Weight Watchers Food Products - Review

 Weight Watchers have a great range of different food products to help you loose weight and maintain a healthy diet.  I was recently sent a box of different products to try.

First up for the taste test was Rogan Josh Cooking Sauce:

'Weight Watchers have a wide range of Cooking Sauces allowing you create a  satisfying home-cooked meal in a hurry.  The sauces are all low in fat and ProPoints® values too.  Use with chicken, meat, fish, vegetables to suit your taste.  Rogan Josh sauce is a medium hot curry sauce and has ProPoints value of 2 per serving, it’s ideal for those who like a curry with a bit more heat'. 

 So what did we think of the Rogan Josh sauce?

Nice, rich tomatoey and very tasty sauce with a good amount of spicy heat without being too hot.  Compared with a regular Rogan Josh cooking sauce from a well know supermarket the Weight Watchers sauce (per 100g) is just 41kcal compared to 80kcal and Fat (of which saturates) Weight Watchers is just 0.1g compared to 0.2g and is also lower in salt too.

Chicken and Aubergine Curry in a Hurry

We've all seen these ready made jars of curry cooking sauces in supermarkets which are amazing to have in the store cupboard and taste good.  Asda in particular do one that is in my opinion excellent.  Just think of it as it having done all the hard work for you and there's just a tiny bit more to do to make it extra, extra special. 

So, have you ever fancied a curry that tastes as good as any from a takeaway, but really don't have time to mess about with toasting and grinding spices and buying the necessary bits and bobs involved?  

Or maybe, you've never made a curry from scratch because you neither have the time or couldn't be bothered anyway with what seems like too much messing about?

If any of the above applies then this is the recipe for you!

 Now of course you don't have to add the aubergine or indeed you can use it and add more veg to create a totally vegetarian curry. 

Southern Indian Vegetable Curry

On the back of a pack of curry leaves purchased from one of the UK's top supermarkets was this recipe 'Southern Indian Vegetable Curry with Curry Leaves'.  Quite liking the sound of it I gave it a go.

  However, it pays to know a tiny bit about cooking when following some of these 'back of packet' recipes as I find most are not very well written and they hardly ever work.
  This was no exception, just reading the recipe I decided that there was no way that raw cubed potatoes added to a curry would cook in under 15 minutes.  In reality they took a good hour or so!

No problem at least I was ready for this.

The original recipe didn't have anywhere near enough liquid or spices so I titivated it and the end result was actually very nice. 
Since cooking this I've discovered Jamie Oliver has the same recipe in one of his books 'Jamie's Dinners' but at least he doesn't say how long it will take for the potatoes to cook - he just says cook until the potatoes are soft.

Empire Roast Chicken - Jamie's Great Britain

Jamie's Great Britain is a seriously good book, I'd say it's his best yet.

There's a TV series to accompany the book being shown on Tuesday's on Channel 4
Jamie cooked what he calls Empire Roast Chicken.  The chicken is smeared with a paste made from delicious spices mixed with a natural yoghurt.  

 I didn't want to cook a whole chicken so I made the same paste mixture and used chicken thighs instead.  I think you'll agree it still looks good - and it was!

Bombay-style Potatoes - Jamie's Great Britain

After seeing Jamie cook up 'Empire Roast Chicken' on the Channel 4 series 'Jamie's Great Britain' for his latest book of the same name, I just had to make it. It has to be said he comes up with some amazing ideas - these Bombay potatoes are the best!

  Who can resist these?

Jamie said: "Ask any British person what their two favourite meals are and I reckon most people would say their mum's roast chicken, and a curry. Well, welcome to Empire Roast Chicken, a combination of both of those things. Your friends and family are going to love it. I love it. You will love it."

 I agree with him, his Empire Roast Chicken was so, so good and will be my very next post. 

Indian Style Fish and Chips - Tesco Real Food Cook Off

Last nights episode of Tesco Real Food Family Cook off saw Kate Watts up against Banita Ludhor.

I thought they both did really well and I loved everything they cooked!

    Before I'd seen the show last night I'd been asked to pick a recipe and cook it! As I'd previously cooked Banita's Spicy Chicken Kebabs, I went for Kate's 'Indian Style Fish and Chips'.

I didn't have a picture to go by but Kate's recipe was really easy to follow and I have to say I will be making it again.  

