Chicken & chickpea masala

This is the filling i use for my chicken pasties :

1 kilo boneless chicken- I used thigh meat as i find it doesn't dry out as much as breast
1 & 1/2 level tsp salt
2 large onions diced
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
Handful fresh coriander chopped
1 tin of chickpeas ( water drained )
2 handfuls garden peas
Tsp of garam masala
6 - 7 baby new potatoes cubed
1 tsp lemon juice

• Start by frying off the onions i a little oil till golden brown. Add in the salt and green chillies and cook on a medium heat till the chillies have softened

• Add in the chicken, and cook the chicken through completley, then add in the potatoes & chickpeas, cook the mixture until the the potatoes are soft but not mushed & the chick peas have browned a little

• Still on a medium heat, add in the cumin seeds, chilli flakes and garam masala. Check the seasoning of the salt & chillies and if required you can add in a little more chilli flakes or salt if needed.

• Once the mixture has cooled completley, add in the fresh coriander and lemon juice & mix well. The mixture is now ready to use to make my chicken pasties or alternatively as a filling for a pie.

Stuffed Karelay

This is one of my husbands absolute favourite but its a dish very much like liver curry .. You either love it or hate it - both the husband and I love it, but I hardly ever make it as it's a dish that my kids are guaranteed to turn their noses up at which to be fair this isn't a dish that many a child would like. 

Since i had a real craving for them the last couple of days I just had to make them and this time I even took step by step pictures which are up on my Facebook page @foodymama 


To serve 4 people you will need :

4 large karelay (1 per person)
1 lemon 
2 tsp salt 
6 large onions
1 1/2 tsp salt
3  green chillies
2 -3 tsp garlic paste/ 2 frozen cubes 
3-4 tsp ginger paste/ 4 frozen cubes 
1 tin chopped / plum tomatoes 
2 tsp curry powder 
Oil for shallow frying 

• Start by taking one karaela at a time and with a knife lightly scrape off the outside skin. I don't tend to scrape it all off only bits that are really knobbly and lumpy. Then carefully slit each karela in half down the middle - you dont want to cut all the way through as you won't be abe to fill them.
• Taking one karela at a time again, carefully open it up and remove the seeds and as much pith from the inside as you can. I find using a teaspoon makes it quick and easy and saves you getting bits of the pith stuck in your fingernails.
• Place all the karelay in a bowl, squeeze over the juice of a whole lemon and sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of salt all over. Mix the karelay together ensuring they are well coated with juice and the salt. Set aside
• in a heavy based pan, slice the onions and cook in a little oil till soft, add in the garlic ginger and salt. Cook until the onions are golden brown, add in the chillies, curry powder and tomatoes
• Continue cooking through until the chillies have softened and slightly darkened in colour- this way they will be cooked all the way through- and the oil separates from the masala. 
• Set the masala aside to cool completely. While the masala is cooling, the karelay should have released all the bitter juice. You should be able to see the juice at the bottom of the bowl, remove them from the bowl but as you remove them, gently squeeze them to remove any juice that hasn't released, and fill the karelay once the masala has completely cooled.
• To fill them, take teaspoonfuls of the masala and add to the inside of each karela being careful not to overfill as when you seal them with the toothpicks you'll find it will spill out.
• Once they are all filled seal each one by pushing a tooth pick from one side through to the other, i found 4-5 toothpicks per karela was right. You can also use string to tie them up, simply tie it at one end, wind the string tightly all the way round and tie up at the other end.
• You should find that you have some left over masala which will be used also- set it aside and next step is to fry the karelay.
• Fill a large heavy based pan with oil.. I didn't really measure it out, i just filled my pan till it was about 2-3 inches fill. Heat up the oil on a medium heat and carefully place the karelay into the oil. I managed to fit all mine in at once, if not just add them in batches.
• Fry the karelay till they are dark brown almost charred (but not black and burnt) all over. Carefully remove and place on a plate or dish with kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
• Drain all the oil from the pan that the karelay were fried in (if all your karelay don't fit you'll need a bigger pan ) and add in the left over masala. Carefully add the fried karelay back in, and on a medium heat, simmer the karelay and masala on a low for about 10-15 minutes just to ensure it  is heated up all the way through and serve. 
• As an extra just before serving, garnish with fresh chopped coriander and crispy fried onion, remove all the toothpicks and place on to a serving dish . Serve 1 karela per person with the karela sitting ontop of the masala or serve as a main with chapatis.  

Stuffed sweet potato skins with feta & coriander

The recipe for this post is a combination of ingredients that you wouldn't think would go together, but they really do. It's a recipe I've tweaked from a Jamie Oliver recipe and it's even a favourite with my kids.

These stuffed skins are great as a starter or even as a main accompanied with a mixed leaf salad. If you're having them as a starter I'd suggest cutting the potatoes into quarters rather than halves for a main.


for 4 people you'll need half a sweet potato per person i.e. a whole potato per 2 people along with :

1 lemon
100-120g feta cheese
bunch of fresh chopped coriander
olive oil

• Start by pre heating your oven to 200c (180c fan assisted). Wash the sweet potatoes, and place them in a microwavable bowl, cut the lemon in half and add into the bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film, seal well and pierce a few holes for the steam to escape from.
• Steam in the microwave for 10-15 minutes, checking on them half way through. The potatoes should be cooked through and ready when you can pierce them with a fork easily. 
• Leave the potatoes to cool, and remove the lemon to a side - don't throw it away
• Once the potatoes have slightly cooled, cut them in half carefully and with a spoon remove the potato from the skins into a separate bowl
• Once all the potatoes have been removed from the skins, brush each of the skins with a little olive oil and place onto a baking tray
• Mash up the potatoes in the bowl, it doesnt have to be perfectly mashed, i quite like it roughly done. Crumble in the feta and stir through. Squeeze in juice from the lemon that was removed earlier 
• Spoon the mashed potato and feta mix evenly back into the potato skins and bake in the oven till the skins have crisped up and are golden brown
• Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and serve 

Chicken & mushrooms with a cracked black pepper sauce

This is one of those recipes that i literally threw together without much thought or exact measuring of ingredients - I had a rough idea of how much and what I needed, and tweaked it as i went along. 
I was rather happy with the end result as not only did it taste rather scrummy & filling, It only used 5 ingredients & took just under 30 minutes to cook.

The husband & I ate it with a side of sweet potato wedges & steamed veg.. but it's just as nice on its own as it is or maybe served with rice or even stirred into pasta.


The amount below should easily serve 2 people :

1large chicken breast 
1 large onion
2 x 180g cracked black pepper Philadelphia
2 handfuls of sliced button/chestnut mushrooms
4-5 tablespoons of milk 

• Start by cutting your chicken breast .. either into strips or 4 quarters, and leave to a side. (I did mine in strips simply because quarters would have taken a little longer and I was running behind on other jobs)
• Roughly chop the onion and cook off in a large frying pan in a little oil till softened & brown in colour. Add in the chicken and cook through till no pinkness remains in the chicken
• Add in the sliced mushrooms, and continue to cook till the chicken has browned evenly all over and the mushrooms have cooked through.
• In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the milk. Take the chicken off the heat and stir in the cream cheese 
• Once the sauce is incorporated & the chicken & mushrooms are coated thoroughly, put back on to a medium heat and leave to simmer. Taste at this point and season with salt if you wish too.
• Leave to simmer till the sauce has reached your desired thickness and serve*

*If the sauce becomes too thick at any point, just add in a little milk slowly stirring it through till its back to the consistency you want it at