Gurkha Chicken Curry with Homemade Spicy Marinade

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

As I've mentioned before, my parents have unashamedly been having the same curry pretty much every Saturday
evening for the last nineteen years (which is also the entirety of my older sister's life). It's a chicken curry based on one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes, called 'red pepper curry' in our house (given the 6 red peppers that make up most of the sauce). 

Now, I'm all for traditions, and know that my mum particularly loves red pepper curry (especially as she dreads fish Friday, despite being pleasantly surprised every time)... but  there comes a point when you can have too much of a good thing. Or perhaps just one too many red pepper curries. 

...I like mixing things up just that but more, and so having taken on the role of family menu organiser, and now head chef too, I've tried to sneak in a few different recipes in place of the revered Saturday night red pepper curry. Luckily, they've all also been curries so far (check out the easiest red pepper curry recipe, or my all time favourite Thai green curry), and Gurkha Chicken Curry was one I'd been hoping to try for a while. 

It's spiced, but not overly hot, if you know what I mean- deliciously aromatic but not burn-your-mouth spicy, and deeply flavoured. - And of course, it's a Jamie Oliver recipe and he's not once let us down in the many years we've trusted him, and the countless recipes of his that we've made. 

How could I resist? You won't be able to, either; it's relatively quick as the marinade does the work overnight, really packing in a huge amount of flavour (as yes, chicken can sometimes be bland), and then it bubbles away happily in the oven while you relax and get on with other things. 

Here's the recipe: 

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

Serves 4-6 

• 1 hour- plus overnight marinating 
• 10 mins prep; 10 mins cooking; 40 mins in the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, (in medium-sized cubes)
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 2 cloves 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 fresh red chilli , optional
• 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper (in chunks) 

MARINADE:

• 5cm piece of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 250 ml fat-free natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
• 1 lemon

Method: 

1. To make the marinade, peel and roughly slice the ginger, break up and peel the garlic clove, then add to a dry frying pan over a medium heat, along with the fennel seeds and whole cardamom pods. 
2. Heat for 1 minute to toast the spices and bring out the oils in them, then transfer to a pestle and mortar. Add the chilli powder to the pestle and mortar, with 1 pinch of sea salt (to act as an abrasive to help break everything down) and then pound into a rough paste. 
3. Tip the paste into a large bowl with the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, and the chicken. Stir to coat evenly, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. 
4. Peel and finely dice the onions. Chop the tomatoes into rough chunks. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and bay. 
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes on one side, or until a lovely, golden crust develops. 
6. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 5, or until browned all over. Remove the chicken from the pan. 
7. Add any leftover marinade and then stir in the ground spices, then add the onion and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of cold water, then bring to the boil.
8. Place in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, uncovered, so that the sauce thickens. (A few minutes before adding the chicken, I put 300g of basmati and wild rice in a pan of boiling water to cook for about 12 mins). 
9. After 20 mins or so, add the chicken in a layer on top and cook for 7-8 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through. 
10. Finely slice and sprinkle over the chilli (if using), and serve with the rice, or naan breads and a fresh green salad, if you like. 

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Gurkha Chicken Curry with homemade marinade

Jammy Blueberry Breakfast Doughnuts

Jammy Blueberry Breakfast Doughnuts 

This breakfast is just perfect for the weekend, when you have that little bit of extra time and want to make something extra special and more importantly incredibly delicious, which has the bonus of being healthy and really balanced. 

The doughnuts are made with wholewheat flour and ground almonds, sweetened only with the natural sugar of dates and perfectly spiced with a pinch of cinnamon and lightened with a little lemon zest. Then they're simmered in boiling water, not deep fried, and finished in a fairly dry pan to crisp the edges but leave the insides deliciously soft and fluffy. - And of course, the best part, a huge handful of blueberries go into the pan at the end to creates wonderfully sticky glaze, finished with just a hint of honey to make the purple juices perfect and glossy. All you need after that is a spoonful of yoghurt, a little more zest and a some cinnamon to top it all off. 

Doesn't that sound perfect? 

I normally halve this recipe and make this for my mum and I on a Saturday every now and then, but I always save the mini centres of the doughnuts for my dad, who likes to sneak one after he's gone for a morning run. 

