Chilli & cumin plait loaf

I think it's safe for me to say now that bread and I are friends and I'm finally getting a bit more confident in experimenting with flavours and ingredients. After making my simple bloomer loaf   I thought I'd be a bit brave and experiment with some Asian flavours added into it and try a plaited version.

With my first attempt I used just white bread flour but thought it could with a bit more depth so i switched half of the white flour for wholemeal. The wholemeal definitely improved the flavour but i think it also along with the addition of the cheese slowed down the proving time - maybe any of you that are more experienced in bread making could shed light on this.

After a couple of attempts to get the amount right with the spices, I finally got a version i was happy with and it went really well with some roasted red pepper soup, and it tasted even better the next day with just a little hummus as a snack

So here is my recipe for my chilli and cumin 3 strand plaited loaf:

250g white bread flour
250g wholemeal bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
11/2 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp cumin seeds
A good handful of extra mature cheddar cheese
2 tsp black onion seeds
315-320 ml cold water

• Start by adding the flour to a bowl, add the yeast to one side, and the salt opposite to the yeast - this stops them from interacting and activating the yeast before the dough is formed. Add the chilli flakes, grated cheese and the cumin seeds into the bowl
• Pour the oil into the middle of the flour. Slowly add in the water and mix all the ingredients together using your hands - you may not need all the water.
• Keep adding the water until you get a soft and slightly sticky - but not wet dough.
• Lightly oil your work surface - i used 2 tablespoons. Turn out the dough and use both hands to knead the dough till it's smooth. It may take a little longer than the dough for the simple bloomer due to the cheese and cumin seeds.
• Place the dough back into a clean bowl, and cover with lightly oiled cling film, (this helps the dough to stop sticking to the cling film if it touches)
  and leave it to rise till doubled in size - it took almost 2 hours which was possibly due to my kitchen being quite cold at the time and the extra ingredients adding a bit more weight to the dough
• Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the dough back by gently punching the dough to knock the air out.
• Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough again for a couple of minutes, then divide into 3 equal pieces
• Roll each piece into a sausage shape about 30cm long. Line the 3 together, onto a grease proof lined baking tray, each with about a finger space gap. Gently bring the top of all 3 together and press them together so that they all stick together
• To make the plait, take the right strand and diagonally place it over the middle strand. Then take the left strand and again diagonally place over the middle strand. Repeat with the right strand and again with the left and keep on doing so until you reach the bottom of the strands. Pinch the 3 strands together at the bottom and tuck the end of the plait underneath.
• Brush the top of the plait with a little water and sprinkle the black onion seeds all over the loaf. Leave the loaf to prove again till doubled in size.
• Preheat your oven to 200c, and bake for 25 minutes then lower the temperature to 180c and bake for a final 15 minutes. Once cooked it sound hollow when you tap the base, leave to cool on a wire rack and serve with soup or as desired.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple is definitely one of my all time favourite fruits & i love it even more having  recently discovered it tastes amazing made up into salsa as a side accompaniment to a main meal

What makes it even more amazing is that the sweet griddled pineapple makes it perfect to snack on & kill those late night sweet cravings & works perfect with the sharp lime & build up of heat from the chilli

So for my pineapple salsa you will need:

2x 500g bag of pineapple fingers
1x 100g tub of pomegranate seeds
Juice of one lime
A good handful of fresh mint leaves
1 red chilli de seeded
Salt & pepper to taste

•Start by dry frying the pinapple fingers in a griddle or frying pan. Don't add any oil, just let it colour golden brown. Set aside and leave to cool

•Chop the chilli and mint finely, place in a bowl. Add the lime juice and pomegranate seeds to the bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir together.

•Add in the cooled pineapple, drizzle in a little olive oil, season to taste with salt & pepper, stir together till its all evenly mixed and serve. You can either serve it as an accompaniment to your main meal - it goes really well with chicken or fish, or just eat it on its own as a snack

You can leave the seeds in the chilli if you want it quite spicy, i de seeded it as my kids like it slightly milder

Mango, Avocado & Chilli Salsa

This is possibly one of the quickest and easiest side salads ever and it's one that I will eat with a variety of mains as well as sometimes just on its own. The freshness of the lime & mint is perfect with the sweetness of the mangoes and the added slight heat from the chillies gives a wonderful kick to your tastebuds.



To serve 4-6 people you will need :

3 avocados chopped into chunks 
 2x 275g pack of pre cut mango chunks*  
juice and zest of one lime 
2 good handfuls of chopped coriander
1 handful chopped mint 
pinch of salt & pepper 
1 red chilli finely chopped - deseeded if you'd like a slightly milder salsa 
olive oil 

• Place your avocado in a bowl with the pre cut mango chunks. Using a zester, add the whole zest of the lime to the bowl and squeeze in all the juice, adding in the salt & pepper and stir through
• Add the chopped chilli, coriander, mint, a drizzle of olive oil and stir through. Check the seasoning and overall flavours. Tweak as necessary if you feel it needs a little more of any of the ingredients & serve 

* I sometimes cut up the mango chunks again myself as they can be quite big, I prefer them almost bitesize

Here you go Saqi

My last post  ' Because the cousin's wife asked ' was done at the request of my cousin's wife. Tonight "Here you go Saqi" is brought to you at the request of my friend Saqiba. She asked for my recipe for Keema and potato and I'm actually surprised at myself for not blogging it already as it's not just one of mine but a firm favourite of my kids and husband, and any leftover mince makes a  great base for a chilli.

