CHILLI CON CARNE

A hot and spicy filler that's high on flavour but low in salt.

• Serves: 2
• Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ tbsp oil
• 100g lean beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp coriander
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 100g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small can of kidney beans or if not baked beans 
• black pepper, freshly ground 
• 150g basmati rice, raw

Method

1. Brown the mince over a gentle heat, stirring to stop it from sticking.

2. Add the onion and garlic to the mince and cook for two to three minutes.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and spices. Bring the sauce to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

5. Add the chopped pepper and sliced mushrooms and simmer for five minutes.

6. Add the drained kidney beans or baked beans and simmer for another five minutes.

7. Add the pepper to taste and serve with boiled rice.

Other options

Serve any leftover sauce with baked potatoes.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breasts, skinned
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and quartered
• 2 small onions
• 225g can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 medium sweet pineapple
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 4 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 6 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
• 5 tbsp sunflower oil 

WF

METHOD

1. 01.Cut the chicken breasts into 2cm chunks, place in a small bowl and sprinkle over a little salt. Cut the red peppers and red onions into similar-size pieces and place in a separate bowl. Rinse the bamboo shoots, drain and dice. Add to the vegetables and set aside.
2. 02.Top and tail the pineapple, then cut away the skin and thickly slice before coring each slice and cutting into chunks. In a separate bowl, mix the cornflour with 100ml water, the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ketchup.
3. 03.Place the flour and egg in a bowl and beat with a whisk until it forms a smooth batter. Mix in the chicken and coat thoroughly. Preheat a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the sunflower oil and once sizzling hot, add half the chicken. Fry briskly for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side for 2 minutes or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, then add the remaining chicken and repeat.
4. 04.If necessary, drain all but 2 tbsp oil from the pan, then add the vegetables and stir-fry briskly for 30 seconds before adding the pineapple. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then mix in the chicken followed by the sauce. Boil briskly for another minute or so, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens. Serve with steamed rice.

Tom Yam Kung

It's great that one of the dishes that have pretty much put Thai cuisine on the world map is so easy to make? Tom Yum Kung is a main course soup made by simply cooking whole shrimp gently in simmering infused broth and seasoning it to taste. If you can make a good cup of tea, chances are you’d be good at making Thai hot and sour soup as well.

For the sake of simplicity and practicality, let’s not talk about the version of Tom Yam I had growing up or the version you had growing up for they may be different from one another and/or from the version featured here. Let’s not talk about the various versions of Tom Yam documented in cookbooks from a bygone era by so and so who died in such and such year for the fact that most of us today have never had or continue to make them that way has rendered such discussions useful merely as an intellectual exercise with little relevance.

If I’m right in assuming that the purpose at hand is to replicate the most common version of this iconic Thai soup which you have most likely encountered at your local Thai restaurant, then I hope what you find here will serve you well.

With that out of the way, the only things left to mention are as follows:

• This is a very simple recipe, and as you may have noticed from your experience in cooking and baking, the “simpler” the recipe, the more it relies on proper and good-quality ingredients as well as flawless execution. This principle applies here — big time. You need all of the ingredients listed here. All of them need to be fresh. All of them need to be present. None can be substituted (except for the vegetarian version discussed below).
• If you don’t have all of the ingredients listed here, I recommend that you use commercial, ready-made Tom Yam paste that comes in a glass jar or in little cubes. Simply follow the package instructions. This is far better than making Tom Yam with missing ingredients, and nobody should make you feel guilty about using it.
• As opposed to my favourite Tom Yam wherein the broth derives the flavour from bone-in pieces of meat such as oxtail, this shrimp Tom Yam needs some help from other animals. The shrimp won’t impart much flavour to the broth since it’s technically poached in it very quickly, and cooking it longer will only render its flesh tough and rubbery. You need to use a broth, preferably made with chicken or pork bones as most commonly done in Thailand. Beef broth doesn’t work well here; neither does broth made the Western way. Simple, concentrated chicken or pork broth works best.
• If you use commercial broth, be mindful of the sodium content. This recipe is tested with unseasoned broth. If your broth is salty, reduce the amount of fish sauce accordingly.
• Only cilantro is used here to accent the finished soup. I personally like to add some mint leaves in addition to cilantro. Some people add a few fresh Thai basil leaves, but that’s by no means common.
• I don’t like tomatoes in my Tom Yam. However, if the version of Tom Yam you like contains tomato chunks, by all means, add about one medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch chunks, to the simmering broth the same time you do the mushrooms.

