Thai Sticky Chicken – Rachel Allen

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

 

Rachel made this recipe on her ‘Home Cooking’ series and we thought it looked really good. I made it again the other day as it was Thai New Year between the 13th-15th April!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I’ve made this twice now and made it slightly different both times:

• The first time I used the nam pla (fish sauce) and it completely stunk out the fridge, but it did make the chicken taste good. I marinated the chicken for 2 days.
• The second time I substituted the nam pla for ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce) as I hoped it would make the chicken sweeter and more sticky. I marinated the chicken overnight. I used the remaining marinade in some stir-fried noodles.

 

Both times I used less chicken than the recipe stated (so it would serve 2 people), but I made the right quantity of marinade so we’d have more sauce.

I don’t like coriander leaf (but funnily enough I like the seeds) so I omitted it completely both times.

 

The recipe says to ‘Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30–40 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature.’ but I didn’t have time the second time I made it, so I nuked the chicken on high for 2 minutes, then cooked in the oven as normal.

 

TASTE TEST:

The chicken tasted much better the first time I made it. I don’t know if it was the extra marinating time or the nam pla, but the flavours (sweet, sour, salty) were just more intense. So I would definitely marinate it for 2 days and store the chicken in an airtight container to stop the stink of the nam pla taking over the fridge!

 

The recipe below is how I made it, you can find the original here.

 

• Serves: 2
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C

 

Ingredients:

• 500-700g chicken, drumsticks and thighs (2-3 per person, depending on size)
• 2 red chillies, seeds removed and chopped
• 2.5 cm piece of root ginger, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 stick lemongrass, outer skin discarded, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp soft light or dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juice only
• 3 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla) or ketchup manis

 

Directions:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut slashes in the chicken drumsticks and thighs and place
   them in an airtight box.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in a mini chopper/food processor and blend to a rough paste, then pour over the chicken. Put the lid on the box and shake to evenly coat the chicken in the marinade.
3. Leave to marinate in the fridge, preferably for 2 days, shaking the box occasionally to redistribute the marinade.
4. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C.
5. Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30–40 minutes before cooking to bring
   to room temperature (or heat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes). Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until the meat is coming away from the bone.
6. Arrange the chicken pieces on a warm serving platter and place the reserved marinade and any juices from the baking tray into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and scrape any sticky bits from the bottom, until thickened and sticky.

Tuna in Tamarind Sauce (Pla Rad Prik)

 

MUNCH RATING: 2/5

 

A few months ago Steve and I went to a brilliant Thai restaurant near Richmond Park called Ayudhya. We had Monkfish in a tamarind sauce and it was called Pla Rad Prik. It was really tasty and the fish was beautifully cooked, but it was really spicy! I think traditionally the Thai fry a whole fish, but in the restaurant they fried pieces of monkfish.

 

Steve’s Mum bought us some tuna whilst in Tesco’s this week and I had to think of a good way to use it up. I’m not a big fan of tuna, so I thought this spicy tamarind sauce would be a good way to mask the tuna taste!

 

Well the sauce was good, but the tuna wasn’t. It just tasted so fishy and it put me off from eating it, so I left most of it. I will definitely make the sauce again, but I will use less chilli as it was a little bit too hot for us, even though I used only 1 chilli instead of the 3 that the recipe suggested!

 

Ingredients:

• Any meaty fish, cut into chunks
• Cornflour to coat the fish
• 1 shallot, coarsely chopped (I used ½ red onion sliced as that’s what I had in the fridge!)
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon tamarind
• 3 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 red or yellow chilli, sliced

 

Directions for the sauce:

1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, onion and chilli and fry until the onion is soft.
3. Then add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce and about 100ml of water.
4. Mix well and let boil to reduce down to a thick syrup.

 

Directions for the fish:

1. In a dish, coat the chunks of fish in the cornflour.
2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a wok or large frying pan, then fry the fish for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
3. When cooked, pour the sauce on top of the fish and garnish with spring onion brushes.
4. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• To make the spring onion brushes: take a spring onion and cut off most of the green part and discard, leaving about a finger length of the white part. Carefully trim off the root. From the greenest end of the spring onion, cut about halfway along the length a few times to make strips. Place the spring onions into a bowl of cold water and place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to make the strips curl. Lift from water and drain before using as a garnish.

Flatbread/Naan

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I made these last night to go with my Massaman Curry and they were really nice, just like naan bread from an Indian restaurant! I got the recipe from BBC Good Food and the dough is basically the same as for pizza or foccacia, you just cook it in a dry frying pan. They’re really easy to make so I’ll definitely be making these again, although I put the rest in the freezer (uncooked) so I have a ready-made supply to last me a while!*

I read the comments that other people had left about the recipe on the Good Food website and I tried cooking them both slowly on a low heat and faster on a higher heat. The results were much better on the higher heat, as the bread puffed up so it got the distinctive air bubbles and it was crispy on the outside by still nice and soft inside. On the low heat it just became too crispy. I followed everyone else’s advice and rolled my breads as thinly as possible and I agree that the recipe does not give you 250g portions!

