Air Fryer or Oven Roasted Vegetable Salad

Now it is Sunday Roast season, I am putting a tray of mixed vegetables in the oven whilst the roast is cooking if there is space, or after.  These vegetables are then a potted up with some pulses, seeds/nuts, and a dressing as a grab and go midweek packed lunch.

Last Sunday I roasted half a cauliflower and half a squash, and mixed in a can of drained chickpeas after roasting the dish.  As the spice mix (leftover from my son making southern fried chicken) I tossed the veg in before cooking was really quite spicy, I made a cooling tahini dressing with a few spinach leaves whizzed in just for colour. It filled three takeaway containers.  A few weeks before I roasted 500g beetroot and 750g sweet potato

Firm vegetables roast well; squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, beetroot, carrot, parsnips, celeriac, fennel. But softer vegetables (aubergine, courgette, onion, peppers, cabbage) work well too, just with less cooking.

Toss the vegetables in a few tablespoons of olive oil and roast for around 45 minutes at 200C in a fan oven, or 20 minutes in an air fryer at 180C. You can add a little salt, paprika, cumin, or harissa as you wish. Toss/stir around halfway through the cooking time. 

Add a tin of drained green lentils, beans, or chickpeas, sprinkle over some mixed seeds, add some cheese (feta, goats cheese, cottage cheese) if you like, and a dressing like tahini dressing, vinaigrette, chermoula, chimichurri, zhoug, or salsa verde.

If feeling the need for some more carbs, adding some cooked quinoa, pearl barley, pasta, couscous etc

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Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Traybake

This Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Tray Bake from BBC Good Food is perfect for Easter, although I cooked the weekend before as a birthday meal.

As every I tweaked it a little bit to what I had available, and removing the ingredients my teens don't like (peppers & tomatoes).

1 ½ lemons, zested and juiced, ½ sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

6 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked from 4 and chopped

8 lamb cutlets, trimmed of excess fat (I used Barnsley chops from local butcher)

500g new potato, thinly sliced (this seemed light on spuds - I used 1kg of all purpose potatoes)

2 red peppers, deseeded and thickly sliced (not used)

4 small vine tomatoes, halved (not used)

50g black olive

3 tbsp capers 

Marinade the lamb in the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, chopped rosemary, and a little salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.  I used the large shallow baking dish I was going to cook them in, keeping the bag the lamb came in to put them back in whilst the potatoes are cooking.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

When ready to cook, take the lamb out of the baking dish, putting it back in the bag if you have it. Scrape any marinade on top of the lamb.  

Tip the potatoes into the into the baking dish, toss them in ½ tbsp olive oil and a little salt & pepper,  and put in the oven for 15 mins.

After 15 minutes, remove the dish and move the potatoes around so those in the middle of the dish are swapped with those at the edge. Top with the peppers, lemon slices, rosemary sprigs and tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining oil and some seasoning. Return to the oven for 10 mins.

Place the lamb cutlets on top of the veg. Scatter over the olives and capers. Cook for a final 10-12 mins, turning the lamb halfway until it is just pink. As I used Barnsley chops, I thought they might need a bit more cooking (and I have a child who finds rare meat too chewy) so I baked the lamb for 30 minutes.  This gave me perfect blushing lamb. Adults' portion was served with cauliflower and fennel roasted along side the lamb.

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Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha (Red Lentil Dal with Roast Lamb)

Use your leftover lamb roast in this healthy Indian lentil dal, Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha. 

Serves 6

225g red lentils
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cm cinnamon stick
6 whole cardamom pods
1 medium-sized onion, peeled, cut in half length-wise then sliced into half moons
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
225g boneless cooked lamb
1 tsp finely grated garlic
¾ tsp red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp tamarind pulp or about 2tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1-2 dried whole hot red chillies
8-10 fresh or dried curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthways

Put the lentils in a heavy-based pan with 900ml of water and the tumeric. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy.

