Tag Archives: quick

Mum’s Chicken Curry

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When I was growing up in the UK in the sixties, Mum used to make a chicken curry, using leftover chicken from the Sunday roast.

We were a family of five, so it’s hard to imagine there being any leftovers from one chicken, but meat was expensive and servings were small. Dad did the carving and gave everyone their modest ration. You were expected to fill up on veggies.

The Sunday roast rotated: chicken, beef, lamb, pork and back to chicken again and produced the protein element for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday’s main meal. After removing the chicken meat to make a curry on Monday, the carcass went into a pot with some sliced leeks, carrots, potatoes, onions and stock to make a hearty soup for Tuesday. Leftover lamb or beef was usually made into rissoles or a shepherd’s pie.

Mum’s curry wasn’t a proper Indian curry, but we didn’t know any better. Special events in our family were often celebrated in a Chinese restaurant rather than an Indian one. If you grew up in England you might recognise my Mum’s curry, because she wasn’t the only Mum who made it. Anglo-Indian recipes were passed around amongst the officer’s wives who had been posted to India and subsequently became quite popular in England during Victorian times. Grandpa was in the Army and although they were never posted to India one of her Army chums had taught Nana to make this curry, as well as an Anglo-Indian kedgeree which she passed on to Mum.

Occasionally I buy a cooked chicken at the supermarket when they’re half price and make Mum’s curry, with a few tweaks. She used curry powder, while I use curry paste. Fresh ginger, chillies, garlic and a few ground spices, plus a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, mixed in just before serving, are also good additions. Mum sometimes added a handful of raisins or canned pineapple cubes, but I don’t.

Once the chicken has been added the curry only needs to heat through, so be careful not to overcook it. Side dishes are optional, but go down well, especially if the curry is a bit spicy. This will depend on how much curry paste you use and whether or not you add fresh chilli. Side dishes also make the curry go further. Mum was an expert at making a small amount of meat feed a family.

1 Tbs butter or ghee
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic
3-4 Tbs curry paste (your favourite or whatever you have on hand)
1 Tbs finely grated or chopped fresh ginger
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 400g can tomatoes, including juice, chopped
½ a 400g can coconut cream or milk (optional) or ½ cup water
1-2 tsp sugar, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Leftover roast chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (half a kilo or so)
A couple handfuls baby spinach leaves, or larger leaves, shredded (optional)
To serve:
Chopped fresh coriander
Side dishes:
Steamed rice
Fruit chutney
One or two sliced  bananas mixed with shredded coconut
1 small diced cucumber mixed with plain yoghurt
Diced tomato and onion
Naan bread, warmed

Steam the rice and prepare the side dishes.

In a large deep frying pan heat the butter and oil and cook the onion and garlic, gently, until soft but not browned. Add the curry paste, ginger, chilli and ground spices and cook, stirring over low to moderate heat, for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and coconut cream/milk or water and simmer the sauce for a few minutes while you wait for the rice to cook. Add sugar and seasoning to taste.

Add the chicken a couple of minutes before serving and, if using, the spinach. Don’t overcook – serve as soon as the chicken is heated through, adding a little more water if necessary. Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice, naan bread and side dishes. If you add the spinach you can skip the coriander if you like, as you have some greenery.

Serves 4-6

Note: adding about half a 400g can of coconut milk or cream to the sauce is optional, but it does make it nice and creamy. Freeze the unused half to use another time.

 

Chinese Spoon Canapés

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Chinese spoons are great for serving tasty morsels with drinks. Find them in Asian stores or collect them from second-hand shops, known as Op shops in many countries. I have more than two dozen and use them a lot.

When serving a canapé on a spoon you don’t need a base of bread, toast or a cracker. The spoon takes its place. I like to keep the ingredients on hand to make my favourite combinations. So I’ve usually got prosciutto and soft blue cheese in the fridge (plus the walnuts and jam in the pantry) and when I’ve used them I add them to my shopping list. Same goes for the gravlax or smoked salmon, kewpie mayonnaise and pickled grapes.

Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese product sold in the Asian section of Australian supermarkets. Once you have pickled grapes (which are home made) in the fridge you’ll find they go with lots of things as a tasty, fresh garnish, so make more than you need.

I haven’t put an ingredients list or method for the first two ideas. Just arrange the components on the spoons as shown in the photos. You can whip up a tray of one or two of these combinations in no time at all.

(1) Prosciutto (or jamon serrano), creamy blue cheese, a lightly toasted walnut or pecan half, half a teaspoon of fruit jam or jelly or paste and a coriander leaf (optional, not in photo).
You can use virtually any sweet jam, jelly or paste such as cranberry, plum or quince.