Next time I will probably add some garlic or crushed coriander seeds to jazz them up a bit.

• Makes: 8 flatbreads

Ingredients:

• 500g strong white flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast (I used 1 tsp Doves Farm Quick Yeast)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml lukewarm water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour, salt, yeast and oil in a large bowl and add enough water to make a soft, but not sloppy, dough.
2. Knead well (for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when gently pressed).
3. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size (I find the airing cupboard is a good place!).
4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 100g each) and use a rolling pin to flatten each one into a circle, 15cm in diameter. Try to roll them as thinly as possible, about 2-3mm thick. Then leave the pieces on a lightly floured baking tray to prove for 5 minutes.
5. Heat a large frying pan to a medium heat and dry-fry each piece until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes in total. Set aside to cool slightly before serving.

* FREEZING:
The recipe on the website says you can freeze these, but it didn’t say whether to freeze them cooked or uncooked. I froze mine uncooked, with layers of greaseproof paper between them. Unfortunately I think you’re supposed to freeze them cooked, because they have been a disaster when I’ve tried to cook them! I did defrost them before cooking. The first time I left them to defrost on the greaseproof and they stuck like mad, so that was a mistake. So the second time I peeled them off the greaseproof and laid them on some Magic Non-Stick liner to defrost. I tried cooking them in the oven for 15 minutes at Gas 4, but they were like cardboard. Dry frying them in the pan didn’t work either. So I’m going to try freezing them cooked next time!

Thai Massaman Curry

MUNCH RATING: 5/5
This is more of a stew than a curry, but it’s delicious and there is just enough spice to make your tongue tingle. The sauce is thick and even though it contains the obligatory coconut milk, the tamarind gives it a nice zing, so I don’t find it as sickly as normal Thai Red Curry. Steve doesn’t normally like potatoes, but they’re a common ingredient in this dish, and he really liked them in this as they soaked up a lot of flavour from the sauce and were nice and sweet.

I’ve found that Massaman/Mussaman paste isn’t that widely available in your average supermarket, so I bought mine from www.bartspices.com (it is also available from Waitrose). I’ve also bought a different brand from a Chinese supermarket, which was better value but wasn't nearly as good as the Barts one. The paste usually contains chilli, shallot, tamarind, coriander and lemongrass and it is Muslim in origin.

I adapted this recipe I’d saved from one of Steve’s Neo Magazines. I slow-cooked this is my Tefal 4-in-1, but you could cook it on your stove top or in the oven for a couple of hours.

• Serves: 2 very generously with rice (or 4 if serving with starters or other dishes)
• Tefal 4-in-1 Slow Cook: 6-9 hours
• Tefal 4-in-1 Rice Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying
• 500g stewing beef or lamb*
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 350g new potatoes, washed and cut in half (new potatoes hold their shape better, I used Charlotte’s)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons massaman curry paste (I used Bart’s)
• 400ml can coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (I used Bart’s)
• 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce (or fish sauce)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a Tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and fry your meat until brown and sealed. Put into your slow cooker.
2. Fry the onions, potatoes and garlic until golden brown**. Add these to the slow cooker.
3. Add a little more oil to the pan, then fry the curry paste on a high heat for a couple of minutes, until it smells really fragrant.
4. Take the pan off the heat, then add the coconut milk and stir it in really well. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
5. Add the stock, tamarind paste, soy/fish sauce and sugar, then boil the sauce for 5-10 minutes to thicken until it has reduced by a third.
6. Add the sauce to the slow cooker and stir well to coat all the ingredients in the pot.
7. Close the lid and check you have the slow cooker set for 6 hours cooking time.
8. Transfer the curry to a large pan and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce a bit more.
9. Meanwhile cook the rice in the cooker, which should take about 20 minutes.

*It is most commonly made with beef, but I used lamb as that’s what I had in the freezer. I used 1 inch cubes of frozen lamb, which I cut into smaller 1 cm pieces after I’d browned them in the pan (this makes the meat more tender and it goes further!).

**For the best results it’s important to brown the meat, onions and potatoes. I have tried adding potatoes without browning them first and it just wasn’t as good!

Pork and buccatini with coconut satay sauce

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

We had a spare pork chop in the fridge and whenever there’s any bits of meat hanging around I automatically think of cooking stir fries as it’s the easiest way to make it stretch.