In a wide based pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon and cardamom. Stir for a few seconds, or until the cardamom begins to darken. Add the onions and fry until slightly browned. Add the ginger, garlic, and ¼ tsp red chilli powder. Stir for 1 minute to allow the spices to brown then add the cooked lamb and 175ml of water and bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat off until the lentils are ready.

When the lentils are tender, stir them vigorously into a purée. Add the tamarind, salt and chilli powder. Either add the lentils to the lamb, or the lamb to the lentils, whichever is the bigger pan! Simmer with the lid off whilst you prepare the tarka/tadka (spiced oil).

Heat the last 2 tbsp of vegetable oil a small frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, whole red chilli and the curry leaves. Stir. As soon as the chilli darkens a bit, add the sliced garlic. Stir until the garlic turns a light brown in colour then pour over the lentils and lamb and serve.

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Yotam Ottolenghi's Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yoghurt, Coriander, & Tamarind

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yoghurt, Coriander, and Tamarind courtesy of The Happy Foodie. A wonderfully easy, flavoursome dish. I made it as a side with some left over Tandoori Chicken from the bbq at the weekend. Do hunt out Chaat Masala spice. It makes all the difference.

Serves 4 as a side dish

750g baby new potatoes, cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chaat masala

½ tsp ground turmeric

250g Greek-style yoghurt

½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 green chilli, thinly sliced into rounds

1½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted

1½ tsp nigella seeds, toasted

Salt

For the coriander chutney:

30g fresh coriander

1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (10g)

1 tbsp lime juice

60ml olive oil

For the sweet tamarind dressing:

1½ tbsp shop-bought tamarind paste (I used ready sweetened & spiced Maggi Tamarind Sauce)

1½ tsp caster sugar

¼ tsp chaat masala

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

2. Put the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt into a medium saucepan and top with enough cold water to cover by about 4cm. Place on a medium-high heat, bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 minutes, or until they’re almost cooked through but still retain a bite. Drain through a sieve and pat dry, then transfer to a large parchment-lined baking tray and toss with the oil, chaat masala, turmeric, ⅓ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden.

3. Meanwhile, make the coriander chutney. Put all the ingredients and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the small bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth. Set aside until needed.

4. For the tamarind dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl with 1½ teaspoons of water and set aside.

5. Spread the yoghurt out on a large round serving platter. Top with the coriander chutney, swirling it through without completely incorporating. Drizzle with half the tamarind dressing, and top with the potatoes, onion and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining tamarind, then sprinkle over the seeds and serve.

As usual, I didn't quite follow the recipe. As one child is not keen on coriander I decided against stirring it into the yoghurt, and then decided to omit yoghurt entirely. The sauces were served separately to everyone's individual taste. The tamarind dressing was a big hit! I used dried chilli flakes instead of green chilli, and didn't bother with coriander and nigella seeds.

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Yakisoba, Japanese Stir Fried Noodles

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir fry noodles dish with pork and vegetables, and it’s seasoned with a sweet & savoury sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce.  We made a vegetarian version swapping pork for tofu.

Serves 4

4 layers medium egg noodles

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

1 bunch spring onions, chopped into 1 cm lengths (optional)

4 large mushrooms (optional)

4 large cabbage leaves, shredded

500g pork belly, sliced into bitesized pieces, leftover roast pork, or tofu

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (optional) 

2cm ginger, finely grated (optional)

5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and leave to one side.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then leave in cold water until ready to fry.

Prepare all the other ingredients.

Start by frying the pork (if using) in the sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan until no longer pink.  Tip on to a plate, wipe out the pan and heat another 2 tbsp sunflower oil.

Swirl it around the coat the sides of the wok.  Then in quick succession add the garlic and ginger, stir once, the add carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, then spring onions.  Splash in a few tablespoons of the noodle cooking water and cover the pan, leaving the vegetables to steam and soften for a few minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked to your liking (we like them crunchy, kids like them soft) mix in the cooked noodles and cooked pork and reheat. Once hot, stir through the sauce and serve.