• As mentioned above, shrimp should not be overcooked. In fact, once the broth is done, it’s simply a matter of poaching the shrimp in it. You really don’t want to cook the shrimp in boiling liquid.
• A newer, non-traditional-yet-much-loved version of Tom Yam Kung has milk added to it. Evaporated milk seems to be the most common milk of choice. These days, when you order Tom Yam Kung at a Thai restaurant or food stall, you’d be asked whether you’d like your Tom Yam “Nam Sai” (clear broth) or “Nam Khon” (creamy broth). To make Tom Yam Kung Nam Khon (ต้มยำกุ้งน้ำข้น), simply follow the recipe below, replacing 1/2 cup of the broth with evaporated milk or half-and-half. Add the milk to the pot after the shrimp has been cooked. No need to bring the whole thing to a boil; simply heat it through. Some curdling may or may not occur; don’t sweat it.
• For a vegetarian version, start out with vegetable broth and replace the shrimp with tofu or triple the amount of mushrooms this recipe calls for. Use salt instead of fish sauce (I wouldn’t use soy sauce in this dish). Also, if the negligible amount of dried shrimp and shrimp paste in Nam Prik Pao is an issue, you can skip it entirely. The flavour of the end product will be slightly different, but if you’re used to dishes that contain no animal products, you may not notice or be bothered by it.

Lovely Curry

A fantastic curry isn't impossible to rustle up at home

 

Whenever possible, use meat on the bone. It provides the curries with much more depth and flavour. And always add whole spices to hot oil, and allow the spices to crackle and pop before adding the other ingredients - this releases the flavours into the oil.

Cheap, ground spices such as turmeric, red chillies, cumin and coriander can be added during cooking and can last 30 minutes to an hour without losing flavour.

However, with more expensive spices such as mace, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and garam masala, these need to be used at the very end of the cooking as a finishing spice.

Where possible, always finish curry with chopped, fresh coriander, fresh ginger and fresh green chillies. In addition, try to add a twist of lemon or lime to give that extra freshness and zing.

Puree large batches of ginger and garlic paste, freezing them in ice cube trays for when you’d like to cook a curry in the future. You can pop them in your sauce pan while cooking straight from the freezer.

Also, If your curry turns a tad too salty, add a few small balls of uncooked dough to the gravy. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Let them soak in the curry until you’re ready to serve it out.

When using yoghurt in marinades make sure to whisk lightly as they can be quite thick and fatty, and this will prevent it from splitting.

 The secret to making a great curry is cooking out the onions until they are caramelised, not golden brown nor see-through: they must be really brown. This is the secret to getting many sauces right.

Also, do not be reluctant to experiment with using Indian spices. The more you practice, the better you will get. If your recipe says one teaspoon of cumin seeds and you add an extra half teaspoon by mistake, don't worry, it's not going to make your curry a disaster: in fact it may even make it taste nicer. So play around with the spices.

If you don't have a particular spice, try substituting it with another, e.g. if you do not have carom seeds try replacing them with coriander seeds. It's good to try out the flavours and have confidence when you are cooking. The only spices that you really should be careful with are red chilli powder and salt, because you don't want to add too much of either.

Buy whole or very fresh spices. I have two spice tins that stack on top of each other. In one I have my most commonly used spices (ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and salt), in the other my favourite whole spices (cloves, cassia bark, black peppercorns, green and black cardamoms, mace, dried bay leaves). I grind whole spices into small batches and once used up I do it again. It makes a massive difference in the final dish and I don’t have jars of stale powdered spices lurking in the back of my cupboards.

Taste your dish and season well. Even a great curry will be flat without salt, that amazing conductor of flavour and if you have gone to all the trouble of lovingly making a curry it seems a shame to fall at the last hurdle. I hold occasional cookery classes and not one person has ever seasoned correctly without my prompting.