By the way, the Tandoori butter that goes over the fish is soooo good!

 The twist to this dish is said Kate, there is no batter and no chips!

 As both teams ended up drawing with the same overall score, it was down to celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott to make the final decision.

As a result Banita's team have now gone through to the final which will be shown next Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 5 where Banita will be up against Filipa Kay.  Readers of this blog will know I cooked Filipa's Piri Piri Chicken.

I was sorry to see Kate go but well done to both teams - excellent recipes! 

If you'd like to make this dish, pop over to Channel 5 and have a look at Kate's recipe.

Jan's Indian Style Chicken Curry - so easy to make at home

 I've posted many curry recipes before.  Although this is almost the same as my Chicken Balti recipe, I wanted this post to be a reminder that it really is worth a little effort and having a go and making your own curry at home.  
You'll find it's far nicer than from a takeaway or a jar.  

 With a tiny bit of planning you can get everything ready to go:

Start preparing all the bits beforehand.  For example, seeing as all the dried spices go in at once, you can have them measured out into a pinch pot or cup, then all you have to do it tip them in. 

Garlic and Coriander Naan

I've made naan a few times before but I must say these were the best yet, really soft and perfectly cooked.  All in all they were totally yummy. 

Recipe adapted from one by Madhur Jaffery.

Rogan Josh from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

Last night I had a go at making one of Jamie's 30 Minute Meals from his latest book.  I made the vegetable Rogan Josh curry, with his Lemon Pickle and Carrot Salad. 

It can be done or so it seems - as you see Jamie do it on his Channel 4 television series to accompany his book.  However, in my tiny little kitchen, it is impossible.  The only reason I must point out is that I have to clear up as I go, or I'd seriously have no where to move.  An hour and 20 minutes later I was ready to serve!   

The only thing I added to this recipe was a tin of tomatoes and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.  I must say it really was a very tasty curry, but I personally felt it needed the tomatoes and extra chilli.

I think you'll agree it looks delicious.

Tandoori Style Chicken Skewers

A perfect starter to an Indian meal which is easy to make and looks amazing. 

Marinading the chicken in the lime juice makes the chicken nice and tender.

Restaurant Style Chicken Balti

Balti is a curry with a tomato based sauce and this is my perfected recipe!

Balti restaurants are often known in Birmingham as 'Balti houses'. Balti houses have a reputation as being inexpensive places to eat.
This is because they commonly have no alcohol license, although customers who wish to drink are welcome to bring their own alcohol with them.

   You can use less chillies if you wish but what's the point of having curry if it isn't a bit hot is there? 

Coriander and Red Chilli Raita

Cooking an Indian dish tonight?
If so you must try this really easy to make Coriander and chilli raita.

Print this Recipe

To make one small dish - will serve 2 to 4:
200ml TOTAL Greek yoghurt - don't get low fat stuff for this it won't be as nice
a small handful of fresh coriander - leaves only and chopped
1 red chilli of medium heat - seeded and finely chopped
1 spring onion - finely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

How to do it:
Keep back a little chopped coriander and chilli to garnish.
In a small bowl, stir the yoghurt and add the coriander, chilli and spring onion. Stir, add tiny a bit of salt and some freshly ground black pepper - give it another stir and it's done!
If you're not going to use it straight away then cover with cling film and stick it in the fridge till later (use the same day though).
Top with the small amount of coriander and chilli you held back.

Jeera Rice or Cumin Rice

Jeera rice or cumin rice, whatever you want to call it, it's good.
Jeera means cumin in Hindi. The cumin seeds are gently roasted with cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaves until they nicely browned and nutty.
This is another Gordon Ramsay recipe from his book 'Great Escape'

If you like Indian food than you have to give this a go!


Of course you don't eat the bay leaves nor the cinnamon stick - I left those in an attempt to make the picture look more fancy!

Indian Sambar - Gordon Ramsay

Sambar is a thin stew flavoured with tamarind and thickened with toor (tuvar) dal.
A plateful of loveliness!
So, this was another recipe I just had to make from watching Gordon Ramsay's 'Great Escape' television programme.

I have to say this was the nicest Indian dish I have ever had. So many different flavours and very spicy but in the nicest possible way. The Jeera (cumin) rice was also delicious.
I will be making both again! Don't be put off my the never ending list of ingredients - this recipe is well worth the effort.



