Chicken & Cheese Baked Enchiladas

At our third session in the Love Food kitchen, it was Mexican night!

Chicken and cheese baked enchiladas are a definite winter warmer and are on my top ten list of comfort foods. 

This enchilada has chicken and peppers as a filling with a home-made tomato sauce and lots of cheese to bind the whole thing together. 

A little time is taken over the preparation but the end results is a warm, cheesy, unctuous chicken dish that hits all the right spot.

All smiles at our Mexican night.

Ingredients

Preparation: 1 hours

Cooking: 30-45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients

800g chicken breast or chicken goujons

4 cups bell peppers cut into thin slices
3 cups grated cheese

12 tortillas

4 cups enchilada sauce

6 tsp enchilada spice

• Pre-heat the oven to at 180°C/160°C fan oven/gas mark 4.
• Slice the chicken into thin strips if using whole breasts.
• Heat the pan till it is hot and add a splash of oil, throw in the chicken and stir-fry over a medium heat for 2 minutes, add the peppers and cook until chicken is browned and thoroughly cooked.
• Mix the enchilada spices with tomato sauce and add 1 cup hot water.
• Pour half of the mixture over the chicken and peppers then add half the grated cheese and stir till everything is combined.
• Put the tortillas in the oven to warm up for a few minutes.
• Spoon the chicken filling onto the middle of each tortilla, wrap them up and place them fold down onto a lightly greased baking dish.
• Pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle over the rest of the grated cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbling.

Notes:

• For a vegetable enchilada just use a mix of sliced mushrooms, courgettes and aubergines and butter beans.

Beef (meatier taste), Turkey (lighter) or Pork can be used instead of chicken. They can be cooked in strips or minced.

Enchilada Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
• 4 tsp chilli powder
• 4 tsp cumin powder
• 5 cups tomato sauce
• 3 cups vegetable stock or water
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Cook the onions in hot oil till they turn brown.
Add garlic & ginger paste, chilli powder, cumin powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomato sauce and water to the mix, bring to the boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Season to taste. It can be kept in the fridge for1 week or frozen for 3 months.

Enchilada Spice Mix

Ingredients

• 4 tsp chilli powder
• 5 tsp paprika
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp thyme

Mix all the ingredients together by shaking in a bottle.

A spicy teatime

A visit to the specialist supermarket resulted in a tea of onion bhaji, channa dal and chicken dupiaza (which had a bit of a kick). Recipes to follow.

Happy days!

Samosas – the quick and easy way

Mom taught me how to make samosas from scratch when I was a kid. That meant making the samosa dough as well. It was a family affair when all my aunts, sisters, myself and Mom would be making samosas and other delicious goodies just before Eid - normally the night the new moon was sighted. 


We live in busy times now so here is a quick and easy way of making some spicy tasty samosas that will melt in your mouth! Of course as usual I have put my stamp on it and even though its no match to Mum's cooking, it does hold its own and you can make petite ones or giant ones (best baked) based on who you want to impress!


Preparation 30 minutes                                
Cooking: 15-20 minutes oven/5 minutes frying
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Here's some I made earlier!

4 large white potatoes, peeled, boiled & mashed
½ cup boiled & drained green peas
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp mint sauce

4 spring onions finely chopped

1 packet filo pastry (you may need two)

Oil for deep frying the samosas (if not baking in oven)
1 small bowl of melted butter or flour paste (if frying)

Method

• Put the potatoes, peas, onion & spices along with tomato paste, mustard, spring onion and mint sauce in a pan and mix well.
• Now cut the filo sheets in half and put a damp cloth over to stop from drying out. They will be rectangular in shape.
• Lay each cut sheet out and place a heaped tablespoon on the long end of the sheet.
• Fold over to one end and keep folding into a triangle.
• If baking in oven - seal the ends with melted butter and keep aside on a tray. Make the rest the same way.
• Place on baking trays next to each other - give a light egg wash and bake in oven 200 C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• If frying, seal each samosa with flour paste which is just four and water mixed till you get a wet glue like consistency.
• Heat vegetable oil in a wok. When the oil is very hot put 2 samosas in. Remove when crisp and brown.Drain on kitchen towel to take excess oil out.
• Eat while still warm with mint raita dip & tomato chutney.