This is a dish where you literally put everything in at once, leave it cooking away slowly while you get on with other jobs and you end up with a delicious fragrant and comforting curry with minimal effort 


So to serve 4-6 people you will 

1 kilo lamb/beef mince 
6 medium onions
6-8 cloves garlic / 2 frozen cubes
1 thumb piece of grated ginger / 3 frozen cubes 
1 1/2  tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 tin tomatoes / 3 large fresh tomatoes 
50ml olive/vegetable oil
3 -4 green chillies 
2 bay leaves 
3 cloves 
1- 1 1/2 cm piece of cinnamon
1 -2 tsp garam masala 
fresh chopped coriander 
2 small tins of baby potatoes 

• Finely slice the onions and add to a heavy based pan, then add all the ingredients except the coriander, potatoes and garam masala to the pan. 
• Add just enough water to cover the mince and leave to simmer on a medium heat. You should leave it cooking till the mince has cooked through and all the ingredients reduce down- quite similarly as you would with slow cooking a chilli.
• As the mince is cooking away you may need to top up the water to ensure the onions and tomatoes break up to make the curry masala- I found this takes 40-50 minutes on a medium heat.
• Once the mince has cooked through and you have a smooth masala, you need to bhun the mixture which basically means to ensure all the water reduces, the oil separates from the mince and the masala sticks to the mince 
• Add the potatoes and on a medium heat, cook the mince till it's slightly browned in colour. At this point you can leave it as it is quite dry which is typical of a bhuna or re add a little water to loosen it up a little 
• Stir in the garam masala and the coriander just before serving with either chapatis or boiled rice   

Chilli Chicken Nachos

If you want a quick, no fuss minimal effort for a snack or starter for a get together then this is the recipe for you. These nachos really are the easiest to make but definitely moreish when it comes to flavour and are a definite crowd pleaser. 

The amount below that I made served just over 10 of us :

2 x 150g Bag of Doritos (I went for the hint of lime flavour)

1x g Bag of grated cheese

1x g Jar of Jalepenos (optional)

Fresh coriander - chopped small handful (optional)

2x g bottle of sala (I used Old El Paso)

smoked paprika 

1kg boneless chicken*

2 medium onions

1 tsp chilli flakes 

1/2 tsp salt

• Start by chopping your onions, and browning them till softened in a large pan in a little oil.
• Add the chicken once the onions have softened, and cook the chicken throughly & until lightly browned in colour - mine took about 20 minutes.
• Add in the salt & 1 level tsp of smoked paprika, chilli flakes, chopped coriander & stir through. Leave to cool.**
• When ready to serve, take a platter or large plate (making sure it fits in your microwave)***
• Put the Doritos in the plate, pour half the salsa evenly over the Doritos, and sprinkle over a little cheese.
• Add some of the chicken next, and a few jalepenos, pour on a little more salsa & another good handful of cheese, finish with a sprinkling of smoked paprika.
• Put the plate in the microwave on full power for 8-10 minutes - or until the cheese is melted and bubbling .. and tuck in 
• Serve with Guacamole & Sour cream on the side with extra salsa & jalepenos 

* Instead of chicken breast, I asked my butcher for thigh/ leg meat as this doesn't dry out as much as breast does.


** When the chicken has cooled, pour into colander so that any excess oil can be drained as the last thing you want is the nachos sitting in a pool of oil.


*** You can also put them under the grill if your serving plate/platter won't fit in the microwave.

Who needs Amigos ?

As a foodie I love nothing more than going out for a meal and finding a dish that I've enjoyed that much I end up dissecting it and attempting to work out what components have made it as a whole - kind of like my very own Masterchef palette taste test !

One of those very dishes is from a Mexican restaurant - Amigos - their Chicken Poblanos is divine and the last couple of times the husband and I have been out to eat there I've ordered it and taken some serious effort to 'get' what, apart from the obvious chicken, it's made up of. So I've had a bit of a play around and this is my take on it.

This is one of my recipes where I've used a few cheats rather than making everything from scratch but I promise it delivers fully on flavour.  I originally made this to serve 3 but because a small amount is quite filling you could get away with 4 maybe even 5 people depending on the size of chicken breasts that you use. The one thing I struggled with was getting my hand on some genuine Poblanos peppers, so i stuck to the good old bell peppers. If anyone could point me in the right direction to get my hands on actual poblanos peppers I'd be forever grateful !


