Tikka Prawns with Mango Salsa

This is a nice change to the usual chicken tikka that is so well known and loved, particularly in the UK. As I made it after work, I was very tempted to use a ready made tikka paste, but considering I had all the ingredients, it seems silly not to give the spice mix a go myself. The only difference being it wasn't quite as red in colour as it would normally look, but I didn't want to add red food colouring (I know a lot do) because I decided this was the natural spice colour. It was delicious!

I was just leaving the store from buying the lettuce and noticed a mango. So I picked that up and bought it too. A mango salsa with red onion, coriander, lime and a tiny bit of fresh chill was all it needed. That and some chapati to stuff it all in!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. garum masala powder
1 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. tikka masala powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch ginger, chopped finely
180g natural yoghurt
250-300g king prawns

Method:

Mix the spices with the ginger, garlic and lemon juice. Add the yoghurt and stir in well. Pop in the fridge and marinade for 1-2 hours. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan. Shake the marinade off the prawn and pan fry for about 2-3 minutes. Serve on a hot sizzling dish (to make it sizzle more before serving, squeeze on a little more lemon juice!)

I served this with a Mango Salsa. For this you just mix in a bowl:

1 mango, chopped, 1/4 red onion, finely diced, 25g fresh coriander, chopped. 1 small green chilli, chopped finely, juice of 1 lime. Stir well and refrigerate until use.

Also add some shredded lettuce, chapatti and a little riata. Perfect.

Easy Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Well it has been quiet on here, hasn't it. I would apologise, but I have been away!! While London poured its cold rain on people trudging to work - I was in sunny Gran Canaria reading and relaxing. However, getting off the plane on Saturday night reminded me how cold London actually is right now - so Sunday lunchtime, I needed hot, comforting soup. Eaten with a comfy pair of socks on and a thick woollen jumper.

I was lucky that the leeks I had bought before the holiday had survived and I always have chicken breasts in the freezer. So Cock-A-Leekie it was. Its a Scottish soup that has been around since the 16th century and with few ingredients, is so simple to make and gorgeous.

Ingredient:

2 chicken breasts, sliced
2 leeks, sliced into rings
1.2 litres chicken stock (a stock cube is fine)
1/4 cup (65g) white rice
4 bay leaves
salt & pepper
parsley to serve

Method:

Put the stock, bay leaves and sliced chicken in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil and cook on a simmer for 30 minutes. You will need to use a tablespoon to lift off the impurities from the surface and discard. (Do as much as you can.. but if you try to remove it all, you'll lose too much soup).

Add the leeks and rice and bring back to the boil. Turn back down to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for a further 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

I served this with (easy) poppy seed rolls. Just use a pack of ready to make ciabatta. Follow the instructions but add 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds before mixing. Make into rolls and bake as normal. Delicious!