Chicken Laksa

(serves 2, so I would double as a minimum)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 spring onions, white and green parts sliced and separated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons red curry paste

2½ cups chicken or vegetable stock

1½ cups low fat coconut milk

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons fish sauce

10 button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered

2 chicken breasts

100 g dried Laksa noodles

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons coriander leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Add the white part of the spring onions and saute for 1 minute. Add garlic, turmeric,

curry paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

3. Add stock, coconut milk, sugar, salt and fish sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered.

4. While the soup is simmering, soak the noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes.

5. Add the mushrooms to the soup, return to boil and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Stir in the lemon juice.

7. Drain the noodles under cold water, place in the bottom of the soup bowls, sprinkle with

green spring onions and fresh coriander leaves and ladle the laksa soup on top.

Smoked Chicken Pesto Pasta - Nailed

Chicken pesto pasta is a classic, first made for Si and I by G - who used to whip up and serve an amazing casserole dish of this delicious pasta for parties in Abu Dhabi. I believe over the past little while, the whole KC household in AD are on the bandwagon and Dad has started making his own pesto for the dish. I had a play today and officially nailed my 'personal best' chicken pesto pasta. It sound a bit complex but its really not...

I smoked my own chicken while I was doing the dishes (no dishwasher!), literally took 20 minutes. 3 of work, 17 of doing dishes.


The Smoked Chicken


Make a wee bowl out of tinfoil, double layers is best, just the right size to fit into the bottom of a pot. Inside the bowl add

• 50gm brown sugar 
• 25gm loose leaf jasmine tea 
• 75gm jasmine rice (uncooked) and mix. 

Place the bowl in the bottom of an empty put and put over medium heat until the tea starts to smoke. Turn the heat right down, place a rack over the tin-bowl (our microwave oven rack fits perfectly into our pot, luckily - you might need to improvise to make this work), place two raw chicken breasts on the rack and cover with the lid. Leave for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

The Pesto


'Pesto' is a derivation of the italian word for 'pounded'. Seriously, like all herbs, pesto gets its amazing flavour when you POUND the herb, not cut it. So unless you are going to mortar and pestle this - you're going to bastardise the recipe as much as the dudes to put it in a jar the supie. Don't blend, process or anything with a blade as you won't get the amazing 'bruised' fragrance and flavour.

• a handful of finely grated parmesan cheese 
• about 30gm pine nuts 
• 2 small cloves of garlic 
• as many basil leaves as you can fit into the mortar (a few cups) 
• A big drizzle of olive oil 
• A pinch of course salt 

Take to it with a pestle until it becomes a broken down paste - you know how it should look. I like to throw in more and more basil leaves as I go to bulk it up. It should go quite creamy too with the olive oil and nuts. When I made it today, the whole house smelled of basil - devine! It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks but be aware that the garlic taste will get stronger with time.


The Pasta dough recipe is here but today we just used bought fresh pappardelle from the supermarket - couldn't be bothered!


The Dish


You need:

• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 2 red chillies, chopped 
• Cup - (+1/2) white wine (chardonnay is good) 
• 10-15 mushrooms 
• 1 knorrs chicken stock pot 
• 2 tablespoons sour cream 
• Pasta 
• Toasted pinenuts
• Pesto (about 4 tablespoons) 
• Smoked chicken (thinly sliced) 
• Fresh rocket

Fry the onion, chilli and mushrooms in a pan until the onion is caramelised. Add the glass of wine and chicken stock put with 1/2 cup water and allow to simmer until reduced by 50% (or mushrooms are cooked).


Leave to cool as you bring a pot of salty water to the boil.


Once cooled down a little, the stock, veg and juice should be rather thick. Add the pesto and sour cream. Stir and then lay the chicken slices into the pan, turning the mixture (not stirring so as to hold the chicken in nice slices) warm up slowly. Add your pasta to the boiling water. When the chicken and sauce reaches a simmer, turn off heat.


Once the pasta is done, pour off most of the water, leaving a few tablespoons in the bottom. Cut in 1/2 tablespoon of butter and then add to the chicken and sauce. Gently flip to mix and finely grate a little more parmesan over the dish. Add the pinenuts and throw in several large handfuls of rocket and gently flip again encouraging the rocket to wilt a little before serving.


Enjoy :)

Bal's No-Butter Chicken

Delish, SUPER EASY and QUICK and lower in fat :)

• Slosh of olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup water

Put a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When it starts to get hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 4 minutes or until the onion is soft and golden. Add tomato paste, brown sugar, cumin seeds, garam masala, red chile flakes, tumeric and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir well to coat. Add the yogurt and water and cook, stirring until the chicken is done, about 8 minutes. Serve with rice or roti.

Chicken Salad for dieters

1 skinless boneless chicken breast per person
Paprika
Sugar
Salt/pepper
Flour

Crunchy lettuce/rocket/salad/baby gem
Cherry/baby plum tomatoes
Red onion
Avocado
Boiled egg
Lemon
Spray balsamic
Sugarsnap peas

Put 1TBSP paprika into a bowl
Add 2 TBSP flour
Add 1 tsp Sugar
Add 1 tsp Salt

Stir well.

