Indian Pakora Spiced Chicken Wings with Homemade Pakora Sauce

Chicken wings roasted in pakora spices are served with salad and a homemade pakora sauce

Indian spices in many ways are almost meant to be combined with chicken. The number of tasty combinations we can make from these simple ingredients is beyond counting. It was while I was making a batch of vegetable pakora and contemplating making chicken pakora that I came up with this alternative idea. I was almost certain it would work well and I'm delighted to say that it did - it was absolutely delicious!

Note: Regular readers of this blog may notice a subtle change in the layout today. The pictures are not only larger but now contain captions. I very much hope you like the changes (which will remain, going forward) and agree that they improve the presentation of the recipes.

The spices are added to the sunflower oil

Ingredients (Serves Two)

8 large chicken wings (or as required)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium tomato
2 or 3 slices from half an onion
Homemade or bought pakora sauce
Chopped coriander/cilantro to garnish

Chicken wings are added to the bowl with the spiced oil

Directions

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Pour the sunflower oil in to a large bowl (it will need to be large enough to contain the chicken wings) and add the salt and spices. Stir well to form a smooth paste.

Chicken wings are carefully stirred through the spiced oil

Put the chicken wings in to the bowl and very carefully stir them by employing a folding motion until they are evenly coated with the oil and spices. Lay them in a single layer on a large roasting tray and put them in the oven for half an hour.

Chicken wings are laid in a single layer on a roasting tray

Remove the chicken wings from the oven and set them aside to rest for at least five minutes, perhaps while you prepare the simple accompaniments.

Tomato and onion forms the simple salad accompaniment to these spicy wings

The pakora sauce is best served in small ramekins. The onion slices should be separated in to strands and the tomato cut to six or eight segments. Plate your meal as shown in the photographs, serve and enjoy.

Pakora spiced chicken wings and homemade pakora sauce

Leftover Pulled Pork and German Potato Dumplings

A few days back, I created an entry for a contest that consisted of a Bavarian inspired version of Pulled Pork and Potato Dumplings. The leftovers were refrigerated and cooked up like this for my dinner the following night, proving every bit as enjoyable as the original meal.
 

Ingredients

4oz leftover pulled pork
2 leftover German potato dumplings
1 bread roll
2oz butter
Chopped chives to garnish
Salt and white pepper
BBQ sauce to serve (optional)

Directions

Gently melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan. Slice the potato dumplings to a thickness of about half an inch and season lightly on both sides with salt and white pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes each side until lightly golden and crisp.

Carefully lift the potato dumpling slices from the pan with a spatula and sit them briefly on a holding plate.

Cut the bread roll in half horizontally.

Lay the cut sides of the bread roll in the frying pan for about thirty seconds, just until they are lightly crisp.

Add the pulled pork to the pan to soak up the remaining juices and simply heat through.

Plate the bread roll with the potato dumpling slices alongside.

Lift the pulled pork from the pan with your spatula, straight on to the bottom half of the bread roll.

Garnish the potato dumplings with the chopped chives, add the optional BBQ sauce to the pulled pork, close your roll over and serve.

King Scallops on Black Pudding with Peppercorn Cream Sauce

This is a really quick and easy dinner recipe but still manages to look great and taste even better. Although scallops can be fairly expensive, their beautiful texture and flavours make them more than worth their price as an occasional treat. When you do buy scallops, don't make the mistake of removing and discarding the orange coral. Although it is not as tasty as the main white, circular muscle, it is perfectly edible and at the price you are paying, you will want the best value for money you can get.

Ingredients per Person

2 slices of black pudding
2 king scallops
2 tbsp double/heavy cream
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Pinch of sea salt
1 small spring onion/scallion
Vegetable oil for frying

Pour a little vegetable oil in to a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the black pudding slices for five minutes each side. Remove to a heated plate and turn up the heat. Sear the scallops for one minute on each side.

