Fragrant Coconut Chicken

Regular readers know I am a huge fan of Belinda Jeffery's cookbooks, and of her own lovely self.  I've done several cooking classes with her, before she moved to the Central Coast.  Some readers may remember that I sliced into my finger at one of her classes and swooned like a young lady from Pride and Prejudice (or Bridgerton?).  I had to go lie down and recover my senses.

I made her Fragrant Coconut Chicken one night 'cos it's easy and delicious, especially if you use chicken thighs rather than a whole chook!  I have to watch myself when it comes to cutting up a whole bird.  I fear my fingers would not survive - hehehehe.

splosh on some yoghurt and mango chutney ...

Start this recipe the day before (or at least early in the morning) you want to eat it!  It needs to sit and ruminate in the fridge for at least 6 hours but overnight is better (says Belinda using a whole bird).

Serves 4:  

ingredients:

1.5 kg/3.3 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or cut of your choice - wings, drumsticks, etc or a mixture) Or a whole bird if you feel like dismembering it!

Marinade:

1 small onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 Tbs fresh ginger, chopped or grated

2 Tbs Korma curry paste - you choose your fave   see Notes 

1 dessertspoon of tamarind paste = 2 tsp (optional)

250 mL/9 oz/1 cup coconut cream or coconut milk

1-2 small red chillies, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cummin seeds

2 Tbs lime or lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt flakes

Garnish:

freshly torn or chopped herbs (coriander leaves for instance)

lime wedges

Plain Greek yoghurt, for serving

Chutney, for serving (optional)

Method:

Chop your thighs into bitesize pieces and place them into a large food-safe plastic bag

Gather the marinade ingredients and bung 'em into a food processor or blender, and whizz the heck out of them

Once you have a lovely, thick purée, you pour the mixture into the bag with the chicken and give it a good shake and squeeze (make sure the bag is very well sealed first)

Stick the bag into a container, and let it sit in the fridge for as long as you can be bothered to wait, giving it a gentle toss every so often

Take the bag out, and let it come to room temp. (unless your room is sizzling hot or freezing cold)

Your oven goes on to 190C/375F to heat up, while you grab a large baking dish, and spread 1-2 Tbs of EV olive oil over the base

Tip the marinated chicken pieces into the dish, spread them out, cover the dish with alfoil, and bake for 25 minutes

Then take off the foil, and give it another 20 minutes

Take it out of the oven, and let it sit for a few minutes

And serve with the herbs, lime wedges, yoghurt and chutney

Steamed rice could be a goer here too

Notes:

I am giving Belinda's recipe in full, though I halved it for myself and Mr P.  (I used 850g. of thighs - ok so a wee bit more than half)

Belinda suggests Tikka Masala paste though I used Korma - a fabulous fresh paste from Tasmania (those supermarket ones are disgusting!!)

chop up your thighs

pour in the marinade and give it a big shake

spread your thighs and cover with alfoil

smells delicious, my friends!

throw on some herbs

and eat with yoghurt and chutney

(Joining up with Min for her #WWWhimsy linkup on her blog Write of the Middle)

c. Sherry M.

Burmese Chicken, Cardamom, Lemon and Coconut Curry

We are definitely curry fans in this house.  And I am a big fan of Belinda Jeffery and her really useful, well-written cookbooks, as you know.  This recipe is from her latest - In Belinda's Kitchen.  I know I've said it before: Belinda is a lovely lady, and her recipes are easy to make, and always turn out well.

Speaking of curry, some years ago in our crazy youth, Mr P. and I cooked up a few vats of various types of curry and transported them to a big park in the CBD - at night, laid out on the rotunda, inviting lots of friends.  I think we called it Curry in a Hurry, or maybe just Curry in the Park.  (Sadly, a young student was murdered in this park some years later.)  

We made rice, and raita, and our version of a sweet, pineapple and coconut yoghurt which we called Soul of Tropic (heaven knows why).  Probably lucky we weren't arrested as the Police Headquarters is right near by, and we were rowdy as heck.  I still can't picture how we got all that hot curry to the park.  Ah, our foolish youth :=)   

chicken (and potato) curry dinner - always a hit

Serves 6-8:

ingredients:

60 mL/2 big oz of a neutral oil

2 onions (brown or red), finely sliced

6 massive cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh ginger, finely chopped  - see Notes

2-4 small red chillies, finely chopped - or blitz the ginger and chillies together in your small food processor, like I did :=)  And the garlic!