If you are creating a coconut milk-based curry, add corn flour into the mix to prevent curdling

Also, to avoid eye irritation when handling onions, I recommend lighting a candle and placing it beside you when peeling and chopping as it helps to reduce tears and prevent aggravation to the eyes.

Many Indian dishes, including curries, often use chilli - which is a surprisingly versatile ingredient. I find that often people either say they love the flavour and the heat or they tend to shy away from it thinking it will always be too spicy.

We use chillies for a bit of heat but also for the really subtle and complex flavour they can add to a dish, depending on the type of chilli. To make the most of the ingredient it’s important to consider when to add it into a meal. When added to a curry earlier on in the cooking process it gives a milder heat. However, if you like a little more kick, add it a bit later on when cooking or simmering. At Trishna we add fresh diced chilli into some of our dishes to create depth and heat. However, if you’re making a curry at home for people who have different heat tolerances try adding in whole fresh chillies when cooking. This allows the chillies to only be served to those who can handle the heat.”

When preparing your curry, score the meat and gently rub the spices into the meat for five minutes. The heat from your hands will help the spices absorb into the meat and make it lovely and tender.

Also, game meats are also a great choice for curries and shouldn’t be overlooked, including duck, woodpigeon, and guinea fowl.

People normally only think of coriander as the herb to use in Indian food: however, many other herbs are used such as dill, mint, fenugreek and curry leaves. Curry leaves are one of my favourites and add a unique touch to a fish curry or a lentil dish. Temper them in hot oil and scatter at the end of add a few during cooking. Add dill to a potato curry as a fresh alternative too.

Revealed: How to lose weight - drink plenty of red wine

Research shows that resveratrol, an ingredient fround in grapes, berries and red wine can help turn flab into calorie-burning 'brown' fat. Just drink responsibly!

Red wine ingredient have been linked to lower diabetes risk 

Wine lovers rejoice! Research has shown that an ingredient in grapes, berries and red wine can turn excess flab into calorie-burning "brown" fat. The discovery suggests that diets containing the substance, resveratrol, may help combat obesity.

Scientists gave mice amounts of resveratrol equivalent to humans consuming 12 ounces of fruit per day. They found that despite a high fat diet, the mice gained 40% less weight than animals not fed the compound.

The research showed that the mice were able to change their excess white fat to active "brown" or "beige" fat which reduces weight gain by burning up calories. Other "polyphenol" chemicals in fruit may have a similar effect, the scientists believe.

• Is red wine really healthy?

Lead researcher Professor Min Du, from Washington State Univesity, US, said: "Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won't be overloaded. They convert white fat into beige fat which burns lipids (fats) off as heat, helping to keep the body in balance and prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction. We are using resveratrol as a representative for all the polyphenols."

_{Research shows a glass of wine could be good for you}

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and apples are especially rich in the compounds, he said. Twelve ounces amounts to about two or three servings.

• How many calories are in your alcohol?

Red wines such as merlot or cabinet sauvignon are known to contain resveratrol, but at a fraction of the levels found in grapes, Prof Du pointed out. "Many of the beneficial polyphenos are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process," he said.

The findings are reported in the International Journal of Obesity.

Black Pudding

Fry-up fans have something to cheer about in 2016 - 
the humble black pudding is now being hailed as a 'superfood' thanks to its nutritional benefits.

The Daily Mail has drawn up a list of 16 foods predicted to be 'huge' in 2016, including black beans, seaweed, avocado oil - and breakfast staple black pudding.

• Why the humble black pudding has been taken off the breakfast blacklist

"Loaded with protein, potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as being practically carb free, it is expected to fly off the shelves," she writes.

"It's also rich in iron and zinc - two minerals frequently missing from modern diets. Iron is needed to make healthy blood cells and prevent anaemia."

"2015 saw healthy eating reach a new level and this year we predict this trend is only going to get bigger.

"It's been interesting to note how people are changing their habits depending on the new buzz words in clean eating.

"Some of the foods have been on the up for a while like avocado oil and maca root, but others like mushrooms and black pudding have been a total surprise to us."It's great to have this new research available to find out the hidden qualities in food and we can't wait to see how these new trends take off."