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Leftover Roast (Pork, Turkey, Chicken, Nut Roast) Fajitas

Wraps are a big favourite in our family, and fajitas turned out to be a handy way to use up our leftover roast pork from Christmas Day.  Big Boy is now vegetarian, and had his with reheated nutroast crumbled in, although I did have a back up can of black beans as a Plan B vegetarian option.

Serves  4

Large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chilli

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 lime or lemon, juiced

8 wraps
Lettuce leaves, washed & torn

One small handful of roast per person

Sour cream or Greek Yoghurt (optional)

2 avocados, destoned & sliced

Fresh chilli, deseed and thinly sliced (optional)

Fry the onion and red pepper over a gently heat until both are soft and slightly brown.  Add the garlic, spices, lime juice, and leftover roast and fry to reheat the roast.

When ready, assemble your fajita as desired. 

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Kentucky Oven Baked Chicken

My son requested Kentucky Fried Chicken for his birthday in June, during lockdown. I searched the internet for a homemade version, and combined a couple of recipes ending up with twice as much seasoned flour as I needed. So when I came across the excess flour in the freezer over the weekend I decided to have a second attempt at it. Still a winner.

Serves 4

8 higher welfare chicken thighs
1 free range egg
3 tablespoons plain yoghurt

1 large clove of garlic, peeled & crushed

Spice Mix

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp celery salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 tbsp mustard powder

2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cayenne pepper or ground pure chili (optional - if you like it extra spicy!)

100g plain flour

100g breadcrumbs

Marinade the chicken thighs as far in advance as possible. Ideally overnight.  Beat the egg with the yoghurt and place in a zip lock bag (or bowl) with the crushed garlic and one tablespoon of the spice mix. Massage the marinade into the chicken thighs and leave in the fridge as long as possible.

When ready to cook, turn the oven on to 200C. Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, and remaining spice mix and put in a wide shallow bowl for dipping the chicken in.  Take the chicken thighs out of the bag/bowl one by one, shaking off any excess marinade, and coat in the spiced flour & breadcrumb mixture. Place on the rack over a large baking tray. Any remaining flour and breadcrumbs can be frozen for next time. Discard the marinade.

Bake at 200C for 40-45 minutes until crispy, bubbling and golden. Check by poking a sharp knife down to the bone on the fattest chicken thigh on the tray. If the juices run clear ie not with blood, the chicken is done.

Serve with chunky oven chips cooked at the same time as the chicken, and homemade coleslaw.

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Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Pork & Chicken Fried Rice)

I started off making Jamie Oliver's Egg Fried Rice (5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food)  but found it a little bland.

Then I remembered Nasi Goreng, a stir fried recipe left 34 years ago for an 18 year old me and my then boyfriend by his concerned mum when we housesat for a week.  It served me well into my student years and beyond.

It's great to use up small amounts of roast that get poked into the freezer from time to time, and quick to prepare and get to the table.

Serves 4

4 portions of cooked rice
1 handful cooked pork, chopped
1 handful cooked chicken, chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2cm ginger, finely grated or chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 large free range eggs
Kecap Manis or soy sauce
Sriracha or Sweet Chilli Sauce

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Leave to drain whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

When everything is chopped and ready to hand on the kitchen counter, get out your wok or largest frying pan.  If using a frying pan you may need to cook this in two batches.

Heat the oil of a high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir around, then the cooked meats and stir around.  Add the spring onions, stir, then add the rice and stir around to heat.  You may need to add a splash or two of water to generate some steam to heat the rice.

After a minute or so make a hole in the rice right down to the bottom of the pan.  Crack in the eggs.  Leave for about 30 seconds then stir into the rice thoroughly, cooking the egg as you go.

Once the rice is heated through and the egg is cooked you are ready to go.  Serve with chilli sauce and Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce) if you can get hold of it, if not just regular soy sauce.

