Courgette Fritters

I love the taste of courgettes;

they are nutty and sweet

and are such a good accompaniment to almost any main course.

They make a great base for fritters.

Ingredients:
3 courgettes, grated
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
15ml olive oil for frying
2 eggs, beaten
100g gram flour
5ml garam masala

150g strong crumbly cheese - Cheddar, Feta or Lancashire

1 small green chilli, finely chopped

50ml fresh parsley or coriander chopped
50ml mint chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Method:
Place the grated courgette and onion in a colander and leave for 10-15 minutes to drain.
Squeeze out any excess water.
Fry courgette, onion and crushed garlic in olive oil until cooked and just starting to brown.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Make a smooth batter with flour, garam masala and eggs. (Add a little milk if the batter seems too thick.)
Add the crumbled cheese, chilli, parsley, salt and pepper and blend in.
Finally add the cooked courgette and onion and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and drop tablespoon-size portions of the mixture into the hot pan, a few at a time. Flip over when the first side is browned.
When cooked through and a little brown and crispy on the outside, remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

These fritters freeze well and can be reheated in a hot oven from frozen.

When heating them from frozen, ensure they are piping hot all the way through.

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Prawn and Spinach Stir-Fry

Delicious, healthy and quick!

Ingredients:
500g large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
30g ghee for frying
(if you can't get ghee, use unsalted butter with a little olive oil so as not to burn the butter)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
5ml garam masala
5ml ground coriander
5ml turmeric
a pinch of chilli powder to taste
15ml tomato puree
500g pack fresh baby spinach, washed and drained

Method:
Heat the ghee or butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and onion and fry gently until soft.
Add the spices and tomato puree and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the spinach and sweat them down until soft.
Add the prawns and stir-fry until they turn pink and are well coated with the softened spinach, spices and sauce.
Serve at once on rice or noodles.

If you want to make a smaller quantity,

adjust the prawns and spinach,

but leave the other ingredient quantities the same.

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Bunya Ginger Chicken

Ginger is a great compliment to chicken.
The subtle spice of cumin and garam masala makes this a lovely warming dish.
I leave the chicken on the bone as it adds flavour to the meat.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken chopped into manageable pieces on the bone,
or 6 chicken thighs chopped into 3 pieces each
50ml vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 inch piece fresh root ginger, grated
5ml cumin powder
5ml garam masala
zest and juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime (optional for extra zing)
250ml chicken stock
6 spring onions, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method:
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown all over.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin and garam masala and stir-fry until the chicken is well coated.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, lime juice if using, and chicken stock.
Simmer gently until the chicken is tender.
Just before serving, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped spring onions, mixing them into the chicken. They do not need to cook, but leave to stand for 5 minutes so the sharp onion flavour can blend in.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or Chinese noodles.

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