Chicken Dhansak

PART ONE:
You have to make tarka dall first:

Recipe:

1 cup red split lentils
4 cups water
half a teaspoon salt
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 tablespoon melted vegetable ghee
half a teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala

Put the lentils into a saucepan with the water, add the salt, and bring to the boil.
Then simmer for 20 minutes, or according to the instructions on the pack, skimming off any froth that gathers at the top.
As the dal is cooking fry the onions and garlic in the ghee until the onions are just brown.
Add the turmeric and garam masala to the onions and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add this onion mixture into the cooking lentils.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for a total of one 30 minutes, at the end of which you should have a yellow, soup-like consistency.


PART TWO

2 tablespoon vegetable oil
200ml of the base gravy
4 tablespoons of the tarka dall
2 breasts of chicken cut into chunks
1 teaspoon teaspoon salt
half a teaspoon chilli powder
1 red chilli chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cummin
1 teaspoon of tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh green coriander

Cook the chicken in the oil until almost done, this will take only a few minutes
Add the curry sauce and lentils and bring to the boil
Add the salt, chilli powder,red chilli. garam masala, cumin and sugar
Stir well and continue to cook on a high heat
Add the tamarind concentrate and continue to cook for about five minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring regularly.

Now turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a further three minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve sprinkled with the green coriander.

Thai Style Chicken and vegetable curry

1 TBS oil
1 chicken breast cut up into chunks
1 TBS grated ginger
1 TBS thai curry paste (I used PanAng Paste)
1 small onion diced
½ a yellow or red pepper cut into strips
1 mushroom sliced
3 or 4 snow peas, whole
1 TBS fish sauce
1 tsp of tamarind concentrate
1 TBS mango chutney
1 tsp sugar
100 ml base gravy
150 ml coconut milk


method:

Add oil to a hot wok or pan
Fry the chicken on a high heat until almost done
Add ginger and fry for 1 minute
Add onions and fry for a further 3 minutes
Add the curry paste and fry for 3 minutes
Add the pepper and fry for 3 minutes
Add the tamarind, mango chutney and sugar; the mushrooms and snow peas and fry for 2 minutes
Add the gravy and the coconut milk and reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes stiring all the time.

Serve with Jasmine rice

Malt Loaf

Preheat an oven to 150 degrees
Prepare a 2lb loaf tin by putting greased parchment paper on the sides and botom.


225 Grams of plain or cream flour
5 Grams (1 teaspoon ) of Baking Powder
3 Grams ( about 1/2 teaspoon) of Bicarbonate of soda
175 Grams of Sultanas
2 eggs
150ml of Luke warm strong black tea
50 Grams of dark brown sugar
175 Grams of Malt Extract (available at most health food stores)
1 heaped tablespoon of Molasses



1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl
2. Sift in the Bicarb and the Baking Powder
3. Add the Sugar, Molasses and Malt Extract to the luke warm tea and mix well
4. Beat the two eggs and add to the dry ingredients
5. Pour in the wet ingredients
6. Beat well until very smooth. Using a food processor to do this saves a lot of time and arm ache
7. Pour in the sultanas and mix them into the bread mix, reserving a small amount for decoration on the top
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin
9. Sprinkle the leftover sultanas on top of the mixture
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour

When ready the loaf will have risen and will be quite firm to touch.
The loaf can be eaten as soon as it is cold but it better eaten the next day, as this allows the flavours to develop.

Healthy Brown Bread

225 grm plain flour
150 grm wholemeal flour
50 grm porridge oat flakes
30 grm pinhead oatmeal
20 grm mixed seeds
1 rounded teaspoon of bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 heaped teaspoon of sugar (honey)
3 tablespoons of veg oil
1 egg
400 ml of buttermilk


Method:

Add all the dry ingredients together and sieve in the bread soda.
Mix well.
Add the oil, egg and buttermilk.
The mixture will be very wet as in pic below:



Pour into a 2LB loaf tin and flatten down with the back of a dampened hand



Sprinkle some porridge oats over the top and push in.



Run a knife down the middle to allow even cooking.



Bake in an oven at 180 degrees for 50 minutes



Leave to cool, but best eaten the day it is made, but the loaf does hold well if kept in a sealed bag.