Category: Recipes

Butter chicken meat pies

Hello my chickens!!
So sorry I haven’t posted on here for a while :/

Today I bring you a favorite of my household 🙂
butter chicken piessss….. awww yissss!!!

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Ingredients :

  1. Boneless chicken thighs ( cubed)
  2. Sheet of store bought puff pastry
  3. Handful of coriander
  4. 5 cloves of garlic
  5. 2 Tbsp ginger paste
  6. 1/2 a lemons juice
  7. 1 can tomato puree
  8. 1 large white onion (diced)
  9. Spices
    . 3 tsp curry powder
    . 3 tsp coriander flakes
    . 1 tsp garam masala
    . 1 tsp turmeric
    . salt and pepper
    . 1 tsp cumin seeds
  10. 3 Tbsp olive oil
  11. 1 cup greek yoghurt

 

Method:

  1. In a medium sized pan heat the oil, once you know the oil is hot, add the onions, ginger, garlic and saute for 2 mins
  2. Add the tin of tomato puree
  3. Now add the chicken, coriander and spices
  4. Cook chicken for 10-12 mins
  5. Add the Greek yogurt and lemon juice and simmer for an extra 2-3 minutes.
  6. Roll out your pastry and cut out 6 circles with either a round cookie cutter or lid. ( the circle should be big enough to fit in a muffin tin.
  7. Now re-roll the left over pastry and cut 6 smaller circles for the tops of the pies. (you can substitute with mashed potatoes if you want.)
  8. Lightly spray your muffin tin with cooking oil and line them with the pastry and using a fork, poke two lines of holes at the bottom.
  9. fill with the butterchicken mixture and cover with the pastry covers.
  10. Brush the pies with a egg wash and bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.

+ Tip: Leave pies in for longer if you don’t see them browning nicely or have opted for a bigger size.

 

Hope you enjoyed them as much as my family did 🙂

Chicken Palau (Fijian Edition)

Chicken palau takes me back to the rainy afternoons in Fiji when my grandma would wrap me up in warm clothes and fix me up a plate of this with some chai.

I hope you enjoy my interpretation of my Nani’s recipe and let me know if you try it 🙂

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 600 g Chicken pieces cut into medium pieces (boneless or with bone)
  • 2 cups of basmati rice (washed)
  • 1 big yellow onion (coursely chopped)
  • 6 cloves of garlic and a 5 cm piece of ginger made into a paste
  • 1/4 cup Olive oil

Spices:

  • 4 – 5 pods of Cardamom
  • 2 sticks of Cinnamon
  • 6 cloves
  • 3 Tbsp of Palau masala (find them at your local spice store, i use the punjas brand one)
  • Salt to taste (usually 2-3 tsps)
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium high heat
  2. Add your onion, garlic, ginger to the pot and brown (approx 5-6 minutes)
  3. Add all your spices and cook (approx 2 minutes
  4. Add your chicken and cook until the chicken is fully cooked (approx 10-15 minutes)
    * it is crucial that all your chicken is fully cooked to avoid any food poisoning
  5. Lastly add your rice and double the amount of water (4 cups for this recipes)
  6. Close the lid and let it cook until the rice is fully cooked (approx 15-20minutes)
  7. Serve with yoghurt/ raita and enjoy

 

Beef Burgers and Sweet Corn

Josh and I really love burgers (probably one of our favorite foods) and mixing the flavors is just one of the ways I like experimenting with them. Don’t get me wrong we love a good ol greasy beef and cheese burger! the greasier the better, but sometimes we need to make sure that we are getting our greens in and find ways to enjoy it…. in a healthier way…

Hope you enjoy this recipe and I’ll be sure to post more weird and wacky burger recipes in the future.

Ingredients:

Patty

  • 400g Beef Mince
  • 1 Free Range Egg
  • 1 Tbsp of Flour
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Cheddar Cheese

Pickled salad

  • 1 Small Red Onion
  • Handful of Coriander
  • Handful of Basil Leaves
  • 1 Tbsp of White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tsp Olive Oil

Rest of the Ingrediants

  • Brioche Burger Buns
  • 1 Squirt of Aioli Sauce
  • Jalapeno Chutney (optional)
  • Shredded lettuce

Sweet Corn

  • 2 x Sweet Corns on the Cob (Halved)
  • 1 Tbsp of oil
  • Sprinkle of Peri Peri Chilli Powder
  • 1 Tsp of Extra Hot Peri Peri Sauce (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Mix the beef, egg, flour and salt in a bowl and make two even balls.
  2. Heat a pan with oil on medium heat and cook your patty’s for 4-5 minutes on each side. This will give you a meium-rare patty. Cook for longer if you prefer it well done. Once cooked place the slices of cheese on the patty and close the lid so that the cheese can melt and settle on the patty.
  3. In a bowl mix your chopped up pickle salad elements and mix well with the oil and vineger.
  4. Toast your brioche buns in the oven or in a pan.
  5. Assemble your burger as so:

Burger bun
Aioli Sauce
Pickled Salad
Patty
Shredded lettuce
Chutney
Lid of bun

Sweet Corn:

  1. Place the corns on a sheet of tin foil.
  2. spread oil, salt, peri peri sauce and powder on the corn.
  3. Wrap the foil really tightly and grill on your stove.
  4. Rotate the corn every thirty seconds and cook for a total of 5-6 minutes.
  5. Serve hot with your burger

🙂

 

Scrumptious Eggs

I won’t lie, for years I was cooking eggs wrong. I would always overcook them and dry them out. I thought it was normal until i saw Gordon Ramseys version on youtube. I was hooked and needed to try this wonderful gooey goodness.