But then I remembered a recipe I made with chicken and this is a variation on Chicken and noodles with coconut satay sauce. Instead of noodles I used buccatini, which is a really fat type of spaghetti and I love it because it reminds me of udon noodles.

Coating the pork in the egg white and flour isn’t necessary, but it gives it a nice coating and will ensure the meat is soft and tender.

• Serves: 2-3
• You will need: large wok or frying pan, small saucepan, medium saucepan 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white (keep the yolks for a custard or something!)
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 large pork chop, cut into small 1cm cubes
• 1/3 of 500g pack of buccatini*
• 400ml can Coconut Milk Light/Reduced Fat
• 2-3 Tablespoons oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Thai Curry Paste
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• a few mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small orange peppers, sliced
• 3-4 leaves of sweetheart cabbage, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter 

Directions:

1. Mix the egg white and cornflour in a small bowl until well combined. Add the pork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile bring the coconut milk to the boil in a small pan and simmer on a medium heat to reduce and thicken.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and drop the pieces of pork individually into the pan so they don’t all stick together. Fry the pork for about 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown – you might need to do this in batches. Set to one side.
5. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then sauté the shallots until soft and brown. Stir in the Thai paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the other vegetables and fry until vegetables are starting to soften.
6. Stir in the peanut butter, add the thickened coconut milk and return the pork to the pan.
7. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is a nice consistency and the pork is fully cooked.
8. To serve: place the warm pasta between 2 serving bowls and ladle the sauce on top. 

COOK'S NOTES:

• If you can’t find buccatini (I’ve only been able to buy it from Sainsburys) then just use normal spaghetti, or of course just use noodles!

Thai Chook Pie (Chicken Curry)

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

We first had Thai Chook Pie at the Ben and Jerry's Sundae Festival from the Pieminister stall and instantly fell in love with it. This recipe isn't an exact replica as they use shortcrust pastry and I have only used the pastry to cover the filling (so it's more of a pot pie) but I think it's a pretty good version and makes a nice change from serving Thai curry with rice.

• Serves: 4
• You will need: 1 large frying pan, 4 pie dishes/oven proof bowls (or 1 large dish)
• Oven temperature: Gas Mark 6/400°C/200°C

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp corn flour slaked with 2 Tbsp water
• 4 chicken breast fillets, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• A few mushrooms, sliced
• 4 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Squeeze of lime or lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
• Beaten egg or milk to glaze

Directions:

1. Season the cornflour paste with salt and pepper. Toss chicken pieces in the paste and leave to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat, then cook the chicken, in batches, for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the coconut cream, lime/lemon juice and sugar.
4. Increase the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is nice and thick. Allow to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/400°C/200°C.
6. Lay pastry out on a work surface and cut two 1cm wide strips from the sides of each sheet so you have 4 pastry strips.
7. To create the pie tops, place one of the pie dishes upside down on the pastry sheets and use it as a template to cut out 4 circles, 1cm larger than the rim of the dish or bowl.
8. Divide curry mixture between the pie dishes and sprinkle the frozen peas on top.
9. Press a pastry strip around each rim and brush with water. Carefully place the pie tops over the filling and rim and press firmly around edges to seal well. Trim edges with a sharp knife.
10. Brush pie tops with beaten egg or milk.
11. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Chicken and noodles with coconut satay sauce

MUNCH RATING OUT OF 5:

This is a really quick and easy recipe and is a nice twist on the Thai curry we usually make.

Serves 2 greedy people but the sauce could stretch to serve 4.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 3 small Chicken Thighs (or 2 large) de-boned and cut into small strips
• 1 Tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste
• Your choice of vegetables cut into bitesize pieces (I used half a leek cut into rounds, a few sliced mushrooms and couple of handfuls of spinach)
• 400ml can Coconut Milk Light/Reduced Fat
• 3 Tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 2 nests of dried Medium egg noodles (1 nest per person)

Directions

1. Cook the noodles as per the pack instructions. Drain and keep warm.
   
2. Meanwhile bring the coconut milk to the boil in a small pan and simmer on a medium heat to reduce and thicken.
   
3. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and fry the chicken for about 5 mins, until just coloured.
   
4. Stir in the Thai paste, then add the leek and mushrooms and fry until vegetables are starting to soften.
   
5. Stir in the peanut butter and then add the coconut milk and the spinach.
6. Simmer for about 5 mins until the sauce is a nice consistency and the chicken is fully cooked.
   
7. To serve: place the warm noodles between 2 serving bowls and ladle the chicken sauce on top.
   

Notes:
If you like a thinner sauce you could skip Step 2, but we like ours thick and I find that reducing the coconut in a separate pan speeds up the process without overcooking the vegetables.