Lay The Table » Quick & Easy

Bexy Bexy kebabs (chicken mustard honey and soy kebabs)

Becs — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:55:31 +0000

So nice I had to name them twice. (Sorry Levi Roots!) These have long been a BBQ staple in my house. I remember the long lazy weekends after I graduated, sitting on Southsea Common with my friends eating these. They’re so easy to make, but they key to the flavour is the overnight marination.

This recipe calls for overnight marination, to maximise the flavours absorbed by the chicken. If you only do it for an hour or so the taste tends to get overpowered by the flavours of the BBQ.

{Makes at least 10 kebabs, depending on how much you put on each stick}

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
1tbsp english mustard
4tbsp dark soy sauce
3tbsp honey
1tbsp oil
Small handful fresh coriander
Kebabs skewers

Instructions

Slice the chicken into strips in the direction of the grain.
Crush the garlic clove and chop the coriander finely.
Combine all the marination ingredients into a large bowl and mix well, then add the chicken. Leave to marinate at least overnight, I try to make it 24 hours.
If using wooden kebab skewers, soak them in water before use to prevent them burning on the BBQ.
Carefully thread the chicken onto the skewers. I spread out the meat so that it cooks quite quickly and ensures even cooking.
Depending on how hot your BBQ is and how much meat is on each st, the chicken should take 5-10 minutes to cook. Always check they are cooked through before serving!

1950′s recipe: Malaysian Jahor Laksa

Becs — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:13:43 +0000

With the new series of Mad Men just beginning, it seems like an excellent time to tell you about a recipe book I’ve inherited from my maternal grandmother. Published in 1951, the YWCA Cookery Book of Malaya is an amazing insight into advertising during that period. I often wonder if any of the shops listed are still in there in Singapore.

Anyway, since visiting Tampopo restaurant I’ve wanted to learn how to make my own laksa, a kind of curry spiced soup with noodles. Laksa originally refers to the noodles used, but over time has come to mean the soup. I took this recipe from the book, although I’ve tweaked it a fair bit; firstly the asian ingredients were listed with their malaysian names and it calls for “5 cents worth of shrimp paste” and a tahil (a chinese measurement) of beansprouts. It’s still fabulously tasty but just modernised a little.

{Serves 4}

Ingredients

For the paste

20g peanuts
1tbsp shrimp paste
1tsp turmeric
10 thai shallots
2 cloves garlic
3tsp dried chillies
1inch galangal
2 sticks fresh lemongrass
4tbsp oil

For the soup

200g king prawns
800ml coconut milk
40g beansprouts
60g medium egg noodles
1 large red chilli
A small handful of mint leaves
½ cucumber
½ lime

Ingredients

Finely chop all the paste ingredients (apart from the oil!). I use one of these classic choppers and it reduces chopping time to just a few minutes.
Take the cucumber and chop in half width ways, then cut into thin batons. Top and tail the fresh chilli and cut into rings.
Heat the oil in a wok until very hot, then fry the paste ingredients for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
While the laksa is cooking, cook the noodles in a separate pan according to the instructions.
When the laksa is done, add in the noodles, prawns and beansprouts and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add in the cucumber and fresh chilli, then serve. Shred a little mint onto the top, but not too much, then add a squeeze of lime juice.

Norfolk week: Buttered Norfolk samphire

Becs — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:29:00 +0000

I remember trying samphire last year on my summer visit to Norfolk and I haven’t got it out of my brain since. I got mine from the little fish hut on the quay at Wells-Next-The-Sea – it came in a huge bag for a bargainous £2. Samphire has a very short season, which is around late June until the end of July. I can’t find any nutritional information about samphire, but I think it’s quite high in iron.

If you haven’t tried it before, I can only describe the texture as like spaghetti, it’s very smooth and salty to boot. Here’s my recipe with a pinch more flavour, but it’s still good with plain ol’ butter.

17mins – Prep time: 5mins – Cooking time: 12mins

{Serves 2 as a sidedish}

Ingredients

200g samphire
4 rashers bacon
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped
3tbsp butter
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp fresh lemon juice
Black pepper to taste

You’ll need a steamer for this!