(2) Gravlax (or smoked salmon or trout) with kewpie mayonnaise, spring onion and pickled grapes.
The pickled grapes are home-made and keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. The ones in the photo are very small ones we grow and freeze. They keep for months in the freezer and I take them out as I need them for pickling. If you use larger fresh grapes, cut them in halves or quarters.

(3) Tuna and Avocado Spoons with Wasabi Dressing

200-250g piece of sashimi-grade tuna
1 or 2 avocados, halved and thinly sliced
Fresh Coriander leaves
Lightly toasted sesame seeds to garnish – photo shows white but black ones look good
Dressing:
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs soy sauce
1½ Tbs sesame oil
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs brown sugar
¼ tsp wasabi paste, or to taste

Slice tuna thinly. This is easier to do if the tuna has been frozen and is only partially thawed. Arrange a piece on Chinese spoons, top each with a slice of avocado and a coriander leaf. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve when the tuna has thawed – it will only take a few minutes.

Dressing: Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously.

Makes 16-20 spoons

Potato Waffles with Prosciutto and Rocket

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Do you have an electric waffle iron languishing in the back of a cupboard? If you do then you might be interested in today’s recipe. Especially if you have kids or grandkids. And even if you don’t.

With this recipe (which came from the American magazine Food and Wine) you squash some bought potato croquettes (Tater Tots in the US) with a waffle iron to make a potato cake. In Australia I found something similar to Tater Tots in Aldi, which are called Potato Jewels.

Once the potato cake is ready you can top it with anything you fancy. We had prosciutto, but smoked salmon or trout would be nice. I added a few roasted pumpkin cubes to the topping (because they needed using up) and they went well.

 

Non-stick cooking spray
About 50 frozen Tater Tots or Jewels, thawed
Salt flakes
¼ cup sour cream or creme fraîche
2 Tbs whole-grain mustard
2 handfuls rocket
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
6 slices prosciutto (or smoked salmon or trout)
Thinly sliced gherkins for serving (optional)

Heat an 8 inch (20cm) electric waffle iron and grease with non-stick spray. Arrange about 25 Tater Tots or Jewels on the waffle iron to cover it. Sprinkle with salt, then close the lid and cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden and crispy on both sides. Open the lid a couple of times during cooking and press the potatoes down with a fork, in order to fill in any gaps. Repeat with another 25 or so Jewels to make a second potato waffle.

Meanwhile mix sour cream and mustard in a small bowl. Mix rocket with the olive oil and lemon juice.

To serve, spread each potato waffle with some of the mustard cream. Arrange 3 slices of prosciutto and half the rocket on each. If liked garnish with sliced gherkins.

Serves 2

White Bean Soup with Anchovy Butter

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This recipe from English food writer Simon Hopkinson uses two tins of white beans to create a delicious, creamy soup worthy of any restaurant menu.

I haven’t tried it, but he says that if you don’t have a can of white beans, such as Cannellini or butter beans, you can use chick peas. The soup is rich and creamy, so I’ve cut back a little on the butter and the cream.

50g butter
2 large onions, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
1 Tbs fresh rosemary leaves pulled off the stem
2 x 400g cans white beans (eg Cannellini)
750ml (3 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
100-150ml cream (keep a little for garnish)
Anchovy Butter:
120g butter at room temperature
1 Tbs rosemary leaves pulled off the stem
1 clove garlic, crushed
50g anchovies, drained
Juice of half a small lemon
Pepper to taste
To Serve:
Cream
Black Pepper
Croutons

Heat butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan and cook onions and celery for 5-10 minutes, until soft and lightly coloured, stirring from time to time. Add rosemary and stir for a minute to release the aroma. Add beans, including the juice and stock and simmer for 30 mins. Cool then blend in a blender or food processor until smooth and put back into a clean pan. Add cream and season to taste. Not too much salt as the anchovy butter is salty.

While soup is cooking place all ingredients for the anchovy butter in a food processor and mix till smooth, stopping halfway to scrape down the sides. You can at this stage pass it through a fine sieve to remove any bits of rosemary, but I didn’t bother. Scrape into a small bowl or container.

Reheat soup and serve garnished with a blob of anchovy butter, extra cream, black pepper and some croutons.

Serves 4

To make croutons: cut a couple of slices of bread into cubes then mix them in a bowl with a little olive oil. Spread onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 180°C until golden and crunchy.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Hummus

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Hummus goes well with grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb. This quick and easy recipe for a mid-week dinner for two was inspired by British food writer Simon Hopkinson. It’s perfect for busy couples and is easy to double or triple for bigger families.

