Indo Chinese Paneer Rice

Indo Chinese Paneer Rice

If you love a mix of flavours then this is a great rice dish. It has subtle flavours of Chinese and Indian flavours. You can eat it as a meal on its own or serve it as part of an Indian or Chinese dinner.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 2tbsp Oil
2. 1 Clove of Garlic- Finely Chopped
3. 4 Large Handfuls Basmati Rice- Washed and Drained
4. 1 Medium Carrot- Julienne slices
5. 1 Medium Onion- Finely Sliced
6. 4 oz Shredded White Cabbage
7. 7 oz Paneer- Cut into small Cubes
8. Salt to taste
9. ½ tsp Garam Masala
10. ½ tsp Turmeric
11. 2tbsp Soy Sauce
12. 1tbsp Chilli Sauce
13. Large Handful Chopped Spinach (you can add more if you like)
14. Water to cook the Rice

Method

Take a wide bottomed pan, preferably non stick and heat the oil and add the onions. Cook until translucent.  Add the Paneer cubes and fry until golden in colour then add the carrots and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, then add all the other ingredients apart from the rice. Give a good stir and add the rice. This is the important part; add water approximately 1cm above the rice. If you add too much the rice will get overcooked and mushy and if you add too little the rice will remain uncooked. Another good way to make sure you have enough water is if you dip your index finger straight in, the water level should reach the first line on your finger. That gives me a perfect measurement of how much water is needed.

Cook on low heat with the lid closed until the water has rice has absorbed all the water and there is no more water left at the bottom. Please do not be tempted to stir at any stage during the cooking process of the rice. To check if there is water left, simply take a spoon and dip it through to the bottom and move a little to the side and you will see if there is any water left. Once the rice is cooked leave to stand for 10 minutes before separating with a fork. Serve hot!

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Carrot and Sweet corn Rice

Carrot and Sweet corn Rice

This is lovely rice which is so simple to make and has a great taste.  If you are looking for something a little different to normal plain rice definitely give this a go. It looks good when you are entertaining and will give your guests a little change from the norm.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1. 8oz Cooked Basmati Rice
2. 2tbsp Oil
3. 2tsp Cumin/Jeera
4. 1 Onion- Finely Chopped
5. 2 Carrots
6. 1 Tin/165g Sweet corn- Washed and Drained
7. ½ tsp Turmeric
8. 1tsp Garam Masala
9. 3, 1 Inch Sticks of Cinnamon
10. 4-5 Cloves
11. Salt to Taste

Method

Take the oil in a non stick wok and add the cumin. Once the cumin starts to sizzle, add the cinnamon, cloves and onions. Let the onions turn a golden colour.

Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut long ways in two. Cut each one into fine slices. Add the carrots and sweet corn to the onions. Let this cook until the carrots are soft but do not overcook. Add the turmeric and garam masala. Cook for a few minutes. Add the rice and salt. Give this a gentle stir until all the spices have mixed well with the rice. Check for salt. Serve hot!

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Mexican Rice (Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian Option)

Mexican Rice (Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian Option)

This is a great dish to have when you are pre-preparing in advance, and is ideal for a party. As Christmas and New Year is approaching you can have a great dish that is stress free and which tastes great! You can even make this the night before and just warm through the next day. You can add any vegetables of your choice. Serve with a tomato salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Perfect!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1. 2 Cups Cooked, Cooled, Boiled Basmati Rice
2. 3tbsp Oil
3. 1 Red Onion- Finely Chopped
4. 1 Yellow Capsicum/ Pepper- Finely Chopped
5. ½ Red Capsicum/Pepper- Finely Chopped
6. ½ Orange Capsicum/Pepper- Finely Chopped
7. 1 Whole Broccoli- Cut into Small Florets
8. 4 Cloves of Garlic- Crushed
9. Handful of Chopped Coriander
10. 1 Can/400g Black Beans or Red Kidney Beans – (I used Kidney Beans but it is better to use Black Beans)
11. 4tsp Coriander/Cumin Powder
12. 4tsp Paprika
13. 2tsp Cayenne Chilli Pepper
14. 8-10 Slices Jalapenos- In the jar
15. Strips of Cooked Chicken (Dry) – As much as you prefer- Optional for Non Vegetarians
16. Salt to taste

Method

In a wide bottomed pan take the oil and onions and cook until they turn translucent. Add the garlic and all the vegetables. Cook until the vegetables but still have a crunch in them. Add the spices, jalapenos, beans and salt. If you are adding chicken, add it at this point. Give it a good stir and finally add the rice and chopped coriander. Check for salt. Ready to serve!

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Caribbean Chicken with Rice

Caribbean Chicken with Rice

This is such a fantastic and flavoursome dish. Every time I cook this dish, it takes me back to our Caribbean holidays where food was such a pleasure to eat. I loved the way the tropical colours were incorporated in their dishes by using fresh, colourful ingredients. The aroma that comes out when cooking this dish makes you feel really happy and warm. I am glad I can share this exotic dish with you and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do!!