Ingredients

Cut roots from samphire and any brown looking stalks as these are hard to chew once cooked.
Cut the excess fat from the bacon rashers and then cut into small pieces.
Steam the samphire for 8 minutes. Whilst it’s cooking, heat 1tbsp butter with the olive oil on a high heat and fry the bacon for a couple of minutes, then add in the garlic. Continue frying until the bacon starts to become crispy.
Once the samphire is cooked, add it to the pan with the remaining butter and fry for a couple of minutes.
Finally, add the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Thai prawn and mussel tom yam (hot & sour) soup

Becs — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:45:37 +0000

This is one of my absolute favourite things to eat, plus it’s really healthy too. I learned to make this whilst I was travelling, at a little place called Pum’s on Kho Phi Phi island (famous for its satellite island which you may have seen on The Beach, and which was almost completely destroyed by the tsunami in 2004. If you ever get a chance to go there, please go and support the people whose lives were affected by this tragedy). This soup isn’t so much sour as zingy – make sure you use fresh kaffir lime leaves, it really does make a difference to the taste.

{Serves 2}

Ingredients

600ml boiling water
100g cooked mussels (shells removed)
8 cooked king prawns
4 birds eye chillies
1 stalk of lemon grass
4 kaffir karrif lime leaves
4 thai shallots (if you can’t find these, replace with ¼ onion)
4 slices galangal (if you can’t find this, replace with ginger)
4tbsp lemon juice
4tbsp fish sauce
2tbsp chilli paste
2tbsp sugar

Instructions

Add all the ingredients except the prawns and the mussels into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for two minutes.
Add in the prawns and mussels and simmer for 1 minute longer. You’re done! (Yes, it’s that simple!) Don’t eat anything except the shallots, prawns and mussels and serve with rice.

Slow cooked saucy ribs

Becs — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:41:35 +0000

Slow cooking ribs just makes them fall off their bones, so they’re wonderfully tender and really take in all the flavours of the sauce. The best thing is you can go out for the day and these will be almost ready when you get home. Lip-smackingly good!

{Serves 2 people}

Ingredients

A pack of pork ribs
1 jar Sharwood’s Hoi Sin & Five Spice Cook-In Sauce (425g)
120g tomato ketchup
30g bulldog sauce (optional)
1tbsp paprika
1 large chilli, deseeded and sliced
10 drops tabasco sauce
10 drops Worcestershire sauce
200ml water

Instructions

If the ribs aren’t already separated, slice carefully between the bones with a sharp knife.
Place the hoisin sauce, ketchup, bulldog sauce, chilli, paprika, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and water together in the slow cooker dish and stir well.
Add the ribs. If the ribs aren’t fully covered by the sauce, add more water. Put the lid on and turn the slow cooker on low. Leave for 7-8 hours.
Pre-heat grill to high.
Pour the sauce from the ribs into a saucepan and reduce sauce by half.
Spread ribs onto baking tray covered with foil and spread reduced sauce on top.
Place under grill for 5 minutes, then turn ribs over and grill for another 5 minutes.
Serve with salad, or corn on the cob, rice, whatever takes your fancy!

Chicken satay

Becs — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:55:15 +0000

These make a great party snack or even a tasty supper when served with rice! Good quality chicken is a must, and don’t forget, the longer you marinate these the better they’ll taste! So if you have time to prepare these the day before, even better.

Tip: Add 1tbsp curry powder when adding the peanut butter and brown sugar to the pan for a spiced up version

{Serves 3 people when served with rice as a dinner}

Ingredients

For the marinade

3 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh coriander
2 tbsp oil

For the satay sauce

200ml coconut milk
2 heaped tbsp peanut butter (I find smooth works better but if you prefer crunchy, go ahead)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
Dash of pepper

