Chicken & Pak Choi noodles

Tonight I wanted to cook Asian but not a traditional stir fry, something different required. The weather was awful and I had a heavy cold, chicken broth is good for its healing qualities. I had Pak Choi and chicken so decided to create this broth type dish. This would be light but warming and fragrant. The remaining ingredients were stock cupboard items for me. Researching on the internet and through my cook books most recipes stick to traditional stir fries, so experiment time. Is that not what cooking is about? This fed two hungry eaters.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts chopped into large bite size pieces and seasoned.
• Thick thumb of fresh ginger.
• 4 spring onions large slices cut at an angle.
• 1 red chilli chopped, your choice whether to leave seeds in or not.
• 2 Pak Choi halved.
• 3 mushrooms chopped (could be omitted).
• 1 pack ready to wok medium noodles (depending on your appetite you might want a pack each).
• Oil for cooking
• Sesame oil (optional)
• Half a vegetable stock cube
• 500ml water
• Dash Soy sauce

Recipe:

1. Grate the stock cube into the water and bring to a simmer.
2. Add in the ginger, spring onions and the chilli
3. Whilst this is simmering heat the wok and stir in the chicken.
4. When the chicken is almost cooked add the mushrooms to the wok.
5. At same time add the Pak Choi and the noodles to the stock and continue simmering.
6. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce to the wok for added flavour.
7. Now add the stock ingredients to the wok. At this stage it is your choice re how much of broth to add to the wok. It will depend on whether you want it more as a broth or just a sauce. I added all the stock.

Enjoy.

 

Homemade Custard

We have all had the custard variations from packets and tins to good old fashioned school stuff. But making 'proper' custard is really easy and satisfying. But more importantly it tastes so much better. Once mastered I guarantee that you will not buy custard again, DIY rules.
This is the recipe I used to go with the plum & pear crumble on my blog. This amount is for two people but it is easily upscaled and I also use it for trifles etc.. The only downside is that there is an expense to buy vanilla pods but I strongly believe it is worth it. Making custard might seem daunting but it is really easy following this recipe. Even Queen Delia/Hairy Bikers have mentioned about using cornflower as a stabiliser but I don't, never have and I have never had any lumps in the custard.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Vanilla pod (they come whole just wrap the other half in Clingfilm and will keep for months)
• 2 egg yolks
• 25g caster sugar
• 150ml double cream (but could substitute with milk)
• 50ml full milk

Doing it:

1. Split the vanilla pod with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds.
2. Put the cream/milk and vanilla pod into a heavy pot and heat slowly, stirring all the time for about 5 minutes without letting it boil. Then take it off the heat to let it come together (infuse).
3. Then get a clean bowl and put in the sugar & egg yolks. Use a metal whisk and cream together for a minute or so.
4. Place this bowl on a towel to stop it moving.
5. Two hands needed or a helper. Slowly pour the cream infusion into the egg/sugar mixture whisking all the time. 
6. Give your cooking pan a clean and pour the mixture back in, use a plastic spatula to clean the bowl, leave none of this goodness behind.
7. Heat the pan under a low heat for 5 minutes, use your plastic spatula, stirring all the time, ensuring all bottom edges of pan are moving.
8. That's it, take it off the heat delicious custard made. Custard can be eaten hot or cold but if like me just stop eating it right now or there will be none left for the crumble.

Plum & Pear Crumble

Crumbles are so quick & simple to make, yet so delicious and you can use your imagination to combine whatever is in season, or even dried fruits. And this one is no exception, go on try it. Measurements are easily varied to suit the size of your dish. This one will make 4 portions. However, you want a reasonably good fit in your cooking dish. I originally started this with a plums only intention but I had some gaps in my large bowl. Solution, I had 2 pears in the fruit bowl so chopped them up and added them in.

Ingredients:

• 6 Medium sized golden/yellow plums (halved & stoned)
• 2 pears (peeled & chopped)
• 60g plain flour
• 60g medium oats (but this size only because I had an open packet, use any oats)
• 60g cold butter cut into pieces
• 30g soft brown sugar (use any sugar)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 30g flaked almonds
• 4 tbsp. golden syrup (use whatever syrup you fancy)

Easy to make:

1. Heat oven to 180g fan.
2. Put the plums into your bowl with the skin side down and put the pears in the spaces.
3. Dribble over half of the syrup.
4. Cook for 10 minutes.

Next step prepare the crumble:

1. Get a largish bowl and put in the butter, oats, spices, flour and sugar. 
2. Minger mix to get this to rough breadcrumbs but don't worry it can be spread over.
3. Take the cooked fruit out of the oven, spread the mixture over and sprinkle over the almonds.
4. Dribble over the remaining syrup.
5. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with homemade custard.