Korma Sauce

This curry is dedicated to my vegetarian friends Raymond and Allison. Since I made this curry for them they have been asking me for the recipe so I have finally come around to doing it! I am just putting the basic curry mix so you can add vegetables, or chicken whatever takes your fancy.

This is a very mild and creamy curry so anyone who has a desire to have hot curries can add chilli flakes when the curry is simmering. In the vegetable curry I also added sultanas and pineapple to make it fruity!

Preparation: 20 minutes                      Cooking: 30-45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground garlic
2 onions finely chopped (use a chopper)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup ground almonds
1 ½ cups Greek yoghurt
½ cup creamed coconut
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
handful coriander leaves roughly chopped
salt to taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, stirring till they start to getting a golden hue. Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, paprika and turmeric powder. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the oil comes on top.
• Add the almonds, stir in then add yoghurt & creamed coconut. Increase heat to medium and stir the mix till it starts bubbling. If the mix is beginning to dry just add a little water or the liquid from creamed coconut can. Reduce heat to low - at this point it should have a creamy texture.
• Taste the curry sauce and add a little salt (you may not need it). It is at this stage you can add the vegetables or chicken and simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander just before serving.

I hope you like this version of korma. There are many ways of making a creamy mild curry so as long as you stick to gentle spices you can create your own version! If you have a particular recipe which is a family favourite (and your own recipe), I will be happy to put it up.

Zingy & spicy curry sauce

Preparation: 10 minutes                     

Cooking: 20 – 25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium sized onions peeled and ground (use a chopper)

2 whole garlic peel and grind with the onion

2 large aubergines thick sliced lengthways (if using)

2 tablespoon oil

3 or 4 teaspoon grounded cumin

2 to 3 teaspoons red chilli powder

Juice of 2 large lemons

4 tablespoons coconut milk

3 teaspoon tomato paste

Salt to taste

Method

• Put oil in the pan and heat slightly, add the ground onion & garlic mixture, sauté till light brown.
• Add the cumin, chilli and stir till mixed well. Add a little salt to start with as you can always add more according to taste. Stir the mixture in medium heat for about 3 minutes.
• Add quarter of the lemon juice, coconut milk and tomato paste, cooking for a couple of minutes. Finally add rest of the lemon juice, put the lid on and cook in low heat for about 8 minutes or until the oil comes up.
• Add the aubergines and simmer in low heat for 15 minutes. Do not add water as the aubergine will release enough liquid to add to the curry sauce. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and green chillies right at the end.

Note

You can add meat or other vegetables if you don’t like aubergines. Cooking times will vary depending on the meat and vegetable used.

Tarka Daal & Paratha

I have been meaning to put Tarka Daal & Paratha recipes which complement the Biryani recipe really well. Hope you enjoy making them and do let me know how you got on. These recipes are great when entertaining and the good part is the hard work is done before guests arrive so you can enjoy their company while final cooking is going on!

Tarka Daal (Lentil Curry)

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking:  1 ½ hours                

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil
1 cup yellow lentil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or paste)

1 tsp ginger powder (or paste)

1 large onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup tomatoes chopped

Tarka
3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation 

• Soak lentils overnight in cold water to allow them to swell up and soften.
• Wash thoroughly and drain before putting in a pan. Cover with cold water to come up half an inch above the lentils.
• Add onions, turmeric, garlic & ginger and stir to mix well. Bring to the boil & simmer in low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatoes and salt and simmer for another 15 minutes. By this time the whole mix will look mushy.
• Blend the mixture using a hand blender until it looks smooth & has a creamy texture.
• Now prepare the tarka.  Fry garlic in olive oil till dark brown.  Pour the daal in a serving dish and add the sizzling tarka on top.

