Chicken Korma with a twist

I discovered this dairy free chicken korma recipe somewhat by accident (as many of the best discoveries are). I had a carton of longlife soya milk in the cupboard and decided to try cooking with it, for a change. Well, I was pleasantly surprised and it passed the true test when my ‘anti-soya milk’ husband went back for seconds!

Dairy Free Chicken Korma Recipe (serves 4):

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillets x3 (or approx 350g) cut into thin strips
• Soya milk approx 300mL (I used Alpro Original long-life)
• Garlic 1 clove finely chopped
• Ginger 1inch piece finely chopped
• Courgette 1 medium, chopped
• Okra 10-15, sliced
• Turmeric 2 tsp
• Cinammon 1 tsp
• Cumin 1tsp
• Ground coriander 1/2 tsp
• Cashew nuts - large handful (optional)

Start by stir-frying the garlic, ginger and vegetables in a little oil until slightly browned. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

Now heat a little more oil and fry the chicken with the spices until cooked right through.

Return the veggies to the pan together with enough soya milk to just about cover it. Throw in a big handful of cashews and bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer for about half an hour whilst you sort out some wholegrain rice.

Love to know what you think about my dairy free chicken korma and any of your own experiences of cooking with soya milk.

Massaman Beef Curry is a slow-cooked Malaysian dish, which is not too hot but very aromatic. It usually includes potatoes but not in my version! You will need some Massaman curry paste and fish sauce – both available in many supermarkets and worth purchasing for a fantastic Massaman Beef Curry.

• 800g beef brisket or stewing steak, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks
• 1 onion chopped
• 1x 400mL can Coconut Milk
• 1 sachet / 2-3tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
• 8 cardamon pods
• 3 star anise
• 1tsp cinnamon
• small knob ginger sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped

Ingredients (in two stages):

• 1tbsp peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1tsp sugar or squeeze of agave nectar
• handful cashew nuts (and extra for garnish)

Recipe for Massaman Beef Curry

Start by frying the beef in a little oil to seal and then tip the contents of the pan into another dish.

Now fry off the onion, garlic, ginger and spices before adding the beef (but reserve the juices separetely) back to the pan with the massaman paste. Now add the tin of coconut milk, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.  The meat needs to be completely covered in sauce so if you need more liquid add the reserved juices from frying the beef.

About 20-30 minutes before the end of the cooking take off the lid and add the peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar/agave and a handful of cashew nuts.

Serve the massaman beef curry in bowls on top of jasmine rice with a side dish of steamed mange tout. Here’s one I made earlier!

My fridge was looking a little empty so I scoured the kitchen cupboards and came across this packet of yellow curry paste I was yet to try out.

I am pleased to say the Yellow Curry Paste tasted fanastic with just the help of  an onion, 1/2 a pepper, a tomato, stick of celery, some prawns, grated fresh ginger and a few new potatos. In just a few minutes we had ourselves a tasty thai meal served with some basmati rice.

Thai curry made with Blue Elephant Yellow Curry Paste

Thai Curry Paste Ingredients: Soy bean oil, shallot, lemon grass, chili, garlic, tumeric powder, cumin seeds, corrinader seeds, salt, galangal, shrimp paste (shrimp and salt), corriander root, kafir lime skin and pepper.

Simple yet tasty this yellow curry paste is a great product to have in your kitchen cupboards – thanks to Laura for buying me a packet (from Waitrose).

Massaman curry paste

Massaman Curry Paste contains:

• soy bean oil
• cardamon seeds
• cinnamon
• clove
• coriander seeds
• cumin seeds
• shallot
• garlic
• chili
• lemon grass
• ginger
• galangal
• corrinader root
• salt
• shrimp

The massaman curry paste, by Blue Elephant, is made by combining red curry paste with tamarind and a sophisticate blend of spices (cardamom seeds, cinnamon, clove, coriander & cumin seeds). This paste is non spicy and very aromatic. Fried and combined with coconut cream, lamb and a few vegetables, this massaman curry paste paste will give you a beautiful rich in flavour Thai massaman curry.

I tried my massaman curry paste with some coconut milk, chicken, thinly sliced onion and a few peppers, with a large squeeze of lime and a tsp of fish sauce. Really taste curry highly recommend.

Chicken tikka masala via Cook Along live website

In the past I have found Gordon’s (yes we are on first name times) recipes a little bit complex and not something you can whip up mid week, this however isn’t difficult. The recipe teaches you the basics of curry making which can lead to many other great recipes, also you can see how easy this one is to adapt. If you are not eating tomatoes, as I didn’t for a year or so this recipe is a no no.

Chicken tikka masala ingredients (for 4):

• Olive or Groundnut oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 fresh green chillies – deseeded and sliced
• 1″ piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled (if not tolerated can exclude)
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 4 boneless chicken breasts (approx 150g each), cubed
• 10 dried curry leaves (optional)
• 4-6 tbsp natural yoghurt 4-6 tbsp goats yoghurt (if tolerated)
• Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
  

Chicken tikka masala steps:

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion in the oil, once browned a little add the chopped chili, chopped ginger to the pan, crush in the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.

2. Next is an important step in curry making, toasting off the spices so they release there oils and flavours.  So add the chilli powder, turmeric and garam masala, cook for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes to the pan and allow them to cook for a further few minutes.

3. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth – this gives the sauce for the curry. Taste and season where appropriate, as we are excluding the sugar a little salt is required here.

4. Rinse your pan, add a tablespoon of oil into the pan and fry the chicken pieces until lightly coloured on all sides. Pour in the blended sauce and add the curry leaves. Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Take curry off the heat and stir in the goats yoghurt (if using, but not required.  I had it without last night and was delicious) to the chicken curry along with half the chopped coriander. Serve with the brown rice and garnish with the remaining coriander.

NB If you are not eating rice of any kind top tip for curries is that poppadoms are made with lentil flour and for most people I have found easy to digest so check them out.

Chicken tikka masala recipe challenge verdict:

Gordon what can I say with my few tweaks, your Chicken Tikka Masala is fab!