Chicken Jalfrezi

A really easy but very tasty curry this one, packed with chillis, onions and chunky green peppers. Sorry about the picture quality, my camera battery died so I had to use my mobile.

Ingredients - (serves 1)

One chicken breast, or boneless chicken thigh - diced into bite sized pieces.
Half an onion - chopped into fairly large pieces
Half a green pepper - chopped into fairly large pieces
1 large tomato, cut into eight segments
2 cloves of garlic - peeled
2cm piece of ginger - peeled.
1-2 green chillis (depending on how hot you like it)
A few sprigs of coriander - roughly chopped
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala (use curry powder if you don't have garam masala, but you'll be missing out!)
Salt
2tbsp tomato passata
1tbsp low fat natural yoghurt
1tbsp vegetable oil

Method -

1 - Using a hand blender, make a marinade from the ginger, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, and a pinch of salt by adding a little water and blending together. (if you don't have a blender, grate the ginger and garlic as finely as you can, and mix with the other ingredients and a little water)

2 - Put the chicken pieces into a bowl, pour over the marinade, mix well and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Longer if you can, even overnight if you want to prepare in advance.

3 - When the chicken has marinated, heat the vegetable oil in a wok or saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the green peppers, onions and chillis. Fry gently for about 7-8 minutes.

4 - Add the tomato pieces and a pinch of salt. Fry for another 5 minutes or so until the peppers and onions are tender, and the tomatos are starting to break up. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep to one side.

4 - Pour a touch more oil if you need to into the pan, then add the cumin seeds. Once they start to spit and pop, add the chicken and the marinade. Fry gently for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is sealed. Add a splash of water if the marinade starts to dry out on the pan.

5 - Stir in the chilli powder, and the tomato passata, and mix well. Cook for a few more minutes, then add the yoghurt, mix well and cook for another minute or so.

6 - Add the cooked vegetables to the pan, stirring well and cook until all is warmed through.

7 - Sprinkle in the coriander, then serve with rice or chappatis/rotis/naan. Job done.

Note - For the veggies it can easily be done with halved button mushrooms, half a tin of butter beans (my wife's favourite), or a selection of mixed veg (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc)

Chorizo and cherry tomato rigatoni

This is the perfect quick dinner. Sweet cherry tomatoes mixed with smoky, spicy Chorizo sausage , with a hint of garlic and basil. Fast, filling and tasty!

Ingredients (serves 2)

175-200g Dried Rigatoni pasta (depends how hungry/enormous you are)
1 tin of cherry tomatoes.
1/3 of a Chorizo Picante - chopped roughly
Half an onion - chopped finely
2 Garlic cloves - minced
1tsp of smoked paprika
Half a glass of red wine (optional)
Handful of basil leaves - torn
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp of olive oil

Method -

1 - Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the pack.

2 - Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and fry until it softens and becomes translucent. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook until the oil comes out of the sausage.

3 - Add the smoked paprika and stir well. If using the wine, add it now, and cook down until only a third of the liquid remains.

4 - Add the cherry tomatoes, and stir well, breaking them up gently with your spoon. Cook down for 4-5 minutes.

5 - Salt & pepper to taste, then add the basil leaves. Mix well and add the pasta to the sauce. Stir through and serve! A bit of shaved parmesan on top works really well, or a splash of chilli oil and plenty of black pepper.

Note - you can change the chorizo for halved button mushrooms for a veggie option, as the smoked paprika will still give you that lovely smokey taste.

Mexican feast!

This recipe doesn't quite fit into my "single portions" plan, but we had a few friends round for food the other night and I knocked this up. It's perfect for four people, and if you prepare it using a roast chicken you end up with half a chicken for meals through the following week, as well as a carcass to make stock for noodle soup or whatever takes your fancy. It's quite time consuming, hence doing it for a special occasion rather than your average rushed midweek, but it's well worth doing! Believe me, you could just open some tins of refried beans, but it would taste nowhere near as good as this. Note, you can do nearly all of this well in advance, apart from the Spiced vegetables - just make sure everything is heated properly before serving, especially the rice.