 Notes:

• Use fresh garlic & ginger to have a lighter taste - just peel 2 cloves and press into a smooth paste and grate a small piece of ginger.
• Always put salt & tomato at the end to ensure lentils are cooked thoroughly.
• Add cumin seeds along with sliced garlic to make the spiced tarka.
• Extra garnish of chopped fresh coriander and 4-5 whole green chillies may be added on top of the tarka to give an aromatic finish.

Paratha

Bread is an essential part of Pakistani cuisine. Roti (chapatti) and Naan are the most widely eaten flat breads in Pakistan with Paratha a close favourite.  It is often made for breakfast and has variations to suit all sort of occasion.

Karachi the port city of Pakistan boasts of as many as 100 varieties of paratha!

The main difference between roti and paratha is that roti is made with flour and water whereas paratha usually incorporates ghee or oil. The dough is rolled out and brushed with ghee (clarified butter) or oil then folded again, brushed with more ghee and folded again. This is then rolled out to a circle and cooked on a flat hot surface. The heat makes the layers of dough puff up slightly, resulting in a more flaky texture.

They can be flavoured with different herbs & spices, rolled, stuffed or just eaten as an accompaniment to meat, fish and vegetable dishes and make an rich & luxurious addition/replacement to rice.

Time: 30 minutes plus preparation time 1 1/2  hours

Makes 6 large parathas (twice rolled bread)

Ingredients:

2 cups atta or plain white flour

½ cup wholemeal flour

1 cup lukewarm water

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil 

• First sift the 2 flours together, add salt and then add enough water to mix into pliable dough. You may need a little bit more than one cup of water but start with half the amount and see how the dough mixes. If dough is too wet then add some more flour.
• Keep aside for at least half an hour to rest.
• Divide the dough into 6 and roll in to smooth balls. Now roll each ball out to about 8 cm (about the thickness of a pound coin) and brush a little oil on top.
• Start folding from one side and once in the shape of a tube roll into a coil shape 
• Heat a dry non stick griddle pan or large heavy frying pan.
• Roll each coil shaped ball out to about 8 cm (round) and place on the heated pan.
• Turn over after about a minute (the cooked side will have started to go white) and while the other side is cooking brush some vegetable oil on the cooked side.
• Turn this side over to cook and brush the cooked side with some more oil.
• Press with a flat spoon to brown evenly and turn over a few times to ensure both sides are cooked.
• The paratha is ready when you cannot see any raw dough and it will turn a nice golden brown. Place on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep moist.

Classic Biryani

My passion for food started in my mother’s kitchen when I was ten years old. I was fascinated by how easy everything was to make and the complex tastes I experienced from simple ingredients. This version of a classic chicken and rice dish – Biryani - is a mixture of mother’s version combined with my additions through the years.

Preparation:  45 minutes (+ marinate overnight)       

Cooking: 1 hour    Serves 6

Ingredients

Biryani with tarka dal and paratha

1 whole chicken (1200 gms) skinned and cut into 8 pieces
½ cup cooking oil
4 cups Basmati rice
¼ tsp haldi (turmeric)
2  tsp ginger & garlic paste
2  large potatoes

4 large tomatoes
1 cup yoghurt
2 large onions thinly sliced
4 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp zafran (saffron) soaked in rose water

Method

• To marinate the chicken put the yoghurt, haldi & saffron in a bowl & mix them with the chicken. Leave to marinate either overnight or for at least 3 hours.
• Wash the rice and then soak it in water with 4 tsp salt and let it soak for 3 hours.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the sliced onion till brown, not golden but slightly dark brown, take this out and put it on a paper towel so the oil is soaked in. Then crush the onions and keep to one side.
• In the remaining oil put the chicken first and cook in high temperature until all the water has dried then put the remaining yoghurt in along with salt, cover the pan for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is done and you have a curry mix. The oil will have separated and risen to the top.
• Boil the rice until half cooked, strain. When all the water has strained, mix the fried crushed onions and garam masala.
• Cut the potatoes into thick slices. Put some of the oil from the chicken curry in the bottom of a wide pan and layer the potatoes on top followed by a layer of tomatoes. Then put half of the rice, followed by chicken curry. Put the rest of the rice on top to cover completely.
• Make 5 holes on top of the rice and put the zafran/rose water mixture.
• Cover this tightly by putting a cloth on top of the pan then tie a knot over the lid.
• Let this cook for ten minutes in high fire, open the cover slightly, when you see steam come out, then lower the fire and let it cook (dum) for another 30 minutes.

