Saturday 15 September 2012

Thai dipping sauce



2 red Chilli Pepper
2 Shallots
1 tbsp freshly squeezed Lime Juice
3 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
1 tbsp freshly Coriander


Peel and finely chop the Shallots, deseed and thinly slice the Chilli Peppers, cut a fresh lime in half and chop the fresh Coriander.

Place all the ingredients into a bowl, stir and leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Sin Value: Red and Green Days - FREE

Suggestions:

If you want it hotter, don't deseed the Chilli Peppers, if you want Sweet Chilli Sauce then add sweetener to your own taste. If you want to use this as a glaze you could add a small amount of Honey instead of sweetener but you will need to count the sin value of the Honey

Thai fish cakes


75g/3oz Prawns
275g/10oz Cod Fillet
2 Spring Onions
1 clove of Garlic
1 red Chilli
1 stalk of Lemongrass
4 tbsp fresh Coriander
Freshly ground Salt and Pepper



Preheat the oven to 190c/375f/Gas Mark 5.

Peel and crush the Garlic clove, trim and chop the Spring Onions, deseed and chop the Chilli, peel and chop the Lemongrass stalk and roughly chop the Coriander leaves. Place these ingredients along with the Salt and Pepper into a food processor and blend to mix.

Take out your Prawns (you can use frozen Prawns but the must be defrosted thoroughly) and your Cod Fillet (you can use other fish such as Coley for this recipe, which I suggest as I am a great believer in sustainability of fish species), pat them dry and add them to the food processor containing the other ingredients, blend until the mixture is roughly chopped.

Take a baking tray and spray with Fry Light Oil. Dampen your hands and divide the mixture into 12 portions, roll each portion into a ball and then flatten into a patty/disc shape. Place the patties onto the baking tray and cook for 12- 15 minutes, make sure they are piping hot and cooked through. Turn the patties over half way through the cooking time.

Serve with Thai Chilli Dipping Sauce and salad leaves.

Chinese turkey skewers


150g/6oz Turkey
1tsp Tahini Paste
1 tsp Garlic granules/powder
2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
2 tsp Dark Soy
1 tsp Honey
1tsp Water
Fry Light



Slice the Turkey meat into small strips or chunks (strips are thinner so will absorb the marinade easier) and place into a bowl with all the other ingredients. Mix well, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but overnight would be ideal as the ingredients need to marinate the meat.

Take out some bamboo skewers and place into water for about 30 minutes, this will stop them burning when you grill the meat.

Preheat the grill, medium high

Take the bowl out of the fridge and thread the lumps of Turkey onto the bamboo skewers, you could thread chunks of onion, pineapple and green peppers in between the Turkey for variety and to bulk out the meal.

Take a baking tray and spray with Fry Light, place the skewers onto the tray, if there is any mixture left spoon it over the skewers as you grill on both sides, grill until piping hot and cooked all the way through.

Sin Value - Red Day - Honey 1 sin, Tahini Paste 1.5 sins

chilli and lime noodles


dried Noodles (quantity depends on how hungry you are)
Lime Juice (you can use fresh lime juice or bottled from your supermarket)
1 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce (you can you shop bought brands like Encona Sweet Thai or Blue Dragon

Take a saucepan, fill it two thirds with water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling turn off the heat and add your noodles. Leave the noodles in the hot water for about 4 minutes to soften.

Once the noodles are cooked and softened, drain the water from the saucepan and place the noodles into a bowl, add the chilli sauce and lime juice to the noodles and mix together.

Taste, if you need more lime juice then add, likewise with the chilli sauce but remember the chilli sauce has sin values.

Place the noodles into individual bowls and serve.

You can add to this dish by sprinkling spring onion on top or crushed unsalted peanuts to give it texture, again peanuts have sin values and beware of allegies.