Chipotle Chicken and Corn Burrito ingredients -

For the sauce -
2 medium sized tomatos - halved
1 small onion - quartered
2 green chillis - halved
Small bunch of coriander - chopped
1-2 tsp's Chipotle puree (chipotle's are smoked jalapenos, and this puree gives the burrito a lovely warm smokey flavour)
pinch of salt and pepper

For the burritos -
2 tbsp veg or olive oil
Half a roast chicken ( you can use a ready cooked half chicken from your supermarket, or cook up a couple of chicken breasts to make things easier)
Half a small can of sweetcorn (you'll use the rest in the rice!)
Half a small onion
2 cloves garlic - minced
Pinch of oregano
Grated mild cheddar - as much as you want to fill out the burritos basically.
Four flour tortillas

Mexican Rice Ingredients -

1 tbsp veg or olive oil
250mls of Long grain rice - washed and soaked for 30 minutes (measure it in a measuring jug)
500mls of vegetable stock
half a small onion - finely chopped
Half a small can of sweetcorn
1 garlic clove - minced
4 or 5 jalapeno slices, chopped roughly
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1tbsp of tomato puree
75mls of tomato passata
Handful of coriander - finely chopped

Refried Beans ingredients

1 tbsp veg or olive oil
2 300g cans of pinto beans - drained
half a small onion - chopped finely
1 clove of garlic - minced
3 or 4 jalapeno slices - chopped roughly
2 tsp groundcumin
1 tsp chilli powder
Enough water to cover the beans by a few cms
Half a cup of veg oil to refry (this looks terrifying, but refried beans are full of fat no matter where you get them from, so just deal with it!)

Spiced Peppers and Onions -

Splash of olive or vegetable oil
1 red pepper - sliced thickly
1 green pepper - sliced thickly
1 red onion - sliced thickly
pinch each of paprika, oregano, chilli powder, salt, pepper and garlic granules

Method -

1 - If you're roasting a chicken, do it first as per the label instructions. If you've got any mexican seasoning rub it on the skin with some olive oil. Slapping half a lemon in the cavity along with some bashed garlic cloves can't hurt either! Once cooked, put aside to rest, covering it with tin foil and some tea towels to keep it warm.

2 - While the chicken cooks, you can prepare the sauce. Put the tomato halves, onion quarters and chilli halves onto a baking tray. Stick them in the oven along with the chicken and let them roast for 10-15 minutes until they are slightly charred.

3 - Using a handblender or food processor, blitz the roasted veg along with the coriander and a pinch of salt and pepper. This is your burrito cooking sauce, so put it to one side for now.

4 - For the refried beans, take a large pan, and heat the oil. Add your onions, garlic and jalapenos and fry until soft. Add the cumin and chilli powder, and fry for 30 seconds.

5 - Pour in the drained beans, and stir well. Add the water, making sure the beans are well covered. Bring to the boil, then simmer for at least an hour, to an hour and a half, until the water is almost entirely evaporated and the remaining liquid is thick. Mash with a potato masher so about 2/3s of the beans are pulped. Set aside

6 - Once your chicken and beans are cooked, you can start the rice. In a heavy based frying pan, heat the oil for your rice. Add the rice and toast it in the pan for 6 or 7 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn or stick. Then add the onions, jalapenos and garlic and fry until softened.

7 - Add the Sweetcorn, the cumin and the oregano, fry for a further minute, then stir in the tomato puree for a minute, taking care to coat the rice as much as possible.

8 - Add the veg stock, then the tomato passata, bring to the boil, cover, then reduce to a simmer for around 10 minutes. Once it has cooked, take it off the heat, and stir through the coriander. Put a double layer of kitchen paper on top of the rice and recover. Leave to the side.

9 - To prepare the burritos, first shred a chicken breast, leg and thigh with a fork. Now heat the oil for the burritos in a large pan, and add the onion and garlic til softened. Add the shredded chicken, the pinch of oregano, and the chipotle puree. Mix well, then add the roasted veg sauce and the sweetcorn. Heat through thoroughly, stirring well. You can add a little water to loosen the mix if it's too dry, but not too much!

10 - Spoon the mix evenly down the centre of the tortillas, and top with as much cheese as you'd like. Roll them up and place them in an oven dish or on a baking tray. Cover over with tinfoil to stop them crisping up.

Bringing it all together!

1 - Heat the oven to 200 centigrade, and when it's hot enough put in the burritos for around 12-15 minutes.

2 - Heat the oil for refrying the beans, then add the beans and mix well with the oil, until the beans are creamy. Cook down for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.

3 - Put the rice back on the hob at medium to reheat, stirring to ensure it doesn't stick and burn.

4 - For the spiced vegetables, simply heat some oil in a frying pan, throw in the peppers and onions and stir fry for a minute. Add the spices, and stir fry for a further minute or two. Done!

5 - Plate up! Put the burrito in the centre of the plate, with the rice down the side. Add a generous spoon of beans in the middle of the other side, the spiced vegetables next to that, and some lettuce or salad. Top the burrito with salsa and soured cream.

6 - Eat and enjoy - best served with a margerita or three (one shot of tequila, one shot of cointreau, one shot of fresh lime juice, shaken with crushed ice, pour...)

