Murgh Jalfrezi Curry

Hi there!

So I am sharing a yummy hot Indian Murgh Jalfrezi recipe with you! This has a nice heated kick to it so if you like hot spicy dishes this should suit your pallet perfectly. As an extra good gesture I added the recipes for the homemade Naan bread that accompanies this dish and my Jeera Chawal (Cumin Rice) with fennel seed too, as this dish goes very will with a good flat bread and/or rice.
The problem when you get a curry from a takeaway store is that they use a lot of oil to make up the flavours in the dish. It might be momentarily satisfying, but it will do nothing for your health! This dish however doesn't have a lot of oil, but is packed with aromatic spices that marry together perfectly and sizzle your taste buds on their own. Not to mention I add  luscious coconut cream instead of heavy cream to smooth out and lift the dish. It has a cooling soft after note that compliments the heat of the chilli and spices. Plus it actually isn't that hard to make, so I hope it is enjoyed!

Ingredients:

• 8  medium sized pieces (about 800  grams) of chicken
• 2  medium onions chopped / crushed
• 2  bell peppers cut into strips (yellow & green)
• 4  tablespoons tomato puree
• 1  green chilli
• 1  teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste or crushed garlic
• 1  teaspoon each of cumin, garam masala, and red chilli powder
• 1  teaspoon each of turmeric and ground black pepper
• 2  teaspoons lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) / butter / oil
• 1  cup coconut cream
• salt to taste (ground sea salt is best)
• finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• light fresh cream to serve (optional)

Method:

Heat clarified butter (ghee) / butter / oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and fry the onion, ginger, garlic along with the turmeric for about 2  minutes.
Add the chicken and all the other ingredients except for the coconut cream. Mix well and cook on medium heat for about 20  minutes or until the chicken is almost done.
Add the coconut cream. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5  minutes or until the chicken is fully tenderized.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with fresh cream.

Notes:
"The quantity of gravy can be increased if desired by adding more tomato puree and onion paste. "
"If the gravy is too thin add a little cornflour / corn starch to thicken"
"Serve hot with: Cumin Rice (Jeera Chawal), white rice or Indian bread (Roti)."

Easy Chicken Noodle Miso Soup

So I had a craving for some miso soup one day but I wasn't really planning on making anything much, and I wasn't sure if I had all my favourite ingredients together either. It was after coming in from a damp day out, and my fingers where slightly numb that I decided to rustle up a quick pot of miso soup, nothing fancy but definitely delicious and warming none the less. I can honestly say it really did the job for me, and I've made quite a few times since. So here is my last minute (super fast and easy too) chicken noodle miso soup!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 90g Egg Noodles
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• Spinach leaves, about 5 large leaves
• Chinese leaf or cabbage
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons (or to taste) Miso paste.

Method:

Heat the chicken stock in a pot with the diced chicken, onion, Chinese leaf (I just shredded some leaves, however much you like) and sesame oil. When the chicken starts to look cooked through add the egg noodles and spinach leaves (I cut about 5 large leaves in half and added them). When the noodles are soft and cooked through its time to add the miso!

DON'T LET THE SOUP BOIL! At this point make sure it is only simmering. The miso will lose its flavour and health benefits if over heated.

Thin the miso paste in a large soup ladle full of the soup stock (while it is still partially immersed in the pot), whisk with chopsticks or a fork to a smooth consistency first and then lower into the soup and mix. Serve!

The beauty of miso is that it is both  pretty quick to make and very versatile! You have the freedom here to let your imagination reign. Fish, meat, tofu, various vegetables you love, go for it.
Typically a good dashi stock is used which is very delicious and also goes great with fish and tofu. You can even just make the miso alone without any stock, just heat up 4 cups of water and add 3 tablespoons of miso paste in the same way. You can add some tofu cubes and/or spring onions to this or leave  it plain.
Whichever you choose, you'll have a nice silky soup that will do wonders for your body.

Notes:

"Miso is very good for your body and is amazing for women! It helps to keep our hormones and reproductive bits healthy and in check. Women who have a bowl of miso every morning also have a far less chance of suffering hot flushes / flashes which is even more reason to tuck into some good hearty miso.