Paula from Dundalk, Ireland said:
Eating on smaller plates not only helps you to lose weight, it also helps save on groceries!
Chicken and Tomato Spiced Curry
This is a great recipe for using up any leftover chicken and any vegetables that you might have in the fridge. Serve with Jasmine or Basmati rice and poppadoms. If you like a hot curry add more curry paste.
Ingredients show imperial units
Serves 4
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
Tomato puree
Concentrate made from paste type tomatoes that have high pectin content.
When they’re cooked down, they’re put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and reduced further until almost all of the moisture has evaporated. Usually a recipe will call for a tablespoon or two, just enough to enrich a beef stew, for instance, or to deepen the flavour of a sauce made with fresh tomatoes.
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
Canned chopped tomatoes
Great for instant pizza sauce, pasta, curry sauces.
- The tomatoes will keep for up to a week, but don’t store them in the opened tin because the metal will start to rust and spoil the food. Instead, tip the tomatoes into a plastic container, cover with a lid, or clingfilm and store in the fridge.
- Alternatively, put the tomatoes in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 12 months.
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 300g leftover vegetables such as red peppers, cauliflower, runner beans, French beans, carrots, prepared and chopped into small pieces
- 450g cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
- Salt
Salt
Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.
Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.
- Pepper
Black peppercorns
Best used as a condiment.
They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.- Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
- Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
- Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
- Jasmine rice
- Poppadoms
- Coriander sprigs
Herbs
Ideal for seasoning pastas.
To keep cut parsley or coriander, put in a hole free polythene bag with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, give the bag a good shake and keep in the salad drawer of the fridge. Herbs should keep for a week like this.
-
1 tablespoon Madras curry paste
Madras curry paste
A sweet, tangy base for Indian curries.
Traditional indian spice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until golden. Add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute to cook off the spices.
- Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, vinegar and 200ml water to the frying pan. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
- Add your chosen vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for about few minutes or until the chicken is piping hot.
Note: Rice safety
It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating. Never leave cooked rice to cool on its own - always chill it quickly for example under running cold water. If cooked rice had been chilled or frozen ensure that it is thoroughly reheated and is piping hot throughout. Never keep rice chilled for longer than 1 day or frozen for longer than 1 month. Once cooked rice has been re-heated, throw away any leftovers. Never re-heat rice more than once.