Slice chicken into smaller pieces, then throw into flour mixture and coat completely. Place coated chicken into George Foreman for approx 5 minutes, or until cooked through. This will dispense of any fat and also make the coat crispy and the inside tender. I am in love with my George Foreman.

Toss into salad with other ingredients. Add baby or new potatoes if required. Squeeze lemon over the top and spray with balsamic.

Optional add on for boys: Make a dressing using mustard, mayo and lemon juice for a naughtier ceasar type dressing.

Green Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

If you're feeling like something a little lighter but delicious and filling.. or if you have a cold like Simon!!

4 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
Two cooked chicken breasts, shredded (or a ready cooked chicken from the supermarket)
Green curry paste
Milk/cream/coconut milk - about 100ml
Approx 1lt hot water
2 chicken stock cubes (added to hot water)
Fresh basil
Fresh corriander
Rice noodles (or those pre cooked in a vacuum pack - avoid dry egg noodles)

Gently saute the finely chopped shallots in a pan with oil until soft, add garlic and fry for a further minute. Add a big table spoon and a bit of green curry paste and fry for a further minute. Add chicken stock and water and stir.
Add noodles until soft and noodle-like. Add cream/milk/coconut cream, chicken, and a couple of tablespoons of each herb and cook until chicken is heated through. Taste for seasoning and balance ingredients until perfect.

Serve with a sprinkle of the fresh herbs on the top.

Mammas Roast Chicken

Mammas roast chicken is super easy and ALWAYS a winner.

She melts some butter, fires it on top of the chicken with lots of salt, places in pan with a cup or two or water in the base to stop it sticking and roasts it on fan bake at 175 degrees for about 2 hours. Delish!

Lately, I've tried a couple of variations. Cooking roasts every sunday with the neighbours means constant competition so here is my favourite;

Preheat oven to 240 degrees

2 Large carrots - not peeled
2 large onions - peeled
Rough chop both in really large bits

1 whole bulb of garlic, broken to cloves - outer shell peeled but cloves DEFINATELY left in shell

Chuck all in roasting dish, drizzle olive oil generously

Place chook on top of all of the veges (so resting off the base of the dish), follow mammas chicken recipe (minus the water as the veges make their own water) - throwing the salt all over the chick and the veges.

As soon as you put it in the oven, reduce heat to 200 degrees. Leave it for about 1 hour 20 minutes.

The veges taste amazing and the gravy is wicked with lots of flavours.

Enjoy!

Mums Old School Baked Paprika Chicken

6-12 chicken bits (thighs bone-in or drumsticks)
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp castor sugar

Spray chicken with oil spray (or brush with oil) and arrange in an oven proof dish.

Mix flour, sugar, salt, paprika together and sprinkle over chicken (both sides) using a wire sieve.

Bake at 200 Degrees C skin-side down for 20 minutes then flip using a fish slice. Cook for another 20 minutes. Check for clear juices. Serve. Yum.

Mums Chicken and Mushroom Pie (Rene's Fav!)

2 tbsp olive oil
250g button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
6 chicken thigh fillets
1/3 cup white white
1 cup pouring cream
sea salt & cracked black pepper
1 sheet store-brought puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 200C. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Add the wine, cream, salt & pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly reduced. Spoon into 4 x 1 cup capacity ovenproof dishes and place on a baking tray. Cut 4 x 11cm circles from the pastry and place on top of the chicken mixture. Brush with the egg and cook for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

(I make one large family pie)

Mums Favourite Chicken Rigatoni

1 tbsp olive oil
40gm butter
1 kg chicken fillets, sliced
500gm rigatoni pasta
200gm button mushrooms, sliced
4 green shallots sliced
600ml light thickened cream
1 tbsp seeded mustard
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese

Heat oil and ½ the butter and brown chicken in batches.
Remove from the pan
Cook pasta in uncovered salted water and drain.
Add remaining butter to frypan, cook mushrooms, garlic and onions and add chicken.
Add cream and mustard,, simmer until chicken warmed through, stir in chives, salt & pepper.
Add pasta and parmesan cheese.

Mamma's Chicken Paprika

Chicken joints (or thigh bits)
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper

60gm butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green capsicum
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 cup water/stock
3/4 chopped, peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream


Season chicken with flour and S&P (not really necessary, mum doesn't usually). Brown chicken and set aside. Fry up onions and garlic. Add paprika and fry a little before adding stock, tomatoes and chicken. Simmer 1 hour (or until chicken is cooked). Take pan off heat and add sour cream - careful the mixture isn't bubbling or the sour cream will curdle. Simmer only a minute or two.

Dad's Green Chicken Curry

400ml coconut milk
100gm bamboo shoots
70gm green curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
200gm chicken thighs, sliced
½ tsp palm sugar, sliced
½ tsp green chilies, seeds removed, chopped finely
A handful of kaffir lime leaves
200ml water
1 tbsp basil, finely chopped

Simmer 1 cup coconut cream and curry paste over moderate heat, stirring until it becomes fragrant and oil starts to separate from the coconut cream.
Add chicken fillets and cook over moderate heat, until chicken changes colour.
Add remaining coconut cream and water to cover chicken.
Add lime leaves and bamboo shoots.
Bring to boil, reduce hear and simmer until chicken is tender. Stir in fish sauce, sugar, green chilli and basil.
Simmer a further 5 minutes.