6 cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds - see Notes 

2 tsp ground turmeric

1.25 Tbs sweet paprika

3 tsp Thai red curry paste

1 lemon

140 mL/5 oz coconut cream or coconut milk (low-fat is fine)

400g./14 oz tin of diced tomatoes (or just chop up a tin of regular tomatoes, in the tin with a pair of scissors)

1 tsp sea salt flakes

8-10 large chicken thighs, skin on if you fancy (I didn't), cut into large chunks - say, each thigh into 3 or 4

2-3 large potatoes, cut into chunks (no need to peel) - optional

To serve:

Mint, parsley or coriander leaves, chopped or torn

lime wedges

jasmine rice, steamed or boiled

mango chutney

cucumber, diced and mixed with yoghurt and mint

Method:

Grab a large frying pan, and heat up the oil over a low heat

Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli to the pan, and cook for about 20 minutes till soft and golden - give it a stir every so often

On goes your oven to 180C/360F to heat up, while you crush the cardamom pods and smash the seeds a bit if you're going that way

If using ground cardamom and seeds from a jar, just chuck 'em into the onion mixture with the turmeric, paprika and curry paste

Give it all a stir, and cook for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat

Now peel the lemon (without the pith), chop into small chunks and discard any seeds

Into the pan go the lemon chunks, coconut cream, tomatoes and salt; stir in well then turn off the heat

Now put the chicken thigh pieces and potato chunks into a large roasting tin, throw the spicy, onion-y mixture over everything, and give it all a really good mix with your gloved hands (or a big spoon)

Whack the tin into your now-hot oven, and bake for about 1.25 to 1.5 hours, turning the chicken half-way thru if using thighs with skin on; otherwise just let it rip

Belinda says that if you have a lot of oil on top of the dish once it's cooked, just grab a paper towel and soak it up to get rid of it

Serve with the accompaniments

Notes:

Don't worry too much about measuring the amount of ginger; just chuck in however much you like

I started pounding away at my cardamom pods, then gave it up as a bad job and shoved in some ground cardamom with the seeds I had managed to recover from the pods  (You can buy cardamom seeds, or ground cardamom seeds in a small jar apparently)

Belinda didn't say what to do with the lemon zest, so I decided to freeze it for another time; maybe another curry?

ingredients gathered

zap your aromates

start cooking off the aromatics

peel and chop the lemon (throw the zest into the freezer for later use)

add the other ingredients and stir them in well

smoosh the paste all over the chicken and potatoes

smells delicious!

throw on some parsley

c. Sherry M.

Chicken (Wings) With Orange Peel - À La Maggie Beer

Maggie says wings; I say thighs.  I like a bit of meat on my bones!  This recipe is from her book Harvest (our March Cookbook Club choice) which covers food for the four seasons.  Maggie is a well-loved icon of the Australian food scene.  There's been some tragedy in her life, as her daughter Saskia, who was a specialist poultry and pig supplier, died in her sleep when she was in her mid-40s, of no known cause.

It's interesting to see how food changes over the years.  This book was published about 20 years ago, and I think it's showing its age somewhat.  There has been some robust discussion in the Club as to her methods and recipes.  I've adapted this one a bit, and others have mentioned having to change up the recipes they've made, too.  

And oddly, I have found her recipes a bit lacking in flavour, which is why I added extra ingredients.  Same with the other dish of hers I've made for Cookbook Club.  Strangely bland food!  Then again, she doesn't like chilli or a lot of spices, as per the TV show she did with a local chef :=)  He was forever cutting out the chillies so Maggie could taste the food.

the next night!

