Easy dinners please

[debih]

Cold weather hot pot

2 onions, chopped
300g carrots, diced
1 kg potatoes, diced
450g minced beef
2 beef stock cubes
1 can baked beans
Worcestershire sauce

Fry the mince. Add the stock cubes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Add 900ml water. Boil and simmer for approx 30 mins.

Add baked beans and Worcestershire sauce and warm through.

We usually have it with thick, chunky bread.

[debih]

Keema mince

This was one of the lovely Nesreen (from DD) recipes and has become a firm family favourite in this house.

500g mince
1 bowl frozen peas
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp chilli powder
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 onions, chopped
small piece of ginger, diced
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala

Fry the onion until brown. Add the mince.

Add garlic, ginger, all the spices and the chilli. Fry or a couple of minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes. Add some water if you think it is a little dry.

[debih]

Chicken tikka masala

This does need starting the night before.

4 chicken fillets, diced
4 tbsp tikka curry paste
6 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 onions, diced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1/2 pint chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh coriander

Put chicken in a bag/bowl with curry paste and 2 tbsp yoghurt. Mix and leave to marinate overnight.

Fry onions. Add chicken and paste it was marinating in and cook til brown. Add tomatoes and stock. Cook on a low heat for around 30 minutes until cooked through.

Stir in the remaining yoghurt and mix. Cook on a low heat for approx 5 mins.

[Ally]

Keema mince..another favourite here.

I've written the creamed chicken recipe down.

[debih]

Chicken and spinach curry

750g diced chicken
4 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tbsp curry paste
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g can coconut milk
1 x 400g can chick peas
250g spinach

Fry the chicken for 5 mins. Add onion and fry until golden.

Add ginger, garlic, curry powder and fry for 1 min.

Add tomatoes, coconut milk and chick peas. Boil. Season. Cover and simmer for 15 mins.

Add spinach (in batches). Cook for approx 2 mins until spinach has wilted. Add next batch. Season. Warm through for about 2 mins.

[debih]

Should I continue????????????????

I am the queen of speedy cookery.

[Ally]

Should I continue????????????????

I am the queen of speedy cookery.

Years of having 3 'I'm starving, mum!!' lads made me super speedy on the 'get a meal out quick' front!!

[Workingman]

Shell, what you might want to do, if you haven't already got one, is start an "essentials" shelf. Things like: Worcester and soy sauces, stock powders - veg and chicken (Marigold and Knorr), dried herbs and spices - cumin, coriander, oregano, basil, thyme, sage, chilli (flakes/powder) garlic flakes and a basic medium curry paste.

Spagbol.

Small tray of beef or beef/pork mince.
Medium chopped onion
Medium diced carrot and same volume of diced celery and diced mushrooms
Garlic clove
dsp oregano
1/2 tsp of basil
2 dsp tomato purée
stock
pepper to taste.

Sautee all the vegetables till softened then add the meat. Continue till no longer pink and then add the garlic and herbs. After two mins add the purée and mix well. Top up with stock - enough to cover the mix and make a thickish sauce.
Turn the heat low and cover the pan with a slightly tilted lid. 30 mins cooking is ample, but stir quite often and have a few tastes to adjust any seasoning.

Do the spaghetti and serve.

Chinese chicken curry.

1 largeish chicken breast or two small ones cut into 3cm cubes
8 mushrooms quartered
1 medium onion sliced lengthwise (new moon slices)
splash of oil
Curry sauce
Noodles or rice or chips.

Make a curry sauce using 2 dsp of basic curry paste, 1 dsp soy sauce, 1dsp Worcester sauce, 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder, 1 dsp tomato purée, 1 garlic clove chopped finely.
Heat the ingredients over a low heat for a minute and then add water to make a medium thick sauce - a sprinkle of sugar goes well if you like. Set aside.

Do the noodles/rice/chips and set aside

Stir fry the chicken in a little oil over a roaring flame for two mins then add the mushrooms and onion for another minute. Tip the whole lot into the curry sauce and reheat.

Serve with the noodles or whatever. 20-30 mins from start to finish.

[debih]

I like the sound of the chicken curry WM.

I love chinese curry. I will give that a try soon.

[miasmum]

Please feel free to carry on, but thank you so much