Lightly crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar. Pour the cream in to a small saucepan and season with the crushed peppercorns and a little salt. Put on to a low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.
 

Wash, top and tail the spring onion. Slice across the way in to fine discs.

Pour the sauce carefully in to the base of a deep serving plate. Lay the black pudding in the plate as shown and sit the scallops on top. Scatter with the spring onions for a final garnish.

Note: If you think the spring onions are likely to be a little overpowering, try using chopped chives instead.

Hot and Spicy Chilli Chicken Wings

How do you like your chicken wings? Sadly, a great many people will say straight from KFC or any one of a number of other fast food outlets. The reality is, however, that chicken wings are not only incredibly easy to cook at home, they can be prepared in your own kitchen in any number of different ways that you will never see them for sale in a takeaway. If you don't know this already, why not give them a go? They're inexpensive to buy from supermarkets and this is just one idea of how you can serve them up to your family. At the bottom of this post, you will find links to help you with a great many more delicious ways to serve up these succulent and tasty food items.

Ingredients per Person

4 large chicken wings
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp hot chilli powder
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 small white onion
2 tbsp Indian spiced onions
1 10" naan bread
Sprig of mint for garnish

Directions

Pour the vegetable oil in to a large glass or stone bowl. Add the chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Stir well to form a smooth paste before adding the chicken wings and sliced onion. Carefully stir in a folding motion to ensure the wings and onions are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours. (Marinating for this length of time is not absolutely essential but does improve the ultimate flavour.)

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C. Lay the wings and onions on a baking tray and pour over any excess oil. Cook for thirty minutes.

When the wings come out of the oven, check the juices run clear by piercing with a skewer. Leave to rest for ten minutes before adding them to a serving dish.

If you are using a store bought naan, heat it per the instructions on the packet. Lay it on a chopping board and slice in to portions for service.

Spoon the spiced onions in to a small ramekin and garnish with the sprig of mint. Plate alongside the wings and arrange the naan bread slices alongside.

Mixed Bell Peppers and Anchovy Naan Bread Pizza Feast

Naan bread pizza is something which I make quite regularly and have actually featured on this blog in the past. This particular version of naan bread pizza is different however in that not only is it fairly substantial, it contains anchovies, a foodstuff which it often seems everyone either loves or hates without the option of an in between. If you don't like anchovies, simply miss them out or replace them with a different ingredient of your choosing and enjoy a naan bread pizza feast of your own creation. The cheese used is also simple cheddar, with none of the more traditional mozzarella.

Ingredients (Makes Two Pizzas)

2 medium naan breads (9 to 10" long)
3/4 pint homemade (or bought) pizza sauce
1 each of red, green and yellow bell peppers
2 medium closed cup mushrooms
12 pitted black olives
12 small cherry tomatoes
2oz anchovy fillets
8oz grated cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Small basil leaves to garnish (optional)

Directions

Top and tail the bell peppers and cut out the seeds. Slice to just under 1/2" thickness.

Wipe the mushrooms clean and slice. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half, down through the centre.

Put your oven on to preheat to 450F/220C.

Lay the naan breads on a baking tray or two baking trays if need be.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly between the two naans. Leave around a half inch border around the edge to form a crust.

The order in which you add the topping ingredients is entirely up to you. In this instance, the anchovy fillets were laid on first and the tomato and olive halves arranged between them evenly.

The mushrooms were added next, followed by the bell pepper slices, alternating between the colours.

Scatter the cheese on top last of all. It may not seem like a lot of cheese but for health considerations, it is best to limit it to some extent.

Put the tray in to the oven for ten minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Remove the tray from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the naan bread pizza to a serving plate.  Garnish with the basil leaves and season with some more black pepper if required. Remember the presence of the anchovies - so no salt should be required.

Serve in each instance with a glass of chilled white wine.

Sweet Pudding or Savoury Cheeseboard? Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces' Tribute Meal (Part Three)

Which do you prefer as the final course of your meal: a sweet, succulent