Note: If you don’t like chicken on the bone then get 6 large breast pieces which you can cook either whole or cut each piece into two making 12 generous sized pieces.

Aloo Gosht

A tasty treat today - beef and potato curry!

Preparation: 20 minutes                         

Cooking:      45 minutes

Serves:        6 - 8

Ingredients

1 kg rump steak

½ kg potatoes, peeled & chopped into 2 inch cubes

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ turmeric

½ tsp paprika powder

2 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 ½ tsp garam masala

1 ½ tbsp ginger paste

1 ½ tbsp garlic paste

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 large dollop full fat yoghurt

1 cup vegetable or beef stock

3-4 whole green chillies

1 bunch fresh coriander chopped

Up to 1½ tsp salt (to taste)

Preparation

• Marinate meat in turmeric, paprika, coriander powder, garlic & ginger paste. Cover & place in fridge.
• Par boil the potatoes, drain and fry in hot oil. Sear potatoes on all sides till brown. Turn out on paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Put olive oil in a pan and heat.  Add onions and fry till they are browned.  Add marinated beef and stir in high heat to sear all sides.
• Add any left over marinade, potatoes & stock. Put chillies in & reduce temperature, cover & simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, yoghurt & salt (taste seasoning and add salt as required). Stir well & sprinkle fresh coriander on top.  Cover once more & simmer for another 15-20 minutes till oil comes to the surface of the pan.

Serve hot with rice or bread & a yoghurt condiment.

Extras:

• Use braising steak when you intend to cook this curry very slowly.
• If you want a spicier version use chilli powder instead of paprika and add chopped green chilli as part of marinade.
• Onions can be chopped instead of sliced if you want a smoother finish to the curry.
• If you don’t have ginger & garlic paste handy you can get away with using powder however I feel it does not add the freshness you get when you make the paste on the day!
• I usually use stock granules as it does the same job.

One pot winter warmer

Well, it looks like today's going to be a write-off weather-wise, so here's a recipe to keep the cold at bay.

Prepping: 20 minutes                          

Cooking: 2 hours approx

Serves: 4 hungry people

Ingredients:                                                                  

600gm topside of beef cubed                         

400gm butter beans                                         

300gm cannelloni beans                                  

300gm pinto beans                                          

12 shallots peeled                                                        

8 medium mushrooms quartered

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pint beef stock or boiling water

Herbs & Spices:

1 tsp hot paprika powder

1 tbsp coarse ground pepper

2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs mixed dried herbs

Method:

• Sprinkle beef cubes with flour and pat all sides. Heat oil in large pan and add the beef cubes.
• Sear all sides and once sealed remove from pan. Add shallots to same pan and cook in beef juices for 5 minutes or till they are slightly coloured. Reduce temperature to lowest setting.
• Put beef cubes back in pan along with paprika, pepper & tomato paste. Mix well making sure all the gooey mix at the bottom on the pan starts lifting to give a deep dark texture. Add all the beans, mushrooms, vinegar and beef stock/water.
• Stir, bring to the boil and then throw in the bay leaves and dried herbs. Reduce temperature to low and cover the pan. Simmer for 1½ hours or till the gravy thickens and beef is tender.
• Serve with mashed potatoes mixed with wholegrain mustard.

Notes:

1. I used canned beans to save time. Drain excess liquid before adding to pan.
2. The bottom of the pan will catch but don’t panic - that is what will make the base of the gravy, giving a rich flavour to the whole dish. When the meat is simmering in low heat, gently mix the liquid with ingredients caramelized at the bottom of the pan.
3. Add 1 cup of red wine to give it an even deeper flavour.
4. If you want thicker gravy, cook in high heat for 15 minutes with the lid off. This should be done after about an hour of simmering to ensure beef is meltingly soft.