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Roast Chicken Assam Laksa Noodle Soup

I'm pleased, even if I say so myself, with my Roast Chicken Assam Laksa.

Assam Laksa is a 'sour' soup, usually soured with tamarind or lime, unlike the sweeter coconut milk laksas more commonly made by UK TV celebrity chefs.

The roast chicken was in fact from the Saucy Hoisin Chicken Thighs I made earlier in the week, but could easily come from the Sunday Roast.

A vegan version could easily be made substituting the chicken with butternut squash or sweet potato.

Serves 1

500ml boiled water
1 layer of egg or rice noodles
1 low salt stock cube
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red or green thai curry paste (vegan versions are available)
1 tbsp tamarind juice or 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp sugar
Small handful of shredded chard, spinach, kale, or savoy cabbage
1 small handful of chopped cooked chicken, or grated vegetable alternative
1/2 tbsp dried mint or 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/4 of a small onion, very finely sliced

Boil the noodles for 5 minutes in the water together with the stock cube, curry paste, tamarind juice (or lemon & sugar), turmeric, and vegetables.

Whilst this is cooking, place the cooked chicken in the bottom of a deep soup bowl with the sliced onion and mint.

When the noodles are cooked just pour over the ingredients in the bowl and eat.

Other laksa recipes:-
Quick & Easy Kale & Squash Laksa Noodle Soup (Vegan)
Penang Sardine Assam Laksa

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Kale Oven Crisps

Wow kale crisps, where have you been all my (adult) life?

OH was disappointed to discover a massive bag of kale, his least favourite vegetable, in our vegbox last week.  And it's taken him a week to relay a recipe for kale crisps from his work.

So tonight, after a quick google to establish exactly what his work colleague meant by "a hot oven", I have discovered a new beer snack.

1 large handful of kale, after stripping and discarding the tough stem and shredding
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika, ras el hangout, piri piri seasoning
1 large pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 200C.  Toss the dry kale in the oil and seasoning then spread out on a baking tray, or two.  Bake for 5-10 minutes until beginning to brown at the edges and go slightly crispy.  I was told 5 minutes in the oven, but my small leaved Red Russian kale ended up taking 8 minutes.

No idea how long they stay crispy for as we ate them immediately.

PS.  Our two child testers universally announced them "DISGUSTING!"

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Turkey Rogan Josh Curry

Another curry made with leftover turkey.  In this case it was a pack of minced turkey as we didn't buy a turkey this year.  It could be made with leftover roasts, mince or cubed meat. And I padded this out with a small butternut squash to feed a family of five.

I made a Rogan Josh curry paste off Jamie Oliver's website but was a little disappointed with the strength of flavour.  So if you can't be bothered to make a curry paste, just buy a commercial ready made one.

Serves 4-5

500g turkey mince
500g butternut squash, blitzed in a food processor to the size of the mince
1 onion, finely diced
1 carton of tomato puree
1/2 a carton of recently boiled water
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Jamie's Rogan Josh Paste 
2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger
75 g jarred roasted peppers
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 fresh red chilli
1 small bunch fresh coriander
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Start by making the curry paste.  I cut a few corners in Jamie's recipe, not roasting spices, using a fresh pepper rather than roasted peppers, and not using fresh coriander, and just whizzed it all up in a mini food processor.

Gently fry the onion in the sunflower oil until it starts to look clear, then add half the curry paste, stir and fry until it sizzles.  Add the meat, breaking up the mince if using.  Add the butternut squash and the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is soft.  Season to taste and serve with basmati rice.

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Curried Stir Fry Noodles

Tonight I experimented with Curried Noodles.  It was inspired by Jamie Oliver's Ham & Egg Curried Noodles in his new book 5 Ingredients, and Singapore Noodles. It was also a chance to use up some leftover Brussel sprouts, carrots, and turkey.  But this dish could easily be done with just carrot and cabbage, the meat could be left out, replaced with egg, and vegans could leave out both egg and meat.

