Grilled Chilli & Lemongrass Chicken with Coconut…

Tags

asia, asianfood, food, spices

We were in Hong Kong again for a few days over the weekend and I got my stock of lemongrass and other spices which I’m unable to obtain here in China. It’s a good thing we are only a 2hr drive away or I’d come home with an extra suitcase of spices! 

Tonight’s dinner was a hit with my husband and I have to say that all the flavours tickled every single tastebud! 

 

Ingredients 

• 2 Chicken breast fillets (sliced into thin fillets) 
• 1 or 2 fresh Red Chillies 
• 2 stalks of Lemongrass 
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 50ml Coconut extract
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Fish sauce
•  A little oil
• 4 Pineapple rings 

Method

1. In a food processor, blitz the chillies, lemongrass & garlic along with a little salt, water & a tiny drop of oil.

2. Pour the mixture into the chicken fillets and leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight.

3. In a hot pan, add a drop of oil and pan grill the chicken fillets till they are dark.

4. Remove the chicken pieces and pan grill the pineapple rings and set aside. (I just used the canned sweet pineapples to save time) 

5. With the rest of the marinade in the bowl, place in the pan with a drop of oil and place the chicken pieces back in along with the coconut extract & chopped cilantro.

6. Add about a tablespoon of fish sauce, leave to simmer for 2 mins.

Arrange the grilled pineapple rings on a serving plate and place the chicken fillets on top. 

Garnish with chopped cilantro & chopped chillies. Serve with rice. 

Enjoy!

I Think I’ll Call It A Biryani

Tags

biryani, Chicken, food, rice, spices

I definitely cooked with great abandon last night as the menu kept changing in my head! I had said to my husband that I was going to make a Chicken Tagine but quarter of the way through cooking, I changed my mind and it sort of became something COMPLETELY different…so yes, I think I’ll call it a Biryani!

Ingredients
• Chicken breast pieces
• Basmati rice or long grain rice
• Red onion (diced)
• Garlic (diced)
• Carrot (grated)
• Chickpeas
• Raisins
• Cashew nuts
• Chickpeas
• Cumin
• Dried parsley
• Paprika
• Za’atar spice
• Fresh cilantro
• Olive oil & butter

Method
1. Boil the rice and once cooked, leave to cool completely.
2. Marinade the chicken breast pieces in dried parsley, cumin, paprika, za’atar spice, salt & cracked black pepper in a little olive oil for 30 mins or 1 hour.
3. On a medium high heat, heat up a big saucepan and add olive oil & some butter. Place the chicken breast pieces and brown them till thoroughly cooked.
4. Throw in the onions & garlic, dried parsley, za’atar spice, salt & pepper and sauté together with the chicken. Once the onions are soft, add the raisins, cashew nuts, chickpeas and grated carrots.

5. Add the fresh chopped cilantro, sauté for 2 minutes, then add the cooled rice into the pot, making sure the rice is coated with all the spices.

Garnish with cilantro and more cashew nuts if you wish and serve…

I made a simple side salad of chopped green apples, baby plum tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped cilantro and drizzled it with a little honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & cracked black pepper…

It was a lovely burst of flavours and went fantastically with the dish!

Despite how many times I changed my mind, the “I think I’ll call it a Biryani” was a success and was really enjoyed by us both at iftar!😊

Have a fabulous Monday!💞