He claims he doesn't really like blueberries and yoghurt, but I've seen him scraping the pan for the last deliciously sticky bits. It's just that good. And so, quite rightly, I present to you the recipe for the perfect jammy blueberry breakfast doughnuts:

Ingredients:

• 100g Medjool dates
• 100g wholemeal self-raising flour 
• 100g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting 
• 30g ground almonds
• 1 large free-range egg
• olive oil
• 320g blueberries
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• ground cinnamon , optional

Method:

1. Tear the stones out of the dates and place the flesh in a food processor with the flours, ground almonds, egg, a tiny pinch of sea salt and 70ml of water. 
2. Blitz until combined and forming a ball of dough, then roughly knead on a clean flour-dusted surface for just 2 minutes. 
3. Roll out the dough 1.5cm thick, then use an 8cm cutter (or a pint glass) to cut out two rounds. Use a 3cm cutter (or the end of a clingfilm roll!) to cut a hole in the centre of each one, then use those centre bits and the remaining cut-offs of dough to roll it out again, repeating the process until you have four doughnuts in total.
4. Simmer the doughnuts in a large pan of gently boiling water for 5 minutes, very carefully turning them over halfway through. 
5. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Drain the doughnuts well, then carefully transfer them to the frying pan to get golden for 10 minutes, turning regularly to build up a nice crust. 
6. Once looking good, add the blueberries to the pan, then drizzle over the honey. Jiggle and shake the pan over the heat for a couple of minutes, using a spoon to keep turning the doughnuts in all that lovely jammy blueberry juice. When it looks nice and shiny and the doughnuts are purple, either ripple the yoghurt through the pan and divide between your plates, or serve up the doughnuts and blueberries and add the yoghurt on top (I prefer mine not to melt into the doughnuts too much). Then finish with a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a little grating of lemon zest. 

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's jammy blueberry breakfast doughnuts 

Fruity Hot Cross Buns

Fruity Hot Cross Buns 

Since it's fast approaching Easter Sunday, i think it's fair to say that an Easter recipe is definitely a must. Necessary even. Or at least these delicious hot cross buns are, after a busy day and a lot of revision (or work if you're an actual adult with a real job, and not just a college student fretting about internal exams...). 

The smell of freshly baked bread is always the most perfect aroma to fill your kitchen, but combine that with the heady scent of sweet, dried fruits, candied citrus peel and an intoxicating combination of spices (if you're a cinnamon lover like me), and you've got something even better than plain old bread. You've got hot cross buns. Think fruit loaf on overload, with delicate spicing and the added benefit of having pre-portioned little buns of perfection, each with a sticky glaze and the bonus of having both the corners and centre. Because in my house everyone wants the corner slice of any bakes, but the soft, moist centre is pretty irresistible too. 

Eaten still warm, or even toasted until golden and spread with salted butter to offset their sweetness, these hot cross buns are perfect for Easter. You need these in your life right now, I'm pretty sure it's a medical requirement when spring rolls around and mid-April greets us with mounds of chocolate eggs and rabbits. Why not mix it up and make yourself something homemade and equally Easter-y? These hot cross buns are definitely worth the wait, and my dad, hot-cross-bun aficionado, will attest to their superiority over shop bought ones. 

Fruity Hot Cross Buns 

Makes 12

Prep 4 hours

Bake 20 Minutes

Ingredients: 

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 10g instant yeast
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 120ml warm full-fat milk
• 120ml cool water
• 150g sultanas
• 80g chopped mixed peel
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 1 dessert apple, cored and diced
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the crosses

• 75g plain flour
• 75ml water

For the glaze

• 75g apricot jam

Method:

1. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter, eggs, milk and half the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the water, a little at a time, until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.

2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin.

3. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size – at least 1 hour, but it’s fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours.

4. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and scatter the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon on top. Knead in until evenly incorporated. Cover and leave to rise for a further hour.

5. Fold the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out. Divide into 12 peices and roll into balls. Place, fairly close together, on 1 or 2 baking trays lined with baking parchment or silicone paper.

6. Put each tray inside a clean plastic bag and leave to rest for 1 hour, or until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220°C.

7. For the crosses, mix the flour and water to a paste. Using a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle, pipe crosses on the buns. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Warm the apricot jam with a splash of water, sieve and brush over the tops of the warm buns to glaze. Cool on a wire rack (if you can resist them). 

From Paul Hollywood's How To Bake 

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Chicken Paella 

Following the drama and criticism Jamie Oliver received over chorizo-gate (when Spaniards attacked his inauthentic use of chorizo in the paella recipe he posted online), I did pause when planning to make this. But even if it's not traditional, I'm sorry but crisped, juicy chorizo is just too flavoursome to leave out. Maybe it's not an authentic ingredient but it's the epitome of Spanish flavours for me - especially the combination of paprika and spices, which tingle on the tongue. That is, if you take enough time to muse over the wonders of chorizo while you're devouring this delicious one-pan wonder.  

I'll be even more honest with you, there were other reservations when I put this on the week's menu, because I knew my dad would be home to join us for dinner since it was a Friday (he works away during the week, you see). Why would this be cause for hesitation, I hear you ask. 
(...Just humour me...) 