Serves 6:

ingredients:

2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns

peel of 2 oranges

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3-4 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

3 French/golden shallots, finely chopped

2 Tbs Tamari or soy sauce (gluten-free)

20 mL/0.67 oz peanut oil (or vegetable oil of your choice) - see Notes

20 mL/0.67 oz sesame oil  - see Notes

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

750g./26 oz chicken pieces - thighs, wings, whatever - skin-on, skin-off, boneless, with bones - you choose:  see Notes

handful of herbs for serving - I used chives and parsley

Serve with rice and/or quinoa and steamed vegetables

Method:

Firstly toast the szechuan peppercorns in a small, dry frypan - keep an eye on them as they may burn if you grab a coffee or a loo break

Maggie says to crush them using a mortar and pestle, which I did but it took forever and wasn't very efficient, so I suggest bunging them into a small food processor!

Make a marinade in a large bowl, with all the ingredients except the chicken pieces and the herbs; give it a good stir and throw in the chicken

Stir till the chicken is well-coated, cover the bowl, and into the fridge it goes for 4 hours

After the 4 hours, when you're ready to cook, either place the chicken thighs and its marinade into your pre-heated oven at 190C/375F for about 30 minutes, or do what Maggie says - if you're using wings - and bake at 220C/430F for 12 minutes!

Rest it for a few minutes, then add the herbs, and more salt and pepper if you wish, and serve with the rice and veg.

Notes:

Maggie uses 2 kg/4.4 lb of wings!

I used sunflower oil as I didn't have peanut oil; I also reduced the amount of oil that Maggie suggests from 60 mL for each oil, to 20 mL, but you could use a bit less or a bit more, esp. if using the 2kg of wings

She doesn't give any ideas as to what to serve this with, so I chose to add rice and veg. to our plates :=)  I also decided to add herbs and seasoning to the dish 

gather your ingredients

toast the peppercorns - carefully!

make up the marinade

give it a good stir

and tip into a baking-paper-lined tray

baked at 190C for 30 mins.

we ate it with veg. in cheese sauce

and with rice + quinoa the next day

Maggie's book

This is a massive tome, weighing about 2.5 kilos!  She shares over 350 seasonal recipes; chapters arranged in seasons and ingredients.  Many interesting dishes herein :=)

C. Sherry M.

Chicken Tenders - Baked the Nagi Way

Yep, another recipe from Nagi's book Dinner.  I love that she bakes rather than fries, and this is a genius idea of hers to toast the panko breadcrumbs first before baking, for that extra crunch.  How did we get by before panko?  Well, I never used to use breadcrumbs.  I always used cornflake crumbs instead!  Which I still do sometimes; especially good for coeliacs of course.  

Speaking of coeliacs, one of Mr P.'s sisters is a genuine case, so can't eat wheat and so on.  But another sister is a bit of a drama queen hypochondriac, and just decided not to eat it for no reason whatsoever.  We went to lunch with her one day, where she made a huge fuss about having to have gluten-free bread, then proceeded to leave it untouched on her plate.  The waiter was soooo not impressed :=)  As were we!  Family are weird!

serve with a bit of salad (wow, everything is beige!)

Serves 3-4:

ingredients:

90g./3.2 oz panko breadcrumbs - see Notes

500g/1.1 lb chicken tenderloins

1/2-1 tsp sea salt

1-2 Tbs parsley, finely chopped

Batter:

1 large egg

1 Tbs mayonnaise

1.5 Tbs mustard or 1-2 heaped tsp harissa paste - see Notes 

2 Tbs plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Serve with condiment of your choice: try sweet chilli sauce and kewpie mayo (as I did) or tomato sauce or tomato relish - you get the picture

Method:

On goes your oven to 200C/390F to heat up

Grab a large baking tray, and line it with baking paper

Spread the panko over the paper, and into the oven for 5-7 minutes - watch it carefully after 5 as mine was done by then (and give the tray a shake halfway through baking)

Tip it into a bowl, and leave the baking paper on the tray for the tenderloins

Place a wire cake rack over the baking paper, and either brush or spray the wires with vegetable oil

Mix all the batter ingredients together in a large (and hopefully shallow) bowl

Now add the chicken and toss them around to get a nice, sticky coating of batter

Grab some tongs, and place the pieces of chicken into the panko

Roll 'em around to get thoroughly coated, then place them one by one onto the wire rack

Spray the chicken pieces with oil, or just dribble a bit of oil on each piece (like me), if you don't have any veg. spray

Sprinkle some salt over each, then bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your tenders (mine took 20 - they must have been big chooks)

On goes the parsley, and serve with the dip/sauce/relish of your choice

We ate some the next day, tho' the panko had gone a bit limp.  They lasted another day or so in the fridge, but I suggest eating them all up immediately :=) 

Notes:

Nagi advises to spray the panko with oil before baking, but I didn't!  I actually only used about 60 grams of the panko, and that was plenty

I'd planned to use my homemade wholegrain mustard, but we'd run out, so I used a heaped tsp of harissa instead.  "Use more next time!", says Mr P.  