Pad Thai - my style

Pad Thai is a pretty iconic Thai dish, but like any stir fry dish (or any dish for that matter), you don't have to keep it identical to any one specific recipe. So this is my attempt. Think I need some practice at this food photography lark though. Or at least some better plating up skills! Ah well, at least it was tasty.

Ingredients - (serves 1, do the math for more people...)

1 tbsp of vegetable or groundnut oil
One chicken breast - thinly sliced
One nest of dried egg wheat noodles (should be rice noodles in Pad Thai, but go with what you have)
1 egg - lightly beaten
1 red chilli - sliced
1 garlic clove - minced
Handful of mange tout - sliced in half
Handful of bean sprouts
Couple of spring onions - sliced into small lengths
1 tbsp of tamarind paste
1/2 tbsp of fish sauce or soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of brown sugar
A few sprigs of coriander - chopped or torn
Wedge of lime to serve

Method -

1 - Soak the noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain, and set aside. A splash of oil stops them from sticking together. Mix the tamrind, soy or fish sauce, and sugar together in a small bowl.

2 - Heat the oil in a wok, then add the garlic. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add your chicken. Stir fry until sealed. Now pour in the beaten egg, and stir until just cooked.

3 - Add the cooked noodles and fry for a minute, then add the tamarind sauce mixture and the chopped chilli. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the rest of the vegetables.

4 - After another minute or so (depending on how crunchy you like your veg), add the coriander, stir well, then serve. Add a wedge of lime on top for extra zing.

Note - chicken can be swapped for prawns or tofu, or all three. Traditionally this dish has roasted peanuts added to it, but I didn't have any, so add them if you do!

Chilli Chicken Ramen

Right then, first recipe time! This is my own version of the famous Japanese/Chinese dish, and is pretty similar to the one they do in Wagamama, and makes a great tasty lunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients list - serves 1 (double up ingredients for two people, natch!)

For the stock -
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 carrot - sliced
1 banana shallot - sliced
1 red chilli - sliced 1 clove of garlic - chopped, minced, sliced, whatever is easiest for you
2.5cm piece of ginger - peeled and finely sliced
1 litre of veg or chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy 40 mls of chinese cooking wine
Salt & Black pepper Pinch of Togarashi (japanese seasoning) if you have it, or chilli powder if not

To serve -
Ramen noodles - I use Blue Dragon ones, which come in sticks. Use 1 - 1.5 sticks depending on how hungry you are.
Chicken breast - fat trimmed off.
1 spring onion - finely sliced
Handful of coriander leaves - torn
Quarter of a red onion - sliced
Quarter of a red pepper - sliced
Handful of bean sprouts 1 red chilli - sliced

Method -

1 - In a fairly large pan heat the oil, then add the shallot. Once softened, add the garlic, chilli, ginger and carrot. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes until beginning to soften.

2 - Add the stock, the soy sauce, the chinese cooking wine, and the togarashi or chilli powder (if required). Also add a pinch of salt and pepper, but not too much salt - the stock and the soy will take care of that. Bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for 25- 30 minutes. Slice up your peppers, red onions, spring onions etc while it cooks.

3 - Strain stock into another pan through a sieve, discarding the remnants of the vegetables.

4 - Bring stock back to a simmer, then add your chicken breast. Make sure you don't boil it as this will make the chicken tough. A gentle simmer will make tender chicken. 7-10 minutes should do, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breast.

5 - Remove the cooked chicken and let it rest on a plate. Meanwhile, add your noodles to the stock for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Pour the cooked noodles and stock into a large serving bowl.

6 - Slice your chicken diagonally, and lay it on the noodles. It should sit nicely on top, "floating" in the stock. Arrange your other vegetables and coriander, scattering the spring onions and sliced chillis across the bowl. Serve with a wedge of lime, and enjoy it!

Note - you can make it with tofu instead of chicken for a vegetarian option, although it's better to stir fry cubes of tofu or griddle a large piece - I don't thikn the simmering option would work so well!

Store Cupboard Staples

The secret of being able to cook great food and not having to fall back on expensive microwave meals, takeaways or beans on toast, is having a well stocked store cupboard.

Now, it might seem a bit expensive at first, especially when you're stocking up on loads of spices, oils and sauces, but the payoff is truly worth it. Armed with these staples you'll be capable of turning out tidy tarka, ravishing ramen, and mouth watering mexican dishes at the drop of a hat, and you can do loads with only small pinches of each ingredient. It also makes finishing up those last bits in the fridge that much easier when you can transform them into a stir fry, curry, or pasta dish thanks to your cooks cupboard!

