CHICKEN THIGH WITH FRIED RICE AND LIME

Succulent chicken thighs marinaded with lime,soy and ginger then stir fryed with rice. A nod towards the orient but simple and achievable in the home kitchen! Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS;

2 chicken thighs
juice of 1 lime
2" piece of fresh ginger
1 medium green chilli
400g long grain rice
75g peas
3 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1 bunch of spring onions/scallions
2 tbsp of light soy
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp of veg oil
optional egg x 2

MARINADE;

Bone and dice two chicken thighs into 1cm pieces, place into a bowl with the juice of one lime, 1 tbsp of light soy sauce, half of the ginger and one medium green chilli. Cover and leave to marinade for a minimum of 1 hour.

RICE;

Bring 2 lts of salted water to the boil, add the rice and cook for approx 10 minutes. Reserve.

THE DISH;


PREP;
Finely dice the carrot,garlic and remaining ginger then slice the spring onion diagonally.


TO COOK;
Heat a wok with 1 tbsp of oil. Stir fry the chicken and marinade for 2 minutes then set aside . Wipe the wok clean and return to the heat - add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, add the garlic,carrot,ginger and chopped spring onion, cook for one minute, then add the peas. Stir fry for a further two minutes then add the rice and coat with the oil in the wok. Cook for a further 2 minutes then add the reserved chicken and marinade, season with salt and pepper to taste, cook for a further minute before adding 1 tbsp of soy and 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Toss or stir to combine and you are ready to serve.

If using the eggs, give a quick whisk, then add at the same time as the rice.

LAMB BURGER

RECIPE;
400g boned leg of lamb or lamb mince
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
10g fresh mint
Sea salt and Ground black pepper
olive oil

METHOD;
If using boned leg of lamb place the lamb into a food processor and blitz to break down. Now add the rest of your ingredients and season well. Turn off the processor at the mains and remove the blade, and form the mixture into burgers. Heat a skillet or frying pan and season the burgers again if so desired, now add to the hot oil and cook on both sides to your desired liking. Two - three minutes a side is more then sufficient.


Alternatively if using lamb mince place all the ingredients into a bowl and combine using you hands, the inclusion of an egg will help to bind the mixture.

Recipe makes 4 - 6 burgers depending on size.

LAMB AND PARSNIP CURRY

Consider a variation on a theme, could this be true of all curries? Each and every curry appears on the outside as a variation within a region! Cast your mind to a matinee performance. A matinee will be made up of several components, with the behind the scenes crew, minor actors and of course the stars of the show! How does this relate to a curry, well if you think of behind the scenes, spices come to mind, with the stars of the show being the main ingredients in this case the lamb and parsnip. I don't agree with that statement for one minute surely the stars are behind the scenes, these are the components that bring this dish alive! If the crew behind the scenes are musty, old and past there sell by date what hope have the so called stars of the show to shine.

I have been cooking curries for as long as i can remember with varied results. In truth i am a little scared of curries, not the heat but the margin of error that can be achieved with little effort.

It amazes me that friends of mine who are not usually associated with the kitchen claim to be a deft hand at the humble art of the curry! In my eyes it takes a good cook to make a good curry. In the west we were not bought up to watch mother, auntie or uncle lovingly prepare masala, spice blends or curry pastes! We were bought up with takeaways cooked by migrant workers, which in Britain gave birth to the anglicised curry! Which in it's own right has been voted the nations favourite dish. Tikka masala with it's roots emerging from that old Delhi favourite butter chicken, madras and Balti to name but a few, are all curries that were adapted to suit palates and environment, so here we come to my Lamb and parsnip curry although an anglicised curry and tasty one at that, it is worth a try with little skill required.



THE RECIPE;

Serves 4



SPICE MIX

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 cloves

6 black peppercorns

8 green cardamon pods(pods discarded)



GARLIC AND GINGER PASTE

10g fresh ginger

10g garlic

Pinch of salt

Using a pestle and mortar grind the ginger and garlic together with a pinch of salt until you achieve a smooth paste.



THE REST

4 tbsp of veg oil

400g lamb( i prefer to use boned leg)

4 medium parsnips(woody cores removed)

4 tbsp of plain yoghurt

2 bay leaves

1 lge onion(cut into slices)

1 400g tin of tomatoes

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of turmeric

1 medium green chilli( seeds left and sliced into rounds)

200 ml of water

salt

GARNISH

1 handful of fresh coriander

1 handful of fresh mint(optional)

A handful being a bunch finely chopped and scrunched up in the hand until you make a fist.

METHOD;

Prepare the lamb,parsnips and onion and set aside. Grind the spice mix in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy based saute pan and add the the garlic and ginger puree, fry for 1 minute then add the onion and cook until softened, add the spice mix and the lamb, cook for a further two minutes before adding the tomatoes, chilli powder and turmeric, stir to combine then add the water and bay leaves. Add the parsnips and allow to simmer until tender(30-35 minutes). Towards the end add the yoghurt and green chilli and stir through, cooking for a further 10 minutes before adding the coriander leaves. If using the mint add when plated as a garnish to avoid the unpleasant discolouration.