I hope you enjoy my version of Ramsey eggs and let me know if you try it 🙂

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This recipe is for two adults

Ingredients:

  • 5 free range eggs
  • 1 Tbsp of Greek yogurt
  • Chives, Cilantro, spring onions – a handful
  • salt and pepper to suit
  • 2 Tbsp butter – salted

Instructions:

  • in a bowl/jug mix the eggs, yogurt, herbs with the salt and pepper.
  • whisk it well with a fork.
  • heat your pan on medium heat and melt the butter.
  • pour the mixture into the pan and keep an eye on it.
  • grab a silicon spatula and mix the eggs consistently to avoid them being over cooked.
  • after 5 minutes of cooking take them off the heat (they should still be a bit gooey and not stiff. set aside for a minute whilst you plate up the rest of your breakfast.

Usually i serve this with fresh toasted bread, grilled tomatoes, avocado and strips of bacon. This dish is a family favorite in my house. hope you like it 🙂

Savoury Mince and Potatoes.

I am a big fan of mince based foods and today I tried something a little different to my usual spaghetti bolognese or lasagna. This dish is full of goodness and you can alter the side vegetables in this dish to suit your taste buds.

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Ingredients:

  • Beef Mince 200-300g
  • 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • 1 Yellow Onion – Thinly Sliced
  • 3 Cloves of Garlic – Thinly sliced or Minced
  • 1 Cup of Frozen Spinach – You can use fresh too.
  • 1 Cube of Beef stock
  • 1 Cup of Warm Water
  • 3 Tsp of Plain Flour

Potatoes

  • 3 Medium sized white potatoes (cubed)
  • 1 Tsp of Paprika
  • 1/2 Tsp of cumin
  • 1 Tsp of Garlic powder
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

Mince:

  • Heat the oil in a pot on a medium high heat
  • Saute the onions until they turn light brown in colour
  • Add the mince and cook until brown
  • Season the mince and then add your spinach
  • In your cup of water add the beef stock cube and add this mixture to the pot.
  • Let the mince simmer for 2 minutes and then reduced the heat to low.
  • add the flour and stir – making sure you have no clumps of flour.
  • the consistency of the dish should be similar to a stew.

Potatoes:

  • Boil water in a medium sized pot and add the potatoes
  • let this boil for 15 minutes until just cooked.
  • Once the potatoes are boiled – drain the water and return back to the pot.
  • Now add the paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt and a tsp of oil to your potatoes and mix well.
  • spread the potato cubes on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Add steamed broccoli, cauliflower and whatever else you like. the more vegetables the better.

Please let me know if you make this dish and tag me on the photos 🙂

Crunchie Cheesecake

I usually make this bad boy once every three months because it is quite decedent and definitely a treat! img_6011

This cheesecake requires little to no baking and is quite easy to make. (Fun kitchen project with the kids)

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Base:

  • 300g Plain Biscuits (Digestives/Wine/Malt)
  • 120g Butter – Melted

Filling:

  • 500g Cream Cheese (Full Fat)
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 120g Confectioners’ sugar
  • 300ml Cream
  • 250g Milk Chocolate – Melted
  • 150g Crunchie Chocolate – chopped up

Toppings:

  • 50g Crunchie bar chopped up
  • 3 Tbsp Nutella spread (For drizzling)
  • Optional: Add Whipped cream or any other chocolate bits

 

 

Instructions:

  1. Place biscuits in a Ziploc bag and bash with a rolling pin. If you have a food processer you can blitz it in there too.
  2. Add the melted butter and press into a 9-inch spring form pan.
  3. Bake biscuit base in the oven for 1o minutes at 180 degrees and then set aside to cool. If you want to cool it quicker – place pan in the freezer whilst you make your filling.
  4. In a mixer bowl add your cream cheese (cut in blocks), icing sugar and cream. Using the balloon whisk attachment set your mixer on the lowest setting and mix for 6 minutes.
  5. Melt the chocolate in your microwave. (Melt in 30 second bursts to avoid burning the chocolate).
  6. Add the melted chocolate to your mixer and mix for another minute.
  7. At this point you will want to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides in order to get all the cream cheese of the sides.
  8. Crank the mixer to medium high and mix for another 5-6 minutes.
  9. Add the chopped crunchie and fold it into the mixture with your spatula.
  10. Pour the filling onto your biscuit base and chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours. For a quicker chill time place the cheesecake in the freezer for 2 hours.
  11. Decorate however you want with toppings afterwards and enjoy 😊

 

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Spicy Chicken

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My go to recipe for chicken if I am in a rush or cannot think of anything to make for dinner. This recipe is always a hit in my household and  I hope you try it.

Ingredients

  • 500g Chicken (Thigh)
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • to taste Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • Handful of basil leaves
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp garlic flakes
  • half a lemon lemon juice
Instructions
1. Get a heavy frying pan ready and heat 1 tbsp of olive oil.
2. Add your chicken and spices (Paprika, nutmeg, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, oregano and salt & pepper.
3. Cook for 10-12 minutes until meat is cooked and set aside.4. Boil your couscous in a saucepan with water and salt5. when you see that the couscous is almost done, add your turmeric and garlic flakes.
6. Serve the dish with your favorite vegetables and enjoy.
Details

Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 adult servings