Serves 4
4 nests of medium egg noodles
1 large handful leftover roast turkey, chicken, beef or pork
1 large carrot, grated
1 handful of Brussel sprouts, cabbage or leafy greens
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cm root ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.  Once cooked, rinse in cold water and leave in a pan on cold water.

Thinly slice the Brussels, onion, garlic, grate the carrot, finely dice the ginger, and cube the meat if using.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat.  Add the garlic and ginger, stir, then add the onion, stir again, then add the rest of the vegetables.  Keep stirring and then add the meat when the vegetables look like they have started to wilt a little.

Add the noodles to the wok straight from the pan, reserving the cooking water, and the curry powder. Add half a mug of cooking water and the soy sauce.  Mix thoroughly and heat through.  Serve immediately.

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My Leftover Turkey Compilation

Picture may date from 2013 but I thought it worthwhile to trawl through my recipes and update a compilation of leftover turkey recipes as I need it every year!

In no particular order:-

• Turkey stock - same principle as chicken stock, you just might need a bigger pan!
• Turkey Minestrone
• Mulligatawny (Curried Vegetable & Meat Soup)
• Jamie Oliver's Sweet Leek & Turkey Pie - a warming winner every year
• Turkey, Mushroom & Sweetcorn Pie or Casserole - swap chicken for turkey 
• Turkey & Chipolata Cassoulet - substitute chicken for turkey
• Red or Green Thai Turkey Curry
• Turkey Chilli con Carne
• Wokless Turkey & Noodles - I would substitute 2 handfuls of chopped cooked turkey for the chicken in this recipe
• Christmas Turkey Noodle Soup
• Turkey Congee (Rice Soup/Porridge) - I made this with duck stock last year but turkey would work just as well
• Spicy Korean Turkey Rice Salad - a fitting end to turkey and cranberry sauce
• Veg Rich Toddler & Kids Curry - use Patak's curry paste with leftover turkey, carrots, sprouts etc 
• Turkey Vindaloo
• Turkey Korma - use cooked turkey instead of diced chicken
• Turkey Katsu Curry -  make the sauce for this curry by simmering the sauce ingredients for 2 minutes.  Add chopped turkey to heat through and then the cornflour to thicken. 
• Leftover Roast Chicken (or Turkey) with Chorizo & Butter Beans

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Leftover Roast Pork in a Sweet & Sour Barbecue Sauce

This dish started off with me following the chilli sauce recipe from Ching-He Huang's Chilli Chicken with Jasmine Rice, but as I added additional ingredients from a Thai Sweet & Sour dish I learnt in Thailand as I prefer the saltier flavours, it began to take on more of a barbecue sauce flavour.  The kids have devoured it, including mine and Dad's portions, so I had better write it down to be able to reproduce it again.

2 big handfuls of roast pork.  If you don't have this much you could always leave the pepper chunky and add a small tin of pineapple chunks to bulk the dish up.
1 tbsp sunflower oil

Sauce
1 tin of tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
2.5cm ginger
1 red pepper
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

Skin the garlic, de-seed and roughtly chop the pepper, roughtly chop the ginger and blend everything in a blender cup.

Fry the chopped pork in the sunflower oil, leaving it to brown as much as you dare.  Add the sauce and bring to the boil.  Serve with rice.

Hungarian Goulash with Leftover Roast Pork

Leftover roast pork in our house usually gets used in a stir fry but last week I thought I'd try something different, and so goulash came to mind.

Serves 4
2 large handfuls roast pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp caraway seeds
A large red pepper, chopped (I blended mine with the tomatoes because my kids say they don't like it if they spot it)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
Leaves from a small bunch of fresh marjoram or oregano (optional, but i have so much growing wild in my garden I was pleased to have a recipe to use it in!)
1-2 fresh red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped

Fry the onions in a casserole dish over a medium heat until they start to brown.  Add the garlic, red pepper, and chilli peppers and fry for another few minutes.  Add caraway seeds, marjoram or oregano stir, then add tomatoes, paprika, vinegar and pepper & salt.  Top up with hot water (about a can) to cover the meat.  Bring to the boil, put the lid on and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until the onion is cooked.

