Watercress & chicken stir-fry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 100g cashew
• 1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped into large chunks
• 1 red onion, chopped into large chunks
• 2 x 75g bags watercress

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 large knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

Method

1. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until completely blended. Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Throw in the chicken, cashew nuts, pepper and onion, then stir-fry for about 4-5 mins until the chicken is cooked and the nuts are toasted. Pour over the sauce and simmer with a splash of water. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir through the watercress just before serving with boiled rice.
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Chicken stir-fry in 4 easy steps

Ingredients

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp cornflour, plus 1 tsp extra
• 350g fragrant Thai rice
• thumb sized knob of root ginger
• 1 red pepper
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp fish sauce juice 1 lime
• handful basil leaves

Method

1. Velveting the chicken: Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Beat together the egg white and 1 tbsp cornflour in a bowl. Tip in the chicken and coat with the mix (see Know-how, top right). Marinate for 15-30 mins (don’t place in the fridge or the mix will harden). Now rinse the rice in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clear.
2. Making perfect rice: Drain the rice, tip into a pan with a lid and pour over 600ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to the boil, then cook the rice uncovered for 10 mins or so until the water has almost boiled away and small craters appear. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook for 10 mins more.
3. Getting the ingredients ready: Strip the ginger skin with a teaspoon and finely chop until you have 1 tbsp. Halve the pepper and trim off the stalk, inner pith and seeds. Cut into bite-size pieces. Peel the shallot and garlic clove, then thinly slice. Trim the ends off the chilli, if using, removing the seeds if you like it milder, and cut into thin slices. Remove the chicken from the egg marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
4. Foolproof stir-frying: Heat a wok and pour in 1 tbsp oil. Cook the chicken for 7-10 mins, tossing until just cooked. Set aside. Pour in some more oil if you need to. Add the pepper and cook for 1 min, then cook the ginger, shallot and garlic for 1-2 mins more. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, 50ml water and 1 tsp cornflour. Tip into the wok, then add the chicken. Cook for 1 min, stir through the basil, then serve with the rice.
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood

Chicken biryani pilau

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 large chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp curry powder (hot if you like it spicy, mild for tamer curries)
• 350g easy-cook, long grain rice
• 700ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 250g frozen peas

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the chicken thighs, skin side down, for 8-10 mins until the skin is golden and crispy. Tip in the onion and continue to cook for 5 mins until the onion softens. Sprinkle in the curry powder and cook for a minute more, then stir in the rice and pour over the stock. Bring the stock to the boil.
2. Cover the pan and bake for 30 mins until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Stir in the peas and leave the rice to stand for a few moments before serving.
   
   Source:  bbcgoodfood

Crab & corn cakes with chilli dipping sauce

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander stalks (use the leaves for the main course)
• 340g can sweetcorn, well drained (I use Green Giant Original)
• 170g can white crabmeat, well drained and flaked
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

For the chilli dipping sauce

• 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• juice ½ lime
• ½ finger-length chunk of cucumber, seeds scraped out, flesh finely chopped

Method

1. Tip the egg, flour, garlic and coriander stalks into a food processor with a third of the corn. Whizz to a smooth paste. Mix with the remaining corn, crab, half the spring onions and some seasoning.
2. Stir together the sauce ingredients. Cover a tray with kitchen paper. Heat 5cm depth oil in a large, heavy saucepan – it’s ready when a cube of bread browns in 30-40 secs. Drop in dessertspoons of the corn mix, then fry for 2-3 mins, turning, until golden and crisp. Lift onto kitchen paper. Keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mix. Serve the hot cakes sprinkled with the last of the spring onion and the dipping sauce alongside.
   
   
   Source: bbcgoodfood