Chop up some chicken breast if you can't get tenderloins

golden, toasted panko

about to batter :=)

chuck in the chicken

battered and into the panko

onto the tray for baking (oops, forgot to leave the baking paper underneath)

ready for eating

sprinkle with parsley

dollop on Kewpie mayo and tabasco sauce, or sweet chilli sauce

Sherry M.

Hunza Pie - The Australian Women's Weekly Way

You may remember that I'm in an online cookbook club, and also as of this month, a new, real-life one too.  Our book last month was any of the Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks - of which there are many!  This recipe is from the Cooking Class Cookbook (no publishing date but from the '80s I think).  I chose to make this Hunza Pie, which was popular in my student, vego days.

There's a version of this recipe on their website, which fancies it up for the modern cook, adding in chicken and other goodies.  So I decided to fancy it up a wee bit, too.  The recipe in the book is very spartan though, just the way I remember it :=)  This pie is named after the Hunza Valley in the Himalayas (supposedly), where people are said to live till well over one hundred!  So give this a try, my friends, and longevity will be yours.

slather with relish if you fancy

Serves 6:

ingredients:

For the pastry:

280g/2 cups wholemeal plain flour

1 tsp sea salt

100g./1 cup wheatgerm

1 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp vegetable or chicken stock powder

250g./8 oz cold butter, chopped into chunks

1/4 cup (62 mL) cold water (+ 2-3 tsp more if needed)

2 Tbs milk for glazing the pastry

Filling:

300g./10.5 oz chicken tenderloins 

720g./25 oz washed potatoes

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds (optional)

150g./5.5 oz baby spinach leaves, snipped into pieces

180g./6.5 oz fetta, chopped into chunks

1 tsp sea salt

2 Tbs EV olive oil

2 tsp dried chives

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1-2 Tbs lightly dried (or fresh) parsley, chopped roughly

Method:

For the pastry:

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl

Whisk the wheatgerm, yeast flakes and stock powder into the flour mix

Rub the butter in with your fingertips till your bowl looks like it's full of breadcrumbs (or use your food processor)

Add in the 1/4 cup of water, and mix (by hand) or process till you have a firm dough (use the extra water if needed)

Knead lightly on a floured surface, pat into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for twenty minutes - I suggest you get onto the filling while you wait!

After the twenty minutes, grab a 23cm/9 inch pie plate/tin, butter the base lightly, roll out HALF of the dough (I had 2 halves x 350g.), and push it gently over the base and sides of the pie tin

And back it goes into the fridge for another 20 minutes to settle down

For the filling:

Cook up the chicken by baking at 185C/365F for about twelve minutes, then put aside 

Peel the spuds (potatoes), cut them into large chunks, boil till tender, then drain them

Let them cool for a few minutes, tip into a large bowl, mash lightly and add the chicken

And in goes the mustard seeds, spinach, fetta, salt, olive oil, chives, pepper, oregano and parsley

Give it all a firm but kindly mix till well combined

Spoon the filling into the pastry case, give it a bit of a gentle press down, roll out the other pastry half,  place it over the top of the filling, seal the edges with your fingers or a fork, and brush the pie with milk to glaze

Oh, don't forget to cut a few slits in the top of the pie so it can breathe while baking

Bake at 200C/390F for fifteen to twenty minutes, then lower the oven to 180C/355F and bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes till golden brown (mine took 25 mins. at 180C 'cos my gas oven is soooo slow)

Serve with relish - as in, tomato relish etc, and as much gusto as you like, and maybe a salad

Notes:

I am going with their measurements, even tho' modern day ones are a bit different! as in - 250 grams is really closer to 9 ounces, etc

Use chicken breasts if you prefer, and slice them thinly

I actually baked the chicken the day before!  And I whizzed the pastry in my food processor till it formed a ball, then tipped it onto the bench to press into a ball

