Asian Laksa Coconut Soup with Noodles

Quick, easy, healthy and a firm favourite of mine (and Alis!!)

Ingredients:

Carrots
Beansprouts
Spring Onions
Red Pepper
Onion
Chicken
Noodles - egg, rice, whatever you like!

For the soup base:
Corriander
Cumin powder
Fish Sauce
Red chillie
Ginger
Garlic
Lime or Lime Juice
2 cans of coconut milk or 1 can of coconut milk and then re use can and fill with chicken stock cube and hot water 

Method:

1. Roughly chop large handful of corriander, 1 or 2 red chillies, 3cm of ginger, 2 cloves of garlic and place in blender.  Add table spoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of cumin, a couple of tablespoons of lime juice, a dash of water and blend.

2. Finely slice the carrot and spring onion into strips, cut the onion and pepper roughly. Place your noodles in boiling water to soften.

3. In a deep frying pan or saucepan place the onion and half the carrots.  When softened add the paste from the blender and stir for a minute.

4. Then add the coconut milk and stock - even if you use 2 cans of coconut use a stock cube in a very small amount of water. Also drain and add your noodles.

5. Slice your chicken and cook quickly in a little oil in a fry pan and then add to the soup along with the juices and oil for extra flavour. Also add the peppers at this point

6. Finally bring to the boil and add more water if you require more soup then serve placing the remaining carrots and the springonions and beansprouts on the top so they remain crunchy and fresh.

Homemade Veggie Dumplings

Much easier than it looks but a great starter or canape to impress your guests...

Ingredients:

1 Carrot
1 Red Onion
Chinese Cabbage
Garlic
Red Chillie
Ginger
Soy sauce
Wonton Pastry Skins (available from you local chinese supermarket)

Method:

1. Cut up all your ingredients (carrot, red onion, cabbage, garlic, ginger and chillie) really small, as small as you can, at least smaller than 1/2 cm. This makes it easier for when you are making the parcels.

2. Place in a frying pan with a dash of soy sauce and a few tablespoons of water, the idea is to just soft all the veg. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes, adding more water when necessary and stiring occasionally.

3. Take off the heat and sieve to remove any excess liquid and leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes to cool and dry off.

3. Take your wonton skins and place a teaspoon of the mixture in the middle (picture 1), dip your finger in a little water and wet the edges and corners then take the opposite corners and bring them together (picture 2), once they are all together in the middle (picture 3) then using your fingers to bring them all together and stick to give final look like in final picture above.

4. In a frying plan place a tablespoon of vegetable or groundnut oil and heat gently.  Once smoking slightly add the dumplings carefully - I use tongs.

5. Fry dumplings until the bottoms are browned, use tongs to lift and check one dumpling.

6. Once browned get a jug of water and very carefully poor a few tablespoons of water over the top of the dumplings (it will bubble and smoke lots when the water hits the oil but thats fine just do it quickly) and imedietely put a lid on and leave for 2 minutes to allow the dumplings to steam, giving the pan a little shake every now and then to make sure they arent sticking.

7. Remove and place on a plate and serve with sweet chillie sauce and soy sauce!

Bacon and Stilton Salad with Sweet Potato Pie

A yummy yummy lunch or dinner for any summer occasion...!

              

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes

Pitta bread

Cucumber

Stilton cheese

Bacon

1/2 Red Pepper

Salad leaves

Balsamic Dressing

Black olives

Sesame seeds

Olive oil

Creme fraiche

Pine nuts

Method:

1. Put the sweet potatoes in the microwave for around 7 minutes until soft and the skin is easy to peal off.

2. Place the sweet potatoes in the blender with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche.  Blend until completely smooth.

3. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle with sesame seeds - optional.

4. Put the bacon until the grill and cook for 5 minutes or until crispy.

5. In a bowl place the lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber and red pepper, crumbled stilton and the olives.

6. In a frying place place a handful of pine nuts and warm gently, constantly tossing to stop them burning, remove from the heat as soon as they are browned.

7. Dress with salad dressing of your choice then slice bacon and spread over the top and sprinkle pine nuts on the top.

Serve with sweet potato pie and warm pitta bread.

Quick, healthy and sooo yummy!