Sin value per serving:  Green Day - 1.5 sins (for the chilli sauce)

Chicken chow mein

Shredded cooked chicken
1 section of dried egg noodles
A handful of fresh bean sprouts or alternatively 1 tin of bean sprouts (mung beans)
1 small Onion 
A handful of Shitake Mushrooms but Button or Closed Cup Mushrooms will do
Soy sauce to taste 
Salt and white pepper


Method


Peel and chop the onion, wash and chop the mushrooms. Take a saucepan and fill with water, bring to the boil and add the dried noodles, (cooking times will be shown on packet's instruction but usually about 4 mins), drain the noodles and place to one side. Take a frying pan or wok and spray with Fry Light, fry the onions for about a minute, then add the mushrooms, fry for another minute then add the bean sprout’s, a little Soy Sauce and cooked chicken and heat through, at the last minute add the noodles and combine all the ingredients together. Add seasoning and if required add more soy sauce to your own taste.

sweet and sour pork


For the Stir Fry

1lb/454g Pork Fillet
1 large Carrot or 2 small Carrots
1 small Green Pepper or half a large Green Pepper
1 small Red Pepper or half a large Red Pepper
2 circles of fresh Pineapple
A handful of Water Chestnuts (optional)
1 small Onion
Fry Light

For the Sauce

142ml /Quarter of pint of Chicken Stock
8tbsp Tomato Passatta Sauce
2tbsp Rice Vinegar
2tsp Corn Flour
2tbsp Artificial Sweetner
3tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

Method

Peel and chop the onion, peel the carrots and chop into strips/batons/julienne, wash, deseed and chop into strip the green and red pepper. Cut the pineapple rings into pieces, drain your sliced chestnuts and finally slice your pork fillets into thin strips and that's the stir fry ready.

Take a saucepan, fill with water and bring to the boil, turn off and the carrot strips. Leave the carrot in the hot water until they are slightly tender, then drain, this takes off the raw bite of the carrots when you eat them (known as Blanching).

Take a saucepan and add the passatta, the chicken stock, the rice vinegar, artificial sweetener and the two types of soy sauce, stir to combine. In a cup add 1tbsp of water to the cornstarch and mix together, add this to the sauce as it heats, this will thicken the sauce, continue to stir. Once boiled bring to a simmer.

Next take a wok or frying pan and spray with Fry Light, when the pan is hot add your pork strips and fry, toss the pork around so that it evenly cooks, add the carrots, onion, chestnuts, peppers and pineapple and continue to stir the ingredients.

Get the bowls ready, once the stir fry is cooked divide into portions and then spoon over the sauce. This dish can be served with rice or noodles (don't forget the added sins).

Bombay Potatoes


2 lb Potatoes
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp Garam Masala
Half tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tbsp Coriander leaf
3 Tomatoes
350ml/12 fl oz Vegetable Stock
fry light
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Method

Peel and grate the ginger, roughly chop the coriander leaf and the tomatoes, peel the potatoes and dice into small cubes.

Take a frying pan or wok and add the oil, heat the oil until hot and add the mustard seeds, if the oil is hot enough the mustard seeds will pop. Then add the turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, ground cumin, chilli, ginger to release all the flavour from the spices.

Add the diced potato to the pan and toss to cover the potatoes in the spice mix, add the vegetable stock and gently simmer so that the potatoes cook through, 10 - 15 minutes or until tender.

When the potatoes are cooked through, add the chopped tomatoes and fresh coriander, stir and then season with the salt and pepper to your preferred taste.

Doner kebab meat

Ingredients

1lb lean Minced Lamb
1 small Onion
1tspn dried Oregano
1tspn dried Thyme
1tspn sea salt
quarter tspn black pepepr
2tspns Minced or crushed Garlic

Preparation

Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the garlic cloves and mince or crush, I used a garlic press.

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. This effects the texture of the meat, it makes it smooth so that it binds together and isn't grainey like minced meat. Cover and leave in the fridge for 2 hours, if possible leave longer as this allows the flavours to marinate.

If you have a spit, form the mixture into an oblong and slowly rotate/cook over the grill for about 30 - 40 minutes making sure its not too close to the coals/flames.

If like me you have an oven, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Shape the mixture into a loaf (like meatloaf) and place onto a wire rack over a baking tray, this allows the fat to run off. Place it in the oven and leave for 45 mins to 1hr, when it's ready it should be a bit dry. Keep an eye on it as you will need to drain off the excess fat which collects on the baking tray.

Serve with a salad, pitta bread (HE - not supposed to be HE as it lacks fibre but I think it's a personal choice or 7 syns) and tzatziki.

Syns per serving:

FREE on a red day