Ingredients 1

Serves 2-4

1. 4 Chicken Thighs
2. 4 Chicken Drumsticks
3. 1tbsp Oil
4. 1 Onion- Finely Chopped
5. 2 Cloves Garlic-Finely Grated
6. 1 Inch Stick Ginger-Finely Grated
7. 2tsp Fresh Thyme
8. 2tsp Fresh Basil Leaves-Chopped
9. 2tsp Fresh Parsley-Chopped
10. 2 Bay Leaves
11. 1tsp Paprika
12. 1tsp All-Spice Powder
13. 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
14. 1-2 Red Chillies or 1 Scotch Bonnet (Very Hot)

Ingredients 2

1. ½ Cup Water
2. 1tsp Bouillon Vegetable Stock Powder (you can use any other stock powder that you may have at home)
3. 2 Fresh Tomatoes (blended)
4. 1tsp Tomato Puree
5. 1 Yellow Pepper (chopped in fairly large chunks)
6. 1 Red Pepper (chopped in fairly large chunks)
7. Salt to taste Freshly Grounded Pepper

Method

Take a wide bottomed pan, add oil and onions. Let the onions get golden in colour. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or two. Then add all the other ingredients in number 1, apart from the chicken. Stir for a minute and add the chicken to seal in all the flavours. Cook on medium heat. Once the chicken starts to take on a browny colour, take it out onto a dish. Add the water and stir to take away the entire residue left in the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients in number 2. Finally add the chicken back into the pan. Let this cook on a low heat until the meat is fully cooked.

To Cook the Rice

1. 4-6 Good Handfuls of Basmati Rice (uncooked)
2. 1tbsp Oil
3. 3 Spring Onions
4. 2 Cloves Garlic-Finely Chopped
5. 1tsp Cumin Powder
6. 1 Can/410g Kidney Beans- Washed and Drained
7. 1 Can/400ml Coconut Milk Salt to taste

Method

Soak and wash the rice thoroughly in water until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and leave aside. Take a wide bottomed pan; add the oil, spring onions and garlic. Let this sauté for a few minutes. Add the cumin powder and kidney beans and give it a stir. Add the rice and coconut milk and give it a final stir. The rice should be submerged 1 inch under the coconut milk. If this hasn’t happened add some water until the rice is 1 inch under. A good tip to see if you have enough liquid to cook the rice is to place your index finger in and the water level should reach the first line on the top of the finger. This is always the method I use to cook rice perfectly. Leave the lid off whilst the rice starts to boil. Once the rice is boiling and the liquid has started to evaporate, place the lid back on and cook on low heat until the rice is cooked and the water has evaporated.

Serve hot with the Caribbean chicken!

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Tasty Chicken Biryani served with a Cucumber Raita (a cooling yogurt dip)

Tasty Chicken Biryani

This Biryani has got the most mouth watering flavours. The marinade for the chicken has an immense amount of tastes which really bring out the authencity of this dish. Many different ways of cooking this dish were tried and tested and finally this has got to be the ultimate in all Chicken Biryanis.

In my opinion, once you have made this dish you will be very reluctant to order it in a restaurant!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1. ¾ kg Chicken (cut into small pieces)
2. 2tbsp Butter
3. 3tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
4. 2tbsp Oil
5. 2 Cinnamon Sticks (approx 1 inch in length)
6. 3 Black Cardamoms
7. 2 Green Cardamoms
8. 7-8 Cloves
9. 3 Bay Leaves
10. 2 Medium Onions – 1 onion finely cut in circles
11. 1 onion finely chopped
12. 2 Cups Basmati Rice
13. 4 Cups Water

The Marinade

1. 1 Cup Yogurt
2. 1 Cup Tomato Puree
3. 1tsp Paprika
4. 3 tbsp Ginger paste (reserve ½ of this)
5. 2tbsp Garlic paste (reserve ½ of this)
6. 4tsp Coriander Powder
7. 2tsp Garam Masala Powder
8. 1/2tsp Turmeric
9. 1tsp Chilli Powder
10. 1tsp Dried Mint
11. 3tsp Salt

Method

Take all the ingredients for the marinade and place in a bowl. Reserve ½ of the ginger and garlic paste. Take your chicken pieces and put it into the marinade and mix.

Leave for at least 30 minutes. The longer the marinade the better the chicken will pick up all the flavours. Leave to marinade in the fridge.

Meanwhile, put the butter, ghee and oil into a thick, wide bottomed saucepan. The reason for using all the three different fats is to get a full flavour of the dish and will give it an authentic taste which is needed for the chicken biryani. Add the cinnamon sticks,cardamons, cloves and bay leaves. let this sizzle and then add the onion rings and the chopped onions and let it really pick up a lovely dark golden colour. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes on low to medium heat. You must ensure you do not cook the onions in a high heat otherwise the onions will burn.

Whilst this is cooking nicely, wash the rice thoroughly and leave to drain in a colander.

Once the onions have cooked and caramelised take it out into a bowl.

In the same saucepan, take 2tbsp of oil and fry the reserved garlic and ginger paste for a couple of minutes, add the chicken pieces and all of the marinade and cook on moderate to high heat for approximately 5 minutes until the liquid starts to evaporate slightly. Once that is happening reduce the heat and cook the chicken for a further 10 minutes.

The chicken should be semi cooked and the sauce should be reduced at this stage. Then add the caramalised onions and rice and all of the water. This might look like a lot of water but the rice will soak it up while cooking. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat and cook with the lid on. Check to taste whether you need to add more salt and add salt if needed.

Simmer the rice and chicken until all the water has evaporated and the rice cooked. Stir the rice from time to time ensuring it does not stick to the bottom. Do not stir vigorously as the rice will become stodgy.

Once the biryani has cooked, you can serve it straight away or you can leave to eat later.

To serve, take out the biryani in an oven dish and to decorate you can add sliced tomatoes, sliced onion rings, flaked almonds and a sprinkle of chopped coriander. You can choose to decorate the biryani or simply eat it just the way it is! You can even decorate the biryani with just some sliced onions and some sliced green or red peppers.

To warm the biryani you can put the whole dish in the oven with a covered piece of foil so that the rice does not become crispy.

For the Raita

1. 1 Cup Yogurt
2. ¼ Cup water
3. 2tbsp Finely Chopped Cucumber
4. 2tbsp Finely Chopped Tomato
5. Salt to taste

To make the Raita, simple mix the above together and leave in the fridge until ready to eat. This is a great accompaniment to eat with the Biryani.

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