Instructions

Crush the garlic, roughly chop and coriander and mix with the oil in a large bowl/tray.
Using a meat tenderiser, gently bash the chicken between cling film. This stops it moving about and ensures even tenderising! Then cut into small 2cm wide slices.
Mix the chicken with the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably overnight.
Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes in a bowl of water, this stops them burning. Then gently push the chicken onto the skewers. We used approximately 10 skewers, using about ⅔ of each skewer.
Cook the chicken for around 12-15 minutes, turning halfway to ensure even cooking.
To make the sauce: Put the oil in the pan and warm slightly over a medium heat before adding the peanut butter and brown sugar. Allow the sugar to dissolve and the peanut butter to become runnier before mixing in the coconut milk bit my bit. Bring to the boil then leave to simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Chicken Rice

Becs — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:46:33 +0000

A recipe that sure does what it says on the tin. Yes, it looks like the world’s dullest meal, but I’ve been brought up on this traditional Malaysian food and the recipe I’m telling you has been passed down through 3 generations of my family (my Grandma was Singaporian and my mother spent some of her childhood there too). If there was one food I had to live on for the rest of my life (apart from Dim Sum), it’d be this. It’s a reasonably cheap eat, I ate a lot of this whilst I was in my final year of university, because it was quick and nutritious.

{Serves 1 person}

Ingredients

1 chicken breast
200g rice (I use Basmati)
3 spring onions
A couple of slices of cucumber
2 chicken stock cubes (I always use Knorr)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

Wash the rice in a sieve, under a warm tap, allowing the starch to run out. Wait until the water becomes reasonably clear (it’s never 100% clear), then remove from sieve and allow to dry naturally on a plate.
Top and tail the spring onions and add into a pan with the cucumber, chicken breast, 1 1/2 stock cubes and enough water to cover the chicken comfortably. Don’t use too big a pan as the stock you create will be too weak.
Boil the chicken for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 25 minutes allowing the chicken to poach.
Measure 1/2 pint of the stock into a jug and add the other 1/2 stock cube in and dissolve.
In a clean pan over a medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt and gently fry the rice, turning continuous for a couple of minutes. Add the stock from the jug and bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until all the stock has evaporated.
Whilst the rice is cooking, take two forks and gently pull the chicken apart on a plate and then cover with sesame oil.
Serve with beansprouts and baby sweetcorn and lashings of soy sauce!

Stilton, bacon and red onion tartlets

Becs — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:24:34 +0000

We’ve packed away the decorations and laid the Christmas songs to rest for another year, but what’s left in your fridge? Admittedly, I didn’t have the stilton left in the fridge, it was on the clearance shelf at the supermarket and I do so love blue cheese!

27mins – Prep time: 15mins – Cooking time: 12mins

{Makes: 12}

Ingredients

1 pack ready rolled puff pastry (375g)
180g bacon lardons
60g stilton
1/2 red onion

Instructions

Oven temp: 140°C/390°F

Grease 12 hole bun tin and cut out circles just larger than the holes in the tin. Gently push the circles into the holes using your knuckles.
Gently fry off the bacon and onions in a pan over a medium heat. The onions will cook in the lardon fat and will soften. Don’t overcook the bacon, the oven will finish the job!
Divide the bacon and onions evenly between the 12 holes.
Crumble the stilton over the tops of the tartlets.
Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until the pastry starts to brown a little and the stilton has melted down.

Wholesome chicken & vegetable soup

Becs — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:30:29 +0000

On Sundays we’re usually recovering and can’t be bothered to do much except mooch around on the sofas and drink a lot of cups of tea. But we always want something to eat that’s healthy and doesn’t require a lot of effort. Enter: soup. This recipe is an adaptation of my family’s “Grandad soup”.

30mins – Prep time: 10mins – Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 leek
2 carrots
1 large white potato
1 medium onion
2 chicken breasts
1 chicken stock cube
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp single cream
Boiling Water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel and roughly chop all the vegetables.
In a large saucepan heat the butter until melted and add the onions.
Sweat the onions for 2 minutes and then add the leeks. Cook for a futher 1 minute.
Add the carrots and potatoes and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the boiling water until it just covers the vegetables and stir in the stock cubes.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken breasts and ensure they are pushed down into the mixture.
Cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts and shred into small pieces using two forks.
Using a blender, blend all the vegetables until smooth.
Add the chicken back into the soup and mix well. Add salt and pepper to season.
Serve with fresh crusty roll and a tablespoon of cream dribbled onto the top of the soup.