8 eggs 60ml vegetable oil 10ml mustard seeds 7 cardamom pods, cracked 5ml fennel seeds 4 cloves of garlic, minced 10ml minced ginger 1 red chilli, finely sliced 2 red onions, chopped 12 curry leaves 30ml ground coriander 10ml chilli powder 5ml turmeric 30ml sugar 15ml salt 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato 300ml coconut milk chilli oil, to garnish coriander leaves
Fill a saucepan with water and place it over high heat. Add the eggs once the water boils and cook for 6 minutes. Plunge the eggs into cold water. Peel and keep on the side. Pour the vegetable oil into a pan set over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds. Wait for the seeds to start spluttering. Add the cardamom, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, chilli, onions and curry leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add the coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, sugar and salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Pour in the coconut milk and taste the sauce – adjust the seasoning to your taste. Place the eggs in the sauce and heat through. Serve the eggs on rice with lashings of sauce, a drizzle of chilli oil and fresh coriander leaves.
This is my take on the spicy Turkish Eggs – spicy but with a zippy herby sauce to balance the heat. The ingredients/sauces are enough to feed one person.
Red Sauce: 60g butter, cubed 10ml finely chopped red chilli 1,2ml ground cumin
Green Sauce: 125ml measuring cup, tightly packed with parsley 1 clove of garlic, minced one quarter of a red onion, finely chopped a pinch of salt 30ml olive oil 20ml red wine vinegar
For the Red Sauce: Add the butter to a pan set over medium-high heat and allow it to melt. Swirl the butter in the pan for 2 minutes while it bubbles away. Pour it into a small heatproof bowl and add the chilli and cumin. Stir through and leave to develop the flavours.
For the Green Sauce: Chop the parsley very fine and add it to a small bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir through. Set aside to develop the flavours for about 15 minutes.
Fry the eggs sunny side up. Arrange the tomato, spinach, radish and cucumber around the egg. Drizzle the red and green sauce over the plate and serve immediately.
Add the yoghurt, garlic, mint and lemon rind to a small bowl. Season with salt and whisk to mix. Divide the mixture between 2 serving plates and set aside.
Pour the olive oil into a small pan, add the butter and allow to melt over a medium heat. Add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes, Szechuan pepper and cumin to the pan and stir around for a minute or so. Take the pan from the heat and set aside.
Place a saucepan on high heat and fill it 10cm deep with water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a very low simmer. Crack one egg at a time, into a cup and gently slide it into the simmering water. Wait about 20 seconds before adding the next egg. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and set 2 eggs on the yoghurt mixture. Spoon the spicy butter over the eggs and drizzle the rest on the plate. Serve with small pita breads to mop up the sauce.
3 litres chicken stock 1,5kg chicken breasts, skin removed 5ml black peppercorns 5ml salt 2,5ml smoked paprika 3 x 400g tins chopped tomato 2 large onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 x 400g jars sweet jalapeño, drained 30ml + 30ml vegetable oil 120g spaghetti fresh coriander lime wedges
Add the stock to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add it to the stock. Add the black peppercorns, salt and smoked paprika and simmer together for 30 minutes. Set aside. Add the tomato, onion, garlic and jalapeño to the bowl of a blender and process until smooth. Add 30ml oil to a large saucepan set over medium-high heat and add the tomato mixture to it. Bring to a low simmer and cook half-covered for 10 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the stock and finely shred the meat. Pour the stock into the tomato mixture. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes. Now add the shredded chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning – salt, black pepper, smoked paprika. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 30ml vegetable oil and add the spaghetti to the pan. Stir continuously while frying the spaghetti until it is a golden brown colour – about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta on paper towel and then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup for about 8 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Serve the soup immediately with fresh coriander and lime wedges.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Add the onion and stir-fry it until translucent. Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry powder and chilli flakes and gently cook the spices for 2 minutes while stirring. Now add the sugar, coconut cream and cashews. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then take it from the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and blitz the sauce with a hand blender, until smooth. Place the saucepan back on medium heat and add the butternut and chickpeas. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the butternut is tender but do take care that the sauce doesn’t burn. Stir in the chopped spinach and peas and stir through. Adjust the seasoning according to taste. Garnish the curry with fresh coriander and serve it with jasmine rice.
These skewers make for a great canapé especially during an evening of outdoor cooking.
500-600g halloumi cheese 1 fresh pineapple 3 red chillies 45ml lemon juice wooden skewers
Cut the halloumi into 1,5cm blocks. Peel the pineapple and cube it into blocks the size of the cheese. Skewer the cheese and pineapple and put aside. Chop the chillies very fine and add it to the lemon juice. Grill the skewers on a medium-hot fire until the cheese starts to melt and it is slightly charred. Remove from the grill and immediately brush with the chilli-lemon dressing. Serve while warm.
2kg chicken, portioned 1 fresh chilli 2 cloves of garlic, minced 5ml chilli flakes 15ml smoked paprika 10ml dried oreganum 2,5ml dried thyme or 5ml fresh thyme leaves 60ml lemon juice 30ml vegetable oil 30ml brown sugar 2 red onions 500g potatoes a handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Place the chicken pieces in a roasting tray, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Chop the chilli finely and add it to a small bowl with the garlic, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, vegetable oil and sugar. Stir to combine. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken pieces. Turn the pieces and smear the spices over the chicken with your hands. Peel the onions and cut into wedges. Cut the potato into quarters. Add the onion and potato to the roasting dish and mix through with your hands. Place in the oven and roast for 50minutes. Take the chicken from the oven, sprinkle with the parsley and serve with a crisp salad.
Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the packet. Set aside. Add the ghee to a saucepan on medium heat and fry the onion for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry on low heat until fragrant. Add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam marsala and sugar. Stir the mixture for about one minute while cooking gently. Add the spinach, mint and 45ml water to the saucepan and immediately cover with the lid. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the spinach and spices into a blender, add 320ml water and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the same saucepan, on low heat. Add the yoghurt, salt and the juice of about half a lemon. Serve with fragrant rice and tomato salad.