To (easily) serve 4-6 people you will need 

3 medium   chicken breasts 

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

4-5 tbsp smoked paprika
3-4 tbsp cajun seasoning
227g ready made breadcrumbs or crushed up cornflakes*
3 eggs whisked

4-6 large potatoes
One batch of my cheese sauce

3 x jar of chunky salsa***

2/3 handfuls of grated cheese

1 x squeezy bottle of sour cream***

2 spring onions

1/2 red, yellow & green bell pepper diced 

Oil for frying

Handful of fresh coriander 

• Start by putting the breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes into a bowl or dish big enough for the chicken to be dipped in. Add the chilli flakes, smoked paprika and cajun seasoning and mix it all together 
•  Slice each chicken breast in half length ways .. so starting at the thickest end and working your way down to the thinnest end 
• On a  low to medium heat, add about a 1/4 a pint of oil to a large heavy based frying pan. piece of chicken at a time dip into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs . Coat the chicken piece all over, place into the frying pan and fry till golden brown.  Repeat this with all of the pieces - I normally fry about 4 pieces at a time. Fry until each side is golden brown. I found that each piece took just under 10 minutes, but again this can vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
• Set the chicken aside, peel and slice your potatoes, no more than an inch thick and in the same frying pan, lightly fry the potatoes till cooked and golden brown, and drain on kitchen paper 
• Turn on your oven to 200c, (fan assisted) while the oven is preheating, in an oven proof dish, preferably rectangular, add the potato scallops , pour in 1 of the salsa jars, and a quarter of the cheese sauce and carefully stir through. 
• Next place the chicken pieces on top of the potatoes, spreading them out evenly. Cover each piece with a generous amount of salsa, then spoon on the cheese sauce. 
• Sprinkle some smoked paprika over the whole of the dish, add grated cheese (as much or as little as you want) then finally sprinkle over the diced sweet peppers
• Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 
• Finish the dish off by garnishing with sour cream & chopped fresh coriander & serve  

* Using cornflakes will give you a slightly crunchier coating on the chicken 

*** I find the Old El Paso range the most full of flavour but again you can go with whatever brand you prefer

Chilli Con Carne

Texas - the state that gave us Dr Pepper, (honest) the state where more land is farmed than in any other American state, the armadillo is it's mascot, its the home of girl group Destiny's Child and of todays recipe .. Chilli Con Carne .. yes it's a Texan dish .. not Spanish or Mexican that some people do assume 

Beef seems to be the most popular choice for Chilli but quite often use lamb which tastes just as good in honesty, if you're vegetarian you can swap the meat for vegetarian mince which again tastes just as good and obviously healthier too !

For my chilli con carne you will need 

4 medium onions

2 tbsp garlic paste

2 tbsp ginger paste

3 green chillies

piece of cinnamon (about 2 inch)

2 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp worcestershire or HP sauce

1 tbsp dark soy

1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of kidney beans

1kg/lb mince lamb/beef

chopped coriander to garnish

• Start by chopping the onions, add to a heavy based pan and fry till they've softened. Add in your green chillies, garlic & ginger paste, salt, & cinnamon stick. Cook through till onions become golden brown & the chillies have softened. Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to catch.
• Add in the chopped tomatoes, curry powder smoked paprika & stir well. With a masher, roughly mash the mixture - don't worry about getting a completely smooth consistency .. chunky chilli is good
• Check the taste of your chilli base .. adjust the taste to your liking if any more of the ingredients need adding. Add your lamb or beef. Brown the meat on a high heat, once your meat has browned, lower the heat and add in the kidney beans, soy & Worcestershire sauce. Cook through  until the oil separates from the meat & beans. Again add a splash of water if it begins to catch
• Pour in just enough water (preferably freshly boiled)  to cover the meat. Stir through and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes. 
• Check the seasonings of the chilli and add any extra of the spices if needed to your liking
• Garnish with some fresh coriander and serve with my cumin rice or on jacket potatoes with cheese & sour cream & nachos on the side

Sweet Chilli Chicken & Noodles

Today's post is one of those dishes that comes about from just experimenting with bits that are either left overs from the day before or just plain & simply ingredients that need to be used up as they are about to expire - I really am one of those 'waste not want not' types.

Chicken  definitely makes regular appearances at our table, so I've always got some in the freezer and am always trying to do something different with it. This recipe was literally made with 10 ingredients, which was eaten for tea and we even had left overs which served as lunch the next day

Now this recipe technically isn't an Asian dish, but it does have a touch of spice ! The 10 ingredients you will need are :

2 x 300g pack of pre cooked noodles

1 kilo / 2 lb chicken breast - cut into chunks/strips

1 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes/powder

BBQ sauce

honey

1/2 yello sweet pepper

1 tbsp sesame seeds 

coriander to garnish (optional)

• start by dicing your onion, then fry till golden brown on a medium heat in a heavy based pan or wok, when the onions have browed, add your chicken and cook till browned and no pinkness remains.
• add the chilli flakes and pepper. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt, lower the heat and stirring occasionally,  cook till the  pepper has cooked but still has a slight crunch. (soggy peppers for me are a no )
• add a good squirt of honey and BBQ sauce of your preference. Keeping on a low heat, add in the noodles, stir through.
• at this point I normally do a taste test to see if I want to add more honey, sauce or chilli flakes.
• finally sprinkle over the sesame seeds and coriander & serve