Bear in mind you don't need every single ingredient here, and you certainly don't need to buy them all at once, but they're worth picking up as and when you can afford them. Most will keep for ages, and as previously mentioned, they go a long way. There's plenty more you can add as you go along too, but these should get you started.

Herbs/Spices/powders -

Coriander Seeds - you can grind these up to get ground coriander. Obviously :D
Cumin Seeds - grindable, see above.
Turmeric
Chilli Powder
Paprika
Sea Salt
Black Peppercorns
Chilli flakes/dried red chillis
Dried Oregano
Dried Basil
Mixed herbs
Brown sugar

Sauces and oils-

Soy Sauce - You can't do chinese without it! Get the best you can, and try and get it without loads of additives. You'd be surprised at how much crap gets slapped in something that should only really have soy, salt, wheat, water and koji in it.
Fish Sauce - A Thai must have, but if you're veggie you can swap it for Soy. It won't be the same though.
Olive Oil - Get a huge bottle, as good as you can afford.
Chilli Oil - you can buy it, but why not make your own? Buy a small oil bottle from a kitchen ware store. Decant some of your olive oil into it. Add a good table spoon of chilli flakes, or a few dried chillis. Leave well alone for a few weeks. Voila! If you buy two bottles you can have one hotting up in the back of the cupboard while you use the other.
White wine vinegar
Chinese cooking wine.

Tins and jars -

Tinned tomatos - chopped will do just about everything you need, but tinned cherry are lovely with pasta.
Kidney beans - chillis and kidney beans were made for each other.
Pinto beans - mush em up and fry them for refried beans, or add to chillis. Or just eat them on the side!
Butter beans - great in curries according to my wife.
Jalapeno peppers - I can't live without them.
Sieved tomatos/passata - pastas, sauces and soups.
Mustard - get wholegrain and English, and you're covered.
Tomato puree
Vegetable stock/chicken stock powder - yes you can easily make fresh stock, but sometimes you just want it done quick!


Dried goods

Pasta of choice - always worth having spaghetti/linguine and something like penne/Rigatoni/Spirali.
Long grain rice - good staple ingredient, fine with stir fries, chillis, and loads more.
Basmati Rice - Curries wouldn't be curries without it. You can use long grain, but Basmati tastes and smells divine.
Red Lentils - perfect for soups and curries. Filling , hearty and cheap.
Egg Noodles - stir fries and soups.
Ramen noodles - bit more refined than egg noodles. For Ramen. But you knew that :D
Strong white bread flour - once you start making your own bread and pizza, there's no stopping you!
Dried yeast - for the above.

Armed with that little lot, you should be set for quite a few recipes!

Welcome to Gastro Boy!

As well as being obsessed with videogames and various other pop culture nonsense (see artificialconstruct for more details), I'm a keen cook. Nothing particularly fancy in my repertoire, but plenty of good, healthy, easy to cook dishes that anyone can learn how to cook, and everyone should.

In an age where concern and interest in topics such as food miles, the provenance of our meat, locally sourced produce, organic food, healthy eating etc is ever increasing, and in a time when we're all feeling the pinch thanks to the bloody banks, there's never been a better time to learn how to cook.

The benefits are manifold. You know what's going in your meal, so if you simply have to have all organic, you can. Likewise, you can control the amount of fat, salt and sugar - something that's not really possible with microwave ready meals or takeaways. You can tailor recipes to suit your particular likes and dislikes too, which is important if you've got fussy kids (or grown-ups!). You can avoid "dodgy", ethically unsound ingredients like Palm Oil too. Save the Orang-Utans while you munch, if you will.

It'll save you money too, as you can easily make takeaway favourites at home for a fraction of the cost - it just takes a decent store cupboard, a bit of confidence, and a little bit of time. I know we don't all have bags of time due to our busy lives, but perhaps we should try and reclaim a bit more back for ourselves. Cooking's a great way to unwind, and it does me the world of good after a crappy day at work - it might just do the same for you. Nothing quite beats the sense of satisfaction as you tuck into your homemade treat either, knowing it's healthier, greener, and cheaper. And just as tasty, if you get it right!

So with all that in mind I'm starting this blog. I'm not actually expecting anyone to read it, but you never know. Whenever I cook something new (which will be everything as the blog is just starting out...), I'm going to post pictures and recipes, all of which will be easy to cook, tasty, and as healthy as I can possibly make them. And because I'm used to cooking for two - one meat eater (me) and one vegetarian (the missus) - they'll be in handy single portion sizes, making them the perfect replacement for a microwave meal for one.

Some might be other people's recipes, some might be own creations, and some might be a mish mash of the two, but they'll all be yum.

And surely that's all anyone really wants?