Simple, spicy Chinese food

It might not be up everyone's street, but Jamie Oliver's 30 minute (or not so 30 minute) king prawn thai red curry is a blast.

Only difficult thing to get hold of in the recipe is the Kafir lime leaves. Some supermarkets might have them in the frozen section but he also suggests local grocery stores run by oriental folk.

If I ever find anywhere selling them, I'll be sure to point people in the right direction. But omitting them from the recipe really doesn't make too much of a difference.

Also, that spicy shredded beef recipe sounds delicious.
 
J-FRO said:
It might not be up everyone's street, but Jamie Oliver's 30 minute (or not so 30 minute) king prawn thai red curry is a blast.

Only difficult thing to get hold of in the recipe is the Kafir lime leaves. Some supermarkets might have them in the frozen section but he also suggests local grocery stores run by oriental folk.

If I ever find anywhere selling them, I'll be sure to point people in the right direction. But omitting them from the recipe really doesn't make too much of a difference.

Also, that spicy shredded beef recipe sounds delicious.
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Both M&S and Morrisons stock the dried leaves with the other dried herbs & spices, although YMMV depending on the store ;)
 
I just fry mushrooms, onion, and chicken up and then cook some egg noodles for 4mins. I then throw soy sauce and star anees mix over the chiken etc mix and the noodle, turn until all coated. Then I throw it all back in the wok and stir and cook for abit longer. When its done its great.
 
Dan Dan Noodles are really hot and spicy, Jamie Oliver has a recipe I've done. It's on the iPhone app, in his 30 Minutes Meal (on tv and in the book) and on an older tv show he did.
 
Very simple one that my Chinese partner taught me - 土豆丝 (Shredded potato)

Ingredients
~2 potatoes per person
Pork chop
Green pepper
3-4 birdeye chillies
Couple of spring onions
Light & dark soy sauce
Salt (and perhaps cumin)
Potato Starch powder (淀粉, dianfen, again Chinese supermarket)

1. Thinly slice the pork into small pieces. Slice pepper and shred the potato - this can be done either "manually" with a knife (make long and thin pieces) or more quickly with a coarse cheese grater. Cut the spring onion and birdeye chillies into small circles.
2. Put some cold water in a bowl and add about a teaspoon of potato starch powder. Add the pork and mix with your hands - the pork will become soft.
3. Put some water on to boil, then add the pork to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, until it turns white. Some "gunk" will come off the top of it - this is removing the bad taste.
4. Add some oil to a frying pan and lightly fry the spring onions. Add the peppers and fry for a couple of minutes, and then the potato.
5. Keep stirring the mixture when frying - this (apparently!) is key to locking in the flavours. After 5 minutes, add some light soy sauce and mix.
6. Push the potato to the top of the pan and add the pork. Fry gently and add a little (a little!) dark soy sauce to the pork and mix in.
7. Mix everything together. Add the birdeye chillies. Flavour with a little salt, and a little cumin if you have some. Serve with rice.

There's a few ways to cook it - some prefer the potato a little crispy still, I prefer the potato to be softer myself. This is easy to adjust for, just leave it on for a little longer if you want a more softer version.

This is a great and simple dish, often cooked as a side dish for a meat meal. You can replace almost anything in it - I like to cook it up with some caremelised onions or some shredded carrot, and replacing the green pepper with a red one makes it a little sweeter. Easy and fairly quick once you practise shredding vegetables!
 
Proper easy one which is a base for anything else you want to add in really.

Chicken fillets / breasts chopped and dusted with 5 spice
ground nut oil
2 cloves garlic
cube of ginger
2 chillies
5 spice
soy sauce
white wine
chicken stock
Any veg you choose.

Simply fry off the ginger garlic and chilli in a wok, once it's started to cook add in the chicken until browned. Then add your longest to take to cook veg, mine was carrots, then add soy and some wine. Add more of your veg, some stock and soy/wine to taste/ when its reduced more. Add what ever veg you choose, cover, cooked.

Slap some noodles on, then in the pan once just about done and bosh. Quickest easiest stir fry.
 
Scottland said:
Both M&S and Morrisons stock the dried leaves with the other dried herbs & spices, although YMMV depending on the store ;)
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Cheers for the heads up. M&S isn't really the place you think to go for such a thing really! Had tried Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda to no avail.
 
J-FRO said:
Cheers for the heads up. M&S isn't really the place you think to go for such a thing really! Had tried Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda to no avail.
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I work next to quite a big M&S, and they do a decent selection of herbs and spices. Morrisons is also a surprisingly good for things like that. I used to be able to get Chipotle chillies from there, but they don't sell them anymore and you cant get them anywhere apart from online.

Also, Kaffir Lime leaves can be got from eBay too, as with a lot of chinese stuff.
I picked up some black beans from eBay a while back as it was cheaper than ordering from the online grocers (normally about £6 P&P). But if you live in a city then there's probably a Chinese grocers/supermarket you can pick up all these things.
 
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