, like I did).

Heat two tablespoons of sunflower oil in a large frying pan and fry the patties for four minutes, turning once, until nice and brown on both sides.

Transfer to a baking tray and finish off in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

I confess, I like it chunky!

While the turkey cakes are in the oven, make the guacamole: mash the avocado with a fork and mix together with the lime juice, wasabi, chopped spring onion and half a teaspoon of salt.

Mix the sweet chilli and mirin in a separate bowl, and brush this over the turkey cakes as soon as they come out of the oven.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top (if you don't forget!) and serve with the guacamole on the side.

Just what is it that you do with turkey mince? - Ottolenghi Turkey Meatballs with roasted pepper and sweet chilli sauce

I didn't spend an inordinate amount of time mulling over it, but I did used to wonder what was the point of turkey mince. I mean, yes, OK, I could substitute it for beef in a bolognese maybe, and I tried it but it didn't seem just right; kinda dry, grainy... not the best. Shepherd's Pie? No, same problem... and I have never seen shepherds looking after turkeys.

So, when I treated myself to the wonderful Ottolenghi cookbook and had finally dragged myself away from the cake section of the book, I noticed a recipe for turkey meatballs with a roasted pepper and sweet chilli sauce and decided that there was my answer. The next time I was shopping I bought the turkey mince I had occasionally wondered about and gave this recipe a whirl. How glad am I that I did. Everybody who has ever been forced to eat these chez Lola and Finn has adored them, even Lola and Finn. Bonus.

I see so little wrong with this recipe. A little faff initially maybe but the results are absolutely worth it. Whilst I do not profess to know the calorific content or all the other things that we seem to watch and count these days, I think they are probably the healthiest meatballs there are, being that the meat is white and lean, after being briefly browned in oil they are finished off in the oven, and I believe all the other ingredients to be nutritionally good stuff. And turkey mince is cheap. Really cheap, because probably, like me, many often look at it and wonder what you actually do with it. The answer is now before your eyes.

Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce - adapted  from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Serves 2 -3, plus Lola and Finn

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)
3 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed (or 4 tbsp of breadcrumbs)
500g turkey mince
1 free range egg
4 spring onions, finely chopped (or on this occasion I used a banana shallot)
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
vegetable oil for frying

For the roasted pepper sauce:

4 red peppers
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
25g coriander, stalks and leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 small mild chilli, deseeded
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.

Quarter, deseed and cut off the white parts of the peppers, place in a roasting tray lined with baking paper and toss with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until soft.

Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with cling film. (Although, for reference, I didn't) When they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, them although it isn’t essential for this sauce so don't worry if some skin is left on.

Place the peppers in a food processor with any roasting juices and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Process until smooth, then taste and adjust the salt if necessary. Set aside.

For the meatballs, place a heavy, non-stick frying pan over high heat and throw in the corn kernels. Toss them in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes until lightly blackened. Remove and leave to cool.

Soak the bread in cold water for a minute, then squeeze well and crumble into a large bowl. (I had breadcrumbs that I had blitzed for an earlier recipe and used what I had of these)

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, and mix well with your hands.

Test the seasoning of the meatball mixture by frying a teaspoon of the mixture to taste it. Adjust seasoning if desired. This is really important. Turkey mince is horribly bland and you will need to add more seasoning at this point. When you're happy with your sample taste, then you can make the meat balls.

  

With wet hands, shape the mince mixture into balls. I make smaller ones for Lola and Finn and ones the size of maybe a ping pong ball for adults. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up if necessary.

Pour a 5mm depth of oil into your heavy frying pan and allow to heat up well. Fry balls in two batches (or more depending on the size of the pan – don’t crowd) until they are golden brown.

Put the meatballs in the oven for about 15 minutes to ensure they have cooked through.

Put the pepper sauce into a pan and warm through gently.

Serve hot or warm with the pepper sauce drizzled over. I served this with rice this time, but usually couscous is my carb of choice.

There is often sauce leftover. It freezes ok, but I find needs livening up with a squeeze of lime juice after it has been frozen. The sauce also goes wonderfully with chicken or fish.

Spice up your life with Sweet Chilli (or chili) Pork Balls

These look suspiciously like meatballs don't they? See, I told you that meatballs would make an appearance again soon, seeing as they bring happiness to us here chez Lola and Finn. These are different in that they have an eastern influence more than a Mediterranean one which is where most of the meatball meals I make find some sort of origin. I like the zinginess of these and the distinct lack of faff, if you have a food processor to whizz up the ingredients in of course. If you don't have one of those big whizzers then one of those dinky little ones is good for blitzing the herbs and spices before you add them to the pork mince and get your hands involved.

This recipe comes courtesy of a recipe card from probably my favourite supermarket, Waitrose (Its challenger being Booths, which I also adore, being a Lancashire lass). As I work near a Waitrose, a sign that my teaching is over for the week is a trip to Waitrose before I go and pick Lola and Finn up and resume 'hands on mum' duties. I could spend hours in there, perusing all the 'hard to get' ingredients, the gorgeous looking cakes, their extensive Rioja collection and sampling the wares of the deli. It is my ideal shopping trip and sadly I derive more enjoyment from filling my trolley there than I would going clothes' shopping, being that I am a slave to cooking rather than a slave to fashion.

I have adapted this recipe by upping the coriander content a little and instead of grilling the meatballs, I like to put them in the oven to cook which takes longer but I have a temperamental grill. I have also upped the amount of chilli sauce as I thought the original was a bit stingy. I have listed the mint as optional in the recipe because I don't always use it.

Chilli pork balls, adapted from Waitrose

• Ingredients

• 2 large shallots, chopped or a medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 lemon grass sticks, tough outer layers removed, insides roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp mint, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp coriander, leaves and stalks chopped, plus extra for garnish
• 1½ tsp cornflour
• 500g essential Waitrose pork mince
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the shallots or onion, spring onions, garlic and lemon grass in a food processor and whiz until very finely chopped. Add the mint, coriander, cornflour, pork, fish sauce and plenty of seasoning and pulse until well combined.

Shape the mixture into balls – wet your hands frequently to stop the mixture sticking. Place the pork balls on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and drizzle some of the sweet chilli sauce. Then place them in a hot oven, for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until the balls have started to caramelise and the fat is running from the meatballs. Spoon over more of the sweet chilli sauce if you wish.

 

Serve with noodles or rice, and I like lots of pak choi or steamed or briefly stir fried vegetables. I also like to drizzle a little bit extra chilli sauce if you like.