 

4 lamb cutlets or chops
Marinade:
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp dried chilli powder or flakes
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
1 cup hummus (bought or home-made)
A few fresh coriander leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Steamed green vegetable (snow peas, broccolini, green beans)

Mix marinade, add the chops and turn to coat well. Leave for an hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge, turning them from time to time. Grill or barbecue the chops, or cook them on a lightly oiled griddle pan for 3-4 minutes each side, or until charred on the outside, but still pink in the middle.

Spread some hummus on two warm serving plates. Arrange the chops on top, two each. Drizzle a little oil around each serving and garnish with coriander leaves and a pinch of cayenne. Serve with a steamed green vegetable such as snow peas, broccolini or green beans.

Serves 2

Pasta with Prawns and Pernod

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Back in March I posted a recipe for Chicken with Pernod, given to me by my cousin Mary Beth. Pernod adds a wonderful depth to any sauce. Once you’ve made it you will understand why this chicken dish was the most popular in Renés restaurant.

Today’s recipe is a loose interpretation of one by British food writer Simon Hopkinson. In his version he keeps the heads and tails from the prawns and makes a bisque-like, smooth sauce to go with the pasta, by pushing everything except the prawns through a sieve. This is my chunky version. French in style, with lots of butter and cream, this recipe is not on the Weight Watchers diet, but it is absolutely delicious and perfect for a special occasion. We had it to celebrate a birthday in Covid lockdown.

400g raw shell-on prawns, fresh or thawed from frozen (see note)
50g butter
2 shallots or a small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs Pernod
¾ cup white wine
2 ripe tomatoes or 8 cocktail tomatoes, chopped
150 ml cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g dried long pasta (linguine, tagliatelle, fettuccine)
Grated rind and juice of ½ a lemon
1 Tbs chopped dill

Peel prawns and put the pasta on to cook in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, stirring from time to time. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until they change colour. Add the Pernod and wine and cook on a moderate to high heat to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, cream, lemon rind and juice and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit. Season to taste.

Mix cooked pasta into the sauce with the chopped dill, saving a few sprigs to garnish.

Serves 2

Note: if you only have cooked prawns, add them to the pan a bit later, with the tomatoes and cream. If you are making the recipe with peeled prawns, either cooked or raw, you will need about 200g.

Zucchini Fritters with Corn and Bacon

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This recipe, from one of my favourite recipe websites called Mind Food, makes a delicious light lunch or dinner.

400g zucchini, washed and coarsely grated
½ cup self-raising flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
50g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 rashers bacon, rinds removed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cob fresh corn, kernels removed (or substitute frozen)
1 Tbs snipped chives
1/3 cup sour cream
Extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Sprinkle a good pinch of salt over the zucchini, mix through then leave to drain in a colander for 20 minutes or so. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can then place in a large mixing bowl with the flour, two cheeses, egg and seasoning to taste. You probably won’t need any salt having salted the grated zucchini.

In a large non-stick frying pan fry the bacon until crispy on both sides then drain on paper towels and keep warm. Place the corn in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Wipe out the frying pan then heat the tablespoonful of oil and fry the fritters for about 3 minutes each side, using about a quarter of the mixture for each fritter. Just scoop it out using two or three big spoonfuls for each. If the pan is large enough make all four at the same time. If not make two and keep them warm while you make another two. Drain well on paper towels, then arrange one on each of 4 warmed serving plates.

Drain corn and mix it with the chives, then divide amongst the four fritters. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a folded slice of crispy bacon. Drizzle a little olive oil around each serving.

Serves 4

Variation: top with a slice of smoked salmon or trout instead of the bacon.

Char Kway Teow

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We lived in Kuala Lumpur for three years in the mid-1980s. The street food sold by people called hawkers was fantastic and my favourite dish was char kway teow.

A delicious mix of rice noodles, prawns, egg, garlic and other flavourings, I’ve tried many times to make char kway teow taste exactly the way I remember it. Unfortunately I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not possible. Even my Malaysian friends agree with me. You need to go to Malaysia or Singapore for the real thing.

My recipe has been adapted and tweaked over the years to produce a dish which might not be 100% authentic, but which you can make easily at home with readily-available ingredients. In Malaysia they add blood clams, known as kerang. If you can find them that’s wonderful, throw them in, but I just leave them out.

Fresh rice noodle sheets which you cut into strips are available in Asian grocers, but the ready to eat rice noodles sold in most supermarkets work well. Not quite the same, but still delicious. If you’re going to make a trip to an Asian grocer for the noodles you will also be able to find Chinese sausage and garlic chives there, as well as all the sauces.

This recipe serves 2. If you need to serve more people, make another batch, don’t double the recipe.