- Well, this is a tale that goes back many years to a summer holiday in Spain - the only we've ever spent there - when I was six. I'm sure you can probably tell where I'm going with this - summer holiday, paella, difficulty with translation at the local doctor's practice... 

But fear not! This recipe is 100% delicious, and completely safe - no suspicious seafood involved, much to the relief of both my fish-hating mother and my dad - and you'll have nothing but good memories from eating this fantastic paella. I promise. 

Ingredients:

• 400 g quality chorizo 

• 1 small onion

• 50 g jarred piquillo peppers 

• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley 

• 22 free-range chicken drumettes, or 2 chicken breasts, cubed

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

• 2 tablespoon tomato pureé 

• 400 g Bomba paella rice 

• 120 ml white wine

• 750 ml organic chicken stock 

• 200 g frozen peas

• 1 lemon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
2. Slice the chorizo, peel and finely dice the onion, and finely dice the peppers. Pick and finely chop the parsley.
3. Season the drumettes or chicken breasts all over with sea salt and black pepper and a pinch of paprika. Place a 30cm ovenproof sauté pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil, then add the chicken drumettes, in batches, and brown well on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the chorizo and onions to the pan, and cook until the onions are softened – about 4 minutes. Add the piquillo peppers, paprika and tomato pureé, season and cook until the tomato pureé bubbles.
5. Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat it evenly with the tomato mixture. Cook the rice for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the wine, stir through and bring to the boil. Once the rice has absorbed the wine, add 750ml hot water or stock, then stir in the peas and half the parsley. Arrange all of the chicken on top of the rice, in a spoke pattern.
7. Bring the paella back to the boil then transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, or until the rice is nice and tender. (If using chicken breasts I would err on the side of shorter cooking time so that they don't dry out, so 20 minutes at most, but check the rice is cooked and that the chicken is cooked through, with no pink meat.) 
8. Remove the paella from the oven, cover lightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. 
9. Serve with the rest of the parsley on top and lemon wedges on the side; I love to zest some lemon over the top too, if you have a fine grater. 

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's "chicken 'paella'"

Chicken and Red Peppery Curry

Chicken and Red Peppery Curry

Now, I normally like to try new things and have variety, but this meal appears resolutely every Saturday night. Some people get a takeaway or a curry on Saturdays, but not us. 

We have, without fail, chicken and red pepper curry- because it's the same meal that my parents have been having every Saturday night for the last eighteen years. Just let that sink in... Talk about tradition. 

Well, given its near-legendary status at home, what with it being perhaps my mum's favourite meal, I had my reservations about cooking it. I didn't want to disappoint, especially when some of my mum's attempts when my dad hasn't been home have never tasted quite like the real thing. (Sorry Mum.) But I thought that I just had to include such a family favourite, especially because it's such a bright, fresh, spicy sort of curry- not heavy or overly rich, but deliciously simple and packed full of flavour. And peppers... 

• And of course, I knew that something so iconic just had to be shared with you all ;) 

Chicken and Red Pepper Curry 

Serves 4-5 

- 1 hour:

- 20 - 30 mins prep (a lot of chopping but it's worth it); 25 mins cooking 

Ingredients:

• 2 brown onions 
• 4 tsp cumin 
• 2 tsp coriander
• Large, 5cm piece of fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder 
• 5-6 ripe, small-medium red peppers, roughly chopped into small pieces
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks 
• 1 yellow or orange pepper, cut into chunks 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• Black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut one onion into wedges and heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan or frying pan. Add to the pan once hot, then turn the heat down to medium-low to soften the onions slowly until golden. 

2. Roughly chop the other onion and put in a food processor (it will need to be big) with the spices, ginger, garlic and chilli. 

3. Rinse and pat dry the peppers before adding them to the food processor as well. Now blitz everything together, until it is broken down to a thick, saucy consistency - a bit like a smoothie - and there are no chunks of anything left. You may have to do this in batches if your processor isn't big enough. 

4. Now add this pepper mix to the onions and turn up the heat to bring it to a boil. Let simmer and reduce for ten minutes to allow a lot of the moisture in the peppers to evaporate, to intensify the flavour of the sauce 

5. Meanwhile cut the chicken into 2-4cm cubes, chop the yellow pepper into large chunks and slice a lemon in half. Once the sauce has reduced, boil your kettle and measure out your rice. 

6. Add a little boiled water to the sauce if it looks too dry, then allow to simmer while you put your rice into a pan of boiling water. Now add the chicken, yellow pepper, lemon juice and black pepper to the sauce and allow the rice and curry to summer for ten minutes more. 

7. Serve