Print this Recipe
If you are going to make this, please note the following:
I must point out that Gordon's recipe doesn't mention adding water after adding the tamarind liquid. I had to add at least a cup if not a cup and a half.
The carrots and butternut can not possibly cook in just the little amount of thickish tamarind water and most definitely not in only 8 to 10 minutes as his book says it will take.
When I make this again I will part boil the carrots and butternut before adding to the recipe.
I also used frozen okra from Tesco's as I couldn't get fresh on the day
I wanted it. I also go the tamarind (wet block) from Tesco
in their world food bit and the toor dal from an Asian grocers.

Serves 4
For the Masala you will need:
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp yellow split peas
2 tsp coriander seeds
6 curry leaves
4 dried red chillies



For the Sambar you will need:
200g toor dal or it is also known as tuvar dal
6 curry leaves
100g tamarind pulp
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies
1 medium aubergine, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
¼ butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 2cm pieces
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
at least a cup of water
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp sea salt - or to taste
50g okra - washed, dried, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
4 tomatoes - skinned and chopped
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp red chilli powder fresh coriander - leave only and chopped
1tbsp of ghee or melted unsalted butter


How to do it:
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and carefully roast all the ingredients for the masala. When the spices begin to smell very fragrant and are nicely roasted, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely.
Use a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to grind the spices into a powder.

Tip into a small bowl and add enough water, about 3-4 tablespoons, to form a thick paste with a slow-dropping consistency and set aside.

Put the toor dal and curry leaves into a medium saucepan and cover with 1½ litres of water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat slightly and leave to simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and set aside.

Soak the tamarind in 200ml of very hot water for 20 minutes, break down the block into smaller pieces. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve pushing through as much as possible but discard the husks and seeds - you only want the thickish liquid.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and add the mustard, fennel and cumin seeds and the dried chillies.



Cook for 1 minute or until the spices become very fragrant. Now add the aubergine, butternut squash and carrots, stirring well to coat the vegetables in the spices. After 2-3 minutes add the turmeric, salt and tamarind water to the pan and bring to the boil.
Boil for a good while until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. You will need to add water. I must have added at least a cup and a half by the time the carrots had softened - please see my note above.



Add the okra, cooked lentils, ground masala spice, chopped tomatoes, ground coriander and chilli powder to the pan and stir well.
Add more water to the pan if necessary. (The sambar should be quite thin in consistency.)
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 5 minutes or so until the okra is just tender.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Just before serving, stir through the chopped coriander and ghee or butter.



Serve the Sambar hot with rice and warm naan bread.
I served mine with Jeera rice.

Indian Butter Chicken - Murgh Makhani

I've been watching Gordon Ramsay's 'Great Escape' on TV - a fantastic programme!

However, when the book was published I'm thinking something is wrong with the butter chicken recipe.
In the programme talking about the butter chicken he had there, Gordon said
"It doesn't taste tart - like it's been laced with tomato puree....it uses fresh tomatoes" 

Now, this is all very strange because the book says to use 275ml of tomato puree and there's not a mention of a tomato fresh or tinned!  
That said, I must point out that in the USA tomato puree is known as tomato paste perhaps a misunderstanding by whoever wrote the book.

So, there I was, everything ready to go until I noticed the amount of tomato puree. Not only would the dish have been very bitter, there would have been no sauce at all.
With all that in mind, I set about looking up different recipes on the net and the result is my 'titivated' version of Indian butter chicken.

Onion Fried Rice - Indian style

Onion fried rice with a nice hot curry - Mmm yum!

Pictured here served with my chicken vindaloo.

There's no real recipe as I made it up, but all you need is some cooked cold rice enough for two and then just double the amount of spice and onions if you want to make rice for four etc.
Make sure your rice is cold or it will be sticky and be sure to read my note here on storing cooked rice safely.

Print this Recipe

You will need:
cooked boiled rice enough for two - rice must be cold
a little oil and a knob of butter
1 onion - diced
about 1/2 a teaspoon of onion seeds
about 1/2 a teaspoon of mustard seeds 1/2
a teaspoon of turmeric
3/4 of a teaspoon of cumin
a small amount of dried curry leaves - crumbled

How to do it:
First of all in a dry wok or large frying pan, toast the onion and mustard seeds until they begin to pop - keep the pan moving or they will burn easily. Once done remove and set aside.
Now in the same pan add just under a tablespoon of oil and a little butter and heat.