Serve with basmati rice and a dollop of sour cream if you have any.

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Leftover Roast Chicken with Chorizo & Butter Beans

 

A really quick tea I put together last week with leftover roast chicken.

Serves 4

1 large handful of leftover roast chicken, or more if you have it

100g spicy chorizo, cubed or finely sliced

1 can butter beans

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 can recently boiled water

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped 

1 tbsp olive oil

Pepper & salt to taste

Fry the chorizo in the olive oil until it starts to brown.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 5 or so minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredient, topping up with water to make into a suitable stewlike consistency, and simmer for 10-20 minutes to ensure the onion is cooked.  Season to taste.

Serve over rice, pasta or just with crusty bread.

Vietnamese Beef Pho

When a friend, who lived in Vietnam for a while, said she was making a Beef Pho I thought this was something I had to try for myself particulary as I had a little rare beef left from a roast.  She texted me a couple of photos of recipes from two recipe books and I muddled through from there.

A lot of 'proper' Vietnamese recipes instruct you to roast beef bones and make your own stock.  Don't bother!  I came across beef bones by chance (I buy chicken carcasses weekly to make stock for Watercress Soup that I sell to a local farm shop) but it was a long, steamy, and ultimately greasy task.  And I think I'll stick to organic beef stock cubes in future.

Serves 2

200ml wide rice noodles
500ml beef stock
1 star anise
3cm root ginger, shredded

3 bunches bok choy, shredded (I used equivalent amount of sugar snap peas, baby corn, spring onions)
Thinly sliced red onion
Handful thinly sliced raw or rare beef
Half a large bunch of coriander
2 tbsp chopped mint or 1 tbsp dried mint
1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

Fish sauce and lime or lemon juice to serve

Prepare the vegetables, onion, beef, coriander and mint first.  Bring the stock to the boil and add the start anise and ginger and simmer whilst cooking the noodles according to the packet's instructions.

When the noodles are cooked, drain and divide between two large bowls.  Quickly divide all the other ingredients and place vegetables, onion, beef, and herbs into the two bowls and pour over the simmering stock.  Add fish sauce, a squeeze of lime or lemon juice, and chilli flakes before eating immediately.

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Vindaloo Sauce with Leftover Roast Turkey

 

The last of the Christmas turkey was seen off a couple of days ago with some fiery homemade vindaloo sauce.  The kids had fish fingers!

I usually follow a Anjum Anand’s recipe when I make a vindaloo, but this is quite a dry dish and as I didn’t have much turkey left I decided to make a thicker vindaloo sauce to stretch the meat a little further.  And after combining several recipes I found online, this is what I came up with.

Serves a greedy 2

2 tsp cumin seeds, or 2 tsp ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, or 2 tsp ground
5 black peppercorns, left whole
2 green cardamom pods, seeds only
2 cloves
1cm cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp ground
1 tsp garam masala
1cm fresh root ginger
7 garlic cloves
1 tsp hot chilli flakes
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds, or 1 tsp English mustard powder
1 large onion
1 tin chopped tomatoes or passata
A large handful of leftover roast turkey, chicken, pork or fresh pork, prawns, chicken…
1/2-1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

If using whole dried spices, dry roast these in a heavy based frying pan for a few minutes and then grind to a powder in a spice grinder.

If using ground spices, add these to the garlic, ginger, salt, and vinegar in a mini food processor and blitz to a paste. Rub the paste all over your leftover meat, or whatever you are using, and leave to marinate for a at least a couple of hours.

When ready to cook, sizzle the onion seeds in the oil in a sauce pan until they start to pop (if using mustard powder either add to the marinade or with the chopped tomatoes), finely slice the onion and fry gently stirring only now and then (this takes about 20-30 minutes) until the onion is brown and caramelised. Add the marinated meat, stir, then add the chopped tomatoes and half a tin of hot water.

Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes if using cooked meat and prawns, or 30 minutes if using raw meat.

Serve with basmati rice or naan.

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East Meets West: Sunday Roast Chow Mein Stir Fry

As Autumn (slowly) approaches and we have begun having Sunday roasts again, I am being begged by the kids to make this kind of chow mein for them midweek with the leftovers.  It really doesn't need a lot of leftover meat (or arguably any at all) as a little goes a long way! You could always make a vegetarian version of this without meat or gravy.

I first made this a few weeks ago.  I had intended to refer to one of my earlier Chinese stir fry recipes on my blog, but Princess was so  engrossed with her favourite app on my phone that I tried to do it from memory. I pulled the most commonly used Chinese ingredients out of the cupboard and fridge and just made it up as I went along. The kids declared it the best noodle dish ever (their memories are so endearingly short) so I thought I had better write it down to ensure I can impress them again!

Serves 4-5 (3 kids - 2 adults)

1-2 handfuls of leftover roast (chicken, pork, beef, xmas turkey), chopped into mouthsized chunks
2 large carrots, grated
Something green - 1/4 cabbage shredded, 10 runner beans, finely sliced, pak choi etc
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic,  crushed
Small knob ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 large serving spoon of leftover gravy (optional)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp Sherry or white wine
4 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (or sprinkle with dried chilli flakes to taste at the end
2 tbps tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
4 layers of medium egg noodles, alternatively you could serve over steamed rice or stir fry rice instead

Chinese stir frying is quick, quick, quick, so prepare all your ingredients in advance and have them within reach of the wok/frying pan.  Cook the noodles according to the packet's instructions.  Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water, and leave in a pan of cold water until ready for them.  Chop your 'solid' ingredients, leaving the garlic and ginger to last.  Pile meat in one of the bowls you are going to eat out of, veg in another, and mix liquid ingredients in another.

Heat a wok or large frying pan until it starts smoking.  Add the oil, swirl it around, turn the extractor fan on and stir fry the onion and garlic for a minute or so.  Tip in the vegetables and continue to stir fry for another couple of minutes.  Add the meat and the sauce ingredients.  Turn down the heat and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are slightly less raw.  Bring the pan of noodles and water over to the cooker and add the dripping noodles in handfuls (a little bit of extra water in the wok is no bad thing).  At this stage I often chop the noodles with scissors or a fork and sharp knife.  This makes it easier to mix and helps the kids get it up to their mouth.  Stir the vegetables through the noodles and leave on a low heat with a lid on for a few minutes to heat through.  If you hear a sizzling noise, this is your cue to stir it and try to turn the noodles over so the top layer is as hot as the bottom.  I like a sloppy chow mein so I add a little of the noodle cooking water to give the dish a little more sauce.

Roast Chicken Stir Fry

With a leftover chicken leg and the carcass, I had intended to repeat one of my earlier Chinese stir fry recipes but my eldest daughter was engrossed on an app on my phone. I did have a quick look at my previous recipes on my pc and pulled the most commonly used Chinese ingredients out of the cupboard and fridge and kind of made up as I went along. The kids loved it and are asking for it again so I best write down what I can remember that I did!

Serves 4

2 large handfuls of shredded chicken from the carcass
2 large carrots, grated
10 runner beans, finely sliced
1 large or 2 small place of garlic crushed
Small knob ginger, finely chopped
Leftover gravy if any
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2-4 tbsp Sherry or white wine
4 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbps tomato ketchup (I used the remaining pickling sauce from my Sweet Runner Bean Pickle)

In a large wok stir fry the onion and garlic in the sunflower oil. Add the green beans and carrots and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the shredded chicken and stir around again for another few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding any left over gravy last. You may need to add a little more sherry/wine/water if the stir fry is quite dry. I was aiming for a kind of sloppy chop suey consistency as I served this tossed through noodles for the children.

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