Meat Dishes
Chicken Fried Rice
Fakeaway is healthier than takeaway. And it’s cheaper too!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
This will serve 4 adults as a main dish or 6 as a side.
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 chicken breasts
- 3 eggs, lightly whisked
- A cupful of frozen petits pois
- 3 cups of rice
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Method
- Start by boiling the rice using your preferred method. My turmeric rice method (without adding the turmeric) works well.
- Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a wok over a medium heat.
- Slice the chicken breast into goujon-sized pieces and add to the pan with the honey and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir-fry for 7-8 minutes until browned.
- Remove the chicken from the wok and wrap in kitchen foil.
- With the glaze still in the wok, add another tablespoon of oil and the chopped onions. Fry until browned and then add the peas. Stir fry for a further 3 minutes.
- Move the contents of the wok to one side and add the eggs.
- While the eggs are scrambling, tear the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. When the eggs have scrambled, combine them with the onions and peas.
- Add the final tablespoon of oil and stir in the chicken pieces and rice. Add the second tablespoon of soy sauce (or to taste).
- Fold and stir all ingredients thoroughly for 3 minutes.
This goes really well with takeaway-style curry sauce
Cajun Chicken
This is a slight twist on your average Cajun chicken, but a twist for the better in my opinion.
Delicious when cooled and used in a chicken salad or in a pitta pocket sandwich.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of sage
- About a dozen peppercorns (or half a teaspoon of ground pepper)
- ½ teaspoon of garlic salt or powder
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 3-4 chicken breast fillets (about ½kg)
- Butter or olive oil, for frying
Method
- Crush and combine all of the seasoning with a mortar & pestle.
- Put the seasoning mix in a freezer or sandwich bag and add the chicken breasts. Shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat the butter (or oil) in a frying pan and cook the chicken at a medium heat for 6-7 minutes per side.
If you haven’t got a mortar & pestle, you can use ground pepper and fine salt and simply mix the ingredients in the bag.
Sausage & Tomato Casserole
Let’s face it, from toad in the hole to bangers & mash to coddle, sausage dishes are never what you’d call pretty, but often what they lack in appearance, they make up for in taste. This dish is a fine example of that.
If your oven has a tendency to run hot, you can cover the dish with foil during cooking. Remember to remove it to ensure that the sausages brown.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 red onions, finely chopped
- 12 sausages
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons of rosemary
- 2 teaspoons of basil
- Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Fry the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, pour the canned tomatoes into a shallow casserole dish. I cut the plum tomatoes in half with a scissors, but you can leave them whole if you prefer.
- Add the sausages, herbs, garlic, balsamic vinegar and fried red onions.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Thoroughly combine all the ingredients and when ready for the oven, lift the sausages so that they are exposed at the surface.
- Cook for 30 minutes, remove, rotate the sausages which by now should be browned on one side and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
- Serve with pasta or garlic & cheese mash and steamed vegetables.
Superquinn sausages are by far the best sausages to use in this dish.
Andie’s Lamb Bhuna
Goes even better with turmeric rice (not pictured – in fact, this picture doesn’t do this wonderful dish justice!)
This is a moreish tender lamb curry that goes great with a few poppadums and some ice cold beer.
Ingredients
- 1kg lamb shoulder, diced (this will serve 8 – great for freezing)
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter or ghee
- 2kg Spanish onions, blended
- 2 star anise
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ tube of tomato puree
- 2 dried chillies, finely chopped (2 tsp)
- 2 tablespoons of medium curry powder
- 2 dessert spoons of garam masala
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- Dash of balsamic vinegar
Method
- Cube the lamb and toss in a bowl with the curry powder until coated.
- Heat the butter (or ghee) in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the onions. Cover and leave on a low heat, checking regularly until completely soft.
- Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and fry until golden brown.
- When the onions are caramelised, add the lamb & curry powder and fry until browned.
- Add the chilli & garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the tinned tomatoes and the tomato puree and return to the boil.
- Add the star anise and reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
- Cook for a minimum of 1½ hours or until the lamb is tender.
- Stir in the garam masala and serve.
I buy a whole shoulder of lamb on the bone and dice it myself – that way you can ensure the meat is lean and freshly cut. This curry goes really well with turmeric rice.
Beanless Chilli
Chilli with turmeric rice, jalapeno nachos, grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450g minced beef
- 1 large onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 red chilli pepper, chopped or 1 tsp minced chilli
Method
- In a saucepan, brown and break apart the mince over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and crushed garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes
- Add the cumin, mixed herbs & chilli and mix well.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil & simmer for 1-2 hours with a loose lid on a low heat.
You can also spread this evenly in a casserole dish, top it with creamy mash and sprinkle with grated cheese for a delicious chilli shepherds pie or simply serve in a fluffy baked spud!
Thelma’s Chicken Curry
A flavoursome curry that doesn’t require a visit to a specialist spice store.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2oz / 60g butter
- 2 tsps olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsps curry powder
- 1 tbsp flour
- ¾pint / 425ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chutney (mango, sweet or mang0 & lime)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp sugar
Method
- Roast, boil or microwave the chicken. Break apart into bite sized pieces and leave aside.
- Melt butter & oil in a pan over a meduim heat.
- Add onions & garlic.
- Stir in curry powder & flour.
- Add cloves, tomoato puree, ginger, cinnamon, chutney, lemon & sugar.
- Blend in the stock and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat, season & simmer for 45 min – 1 hour.
- Remove the cloves and blend the mixture to a smooth consistency with a hand blender. Alternatively, the mixture can be strained.
- Add the cooked chicken, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve with rice.
Meatballs
Serve with steamed cubed turnip and smooth mashed potato
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 454g sausage meat
- 1lb / 454g minced beef
- 3oz / 90g breadcrumbs (or 3 slices of bread worth of crumbs)
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 sachet oxtail soup (makes 1½ pints / 850ml)
- olive oil
- a dash of Worstershire sauce
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 160C.
- In a bowl, combine the sausage meat, beef, breadcrumbs, Worstershire sauce and ketchup. You can use a strong electric hand whisk or roll up the sleeves and mash it all together with your hands.
- Season with salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly and form into 12 evenly sized balls.
- Place in a casserole dish.
- Make up the oxtail soup according to the directions on the packet and pour over the meatballs.
Coat the meatballs with oxtail soup
- Cover with tinfoil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove tinfoil, turn meatballs and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
The meatballs can be made in advance and frozen. If freezing, distribute them on a plate or baking tray, freeze for an hour or two and then bag them to save space in the freezer. If you can’t get sausage meat, steep a pound (454g) of sausages in water for a few minutes and the skins slide right off.