Throw in the diced onions and cook over a high heat stirring all the time.
Don't let the onions burn. Stir in the turmeric and cumin and the rice along with the cooked rice, onion and mustard seeds. Crumble in the dried curry leaves and keep stirring so nothing burns.

Make sure the rice is piping hot. Stir in a small knob of butter.
Job done!

Chicken Vindaloo - Perfected!

Okay, as you know we do like a nice curry now and then!

I'm always trying different types of curry and messing about with recipes until now, at last, I have perfected Chicken Vindaloo!

**For an ordinary chicken curry, leave out the white wine vinegar.
 

Print this Recipe

To serve 2 you will need:

3 skinless chicken breast fillets - cut into cubes
2 tbsp of vegetable oil

6 garlic cloves - finely chopped
2 largish onions - finely chopped
1 red chili pepper medium heat - seeds in - finely chopped
2 teaspoons of ground turmeric
2 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 x 400g can of good quality chopped tomatoes - including the juice
**1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
freshly ground salt and black pepper to taste
a few freshly chopped coriander leaves

For the Spice Paste Mixture:
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cardamon pods
4 cloves
2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
6 black peppercorns
After you've ground the above you will also need:
1 green chilli (medium heat) - chopped leaving the seeds in
2.5cm (1 inch) of fresh root ginger - chopped
4 garlic cloves - peeled
3 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

How to do it:
Start by making the spice paste.

Grind the cumin seeds, cardamon pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar. You want a nice fine powder so it will take a few bashings too to get there!
The only big bits left at this stage should be the cardamon pod shells/skins or whatever they're called.

Now blend the powder with the other paste ingredients in a food processor.
So in the processor you will have the spice powder the green chili, ginger, garlic,and the lemon juice. Make this into a fine paste.

When all that's done put the mixture into a small bowl and add the chicken giving it a good stir to coat the chicken pieces well.
Cover with cling film and set aside in the refrigerator for a good 2 hours - better still overnight.
When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan and onions and the red chilli. Cook, stirring now and again until the onions are nice and golden but not burnt!
Now add the garlic and saute for another minute or so.

Add the turmeric, chili powder, tomato puree, tin of tomatoes and the white wine vinegar.
**Take care not to add anymore than 1 and a half to 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar or the dish will be horrid.

Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and give it all a good stir.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened - it will take about 40 minutes. Whatever, check on it now and again as you may need to add a little water if it's getting too thick.

Make sure the chicken is cooked through and serve wit h rice and top with the coriander leaves if you feel like you need to! 

Lemon Pickle - Jamie Oliver

An excellent pickle for serving with curry from Jamie Oliver's book 'Happy Days with the Naked Chef'

**If you're looking for the lemon pickle from Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, it can be found in my post here.


I used 'Barts' dried curry leaves.

You will need:
2 Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
A Few Dried Curry leaves - broken
1 Teaspoon Yellow Mung Dal
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
4 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 Lemons

Method:
Wash and deseed the lemons and cut into bite size pieces, leaving the skin on.

Fry the mustard seeds in the hot oil. As they begin to pop add the curry leaves and the urad dal.
Lower the heat and cook until brown, then add the vinegar.

This bit is important! - Cook until the dal is soft - test one as they will be really hard if not cooked through.
Stir in the lemon, cook for a bit and then remove from the heat and allow to cool. This can be stored in the fridge for a few days if you wish.

Chicken Jalfrezi

Today I want to eat.........

Jalfrezi curry, with lemon rice, nann bread and poppadoms.
But - I will cheat a bit (Delia does)!!
I have put a jar of Tesco's own Jalfrezi sauce and put it in the slow cooker with some cubed chicken breast fillets, a sliced onion. I also added half of a sliced (medium hot) red chilli pepper and half of a green bell pepper.
I think the slow cooker makes the chicken really tender. I'm cooking it on the low setting for about 6 to 7 hours.
The nann bread I also bought from Tesco.
But I will make the lemon rice and I will also make some riata.

So I will be doing something!!