Back in the day, we used silverbeet (Swiss chard) as English spinach was not really a thing then.  I suggest you buy pre-washed baby spinach as it is soooo much easier, as you just snip and tip into the filling

bake @185C for around 12 minutes

potato and chicken

snip your spinach

push half the pastry into the tin

and fill the pastry with your healthy mix

glazed and ready for baking

golden brown and gorgeous

thin, crispy pastry and a hearty filling

This pie really brings back the memories!  Of living with many and varied people, in houses that had no locked doors, where we lived on cheap foods like mountains of potatoes and huge tubs of yoghurt.  Where feral possums would climb into the kitchen window in search of fruit, where the lawn was cut with kitchen scissors and knives (no mower!), and nudity, and a lively sex life was the norm.  Not me, not me! :=)  Tee hee...

potatoes and baby spinach

Braised Ginger Chicken

I think I've mentioned before that I'm in an online cookbook club called Lambs' Ears Cookbook Club.  Last month's book was Chinese-Ish by Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu.  I chose to make this dish - braised ginger chicken.  I'll be honest - Mr P. and I were not big fans of this one.  We ate it one night, but left heaps which I blinged up the next night.  

So this recipe is more my version of it, rather than straight out of the book.  And isn't that what cooking is all about?  Tweaking a recipe your way so you love it!?  As much as I appreciate the appellation contrôlée kinda foods, I think recipes should be your guide, not your master or mistress :=)

And speaking of ginger - Mr P. tells me of a time where his dad (who liked to brew his own) tried to make homemade ginger beer, but with glacé ginger rather than fresh (by mistake).  Yep, with all that sugar, it blew its stack and ended up all over the shed.  And that reminds me of the time I made homemade ginger beer, which literally exploded and blew out our dining room wall!  Oh, that Summer heat we have in old Brisbane town.  I must try to make it again in Winter :=)

ready for eating - with steamed veg.

Serves 4:

ingredients:

40-60 mL/1.3-2 oz sesame oil

6 cm piece (c. 80g./2.8 oz) old ginger, skin on if you wish, finely finely sliced and then each slice quartered (or not) - see Notes below

650g./23 oz chicken thigh fillets, chopped into large chunks

150g./5.3 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)

100g./3.5 oz baby corn, chopped (optional)

100g./3.5 oz red capsicum/pepper, roughly chopped (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

1-2 Tbs water

1 tsp Mirin or mirin seasoning, or dry Sherry

1 Tbs Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry 

chopped herbs of your choice - I used parsley, chives and fresh coriander (cilantro) 'cos that's what's usually in my pantry and fridge

steamed rice or egg noodles for serving

Method:

Heat up the sesame oil in a wok or large frypan over medium heat

Tip in the ginger and stir for several minutes till tender and fragrant

Add your chopped chicken and stir for 4-5 minutes till starting to brown and cook through

Now add the mushroom, corn and capsicum if using, and stir in the salt, sugar, soy, and water

Whack on a lid, and let it simmer for 7-8 minutes

Check that the chicken is cooked through, then stir in the Mirin and Chinese rice wine 

Cast the chopped herbs over the top, and serve with rice or noodles

Notes:

We preferred a lesser amount of sesame oil, so I used less

Apparently you can find old ginger at Asian food stores but obvs. you can use regular ginger like I did!  I first made this dish with the sliced, unpeeled ginger which we did not like (an unpleasant mouthfeel and taste), so I made it again with small pieces of peeled ginger, which was much better for us, but you do you

The recipe calls for 6-8 thigh fillets, cut in half, but we prefer smaller, bite-sized chunks

The optional veg. that I suggest are not in the original recipe, but Mr P. and I much preferred a bit less chicken and lots of veg.!  So add another 150 grams or so of chicken if you are not adding any (or much) veg.

ingredients gathered (plus a few steamed veg. for my original side dish)

slice and chop your ginger

stir-fry your chopped ginger

add the chopped chicken

looking juicy :=)

dinner is served!

and we had it again as a stir-fry with rice the next night

(Joining in with Marg from The Intrepid Reader and Baker for Weekend Cooking.)

ginger root