200g rice noodles (see note below)
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12-15 peeled and deveined prawns (preferably uncooked, but cooked also work)
1 lap cheong (Chinese sausage) thinly sliced (see note below)
Good pinch of crushed dried chillies, to taste (or add a little Sambal Oelek paste)
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 tsp soy sauce, to taste
2-3 tsp kecap manis (see note below)
2-3 tsp oyster sauce
1 bunch garlic chives or spring onions
200-250g beansprouts

If using rice noodle sheets (available in Asian stores) cut them into 1cm strips and separate them with your fingers. If using ready to eat rice noodles, cut the end off the bag and zap it in the microwave for 1 minute.

If using garlic chives (available in Asian stores) cut them into 4cm lengths. If using spring onions, slice thinly on the diagonal.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic, prawns and sausage and stir-fry for a minute or two. Add the noodles and the crushed dried chillies and toss well to combine. Let the noodles get a bit stuck and charred, before you scrape them off. Add the spring onions or garlic chives and beansprouts and mix in.

Push everything to one side, pour the eggs into the space and cook them like scrambled eggs, allowing them to set, then breaking them up.

Add the 3 sauces. Start with a couple of teaspoons of each, taste and add more if necessary. Gently mix everything together. The beansprouts and chives or spring onions will still be raw and crunchy. Don’t overcook – you want the egg to still be soft.

Serves 2

Notes: (1) in Australia shelf-stable (long life) rice noodles are located in the Asian aisle of big supermarkets under the Wokka brand. Inside the packet are two packets each weighing 200g. I used one for this recipe. You might also find ready-to-eat rice noodles in the refrigerated pasta and noodles section of your supermarket. (2) Chinese sausage is sold in a shelf-stable (long life) packet in the Asian aisle of Woolworths and Coles. (3) if you can’t find kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) use more ordinary soy sauce and add a good pinch of sugar.

 

Quick Lemon Loaf

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I had a sudden urge to whip up a cake in Covid lockdown. We have heaps of lemons on our tree at the moment so I didn’t have to think too far about which flavour.

There’s just the two of us at the moment and no visiting allowed, so I didn’t want to make anything huge. This little loaf was perfect and SO lemony! Lemons vary in size and the amount of juice they produce, but you will need about 3 lemons for this recipe.

125g butter at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour, sifted
Grated zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup lemon juice
Syrup:
6 Tbs lemon juice
6 Tbs icing sugar

Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper, or use a silicone pan (shown in the photo) which doesn’t need to be lined. Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix butter and sugar in food processor until smooth and creamy, stopping halfway to scrape down the sides. Add the eggs and when combined add the sifted lour and lastly the lemon juice. Scrape into the loaf tin and smooth the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to touch in the middle. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Don’t overcook or cake will be dry and crumbly.

Meanwhile for the syrup mix the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small bowl. When cake is ready prick it all over with a toothpick or skewer to make holes right to the bottom. Pour the syrup slowly and evenly over the hot cake. Leave to cool.

 

Pasta with Chicken, Bacon, Artichokes & Spinach

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Roast chickens were half price when I did my supermarket shopping this week. They are always handy to have in the fridge to whip up one or two quick meals.

I used one drumstick and one thigh to fill a couple of wraps for lunch. Onto the wraps I spread some home-made mayonnaise, then topped with the chicken, a few roasted pumpkin cubes with pesto (leftover from the previous night’s dinner), some lettuce leaves, grated carrot and a little Tomato Kasaundi – a delicious curried chutney which isn’t on Café Cat yet, but will be in due course. You could use another chutney. Invented on the spur of the moment, this wrap filling was a winning combination.

In an attempt to follow a fairly low carb diet we don’t eat a lot of pasta – maybe once or twice a month. When we do, I like to make something tasty with lots of additions, so it’s not all pasta. The only thing I had to nip to the corner shop for was the spinach, everything else was in the fridge or pantry. If you don’t have a cooked chicken in the fridge you could pan-fry one chicken breast instead.

250g pasta of your choice
80-100g chunky bacon bits (lardons)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup artichoke hearts (from a jar or can), sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves, firmly packed
1/3 cup cream
To serve:
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, keeping 1 cup of the cooking water, then put back into the pan with the reserved liquid.

Meanwhile cook the chunky bacon bits in a non-stick frying pan until browned and crispy. Remove from the pan. If you like discard the bacon fat but I usually keep it. Add the oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until soft and starting to brown. Add the onions to the pasta with the bacon, chicken, garlic, artichokes, spinach and cream. Turn on the heat just long enough to heat everything through, stirring. Season to taste.

Serve the pasta topped with grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 2-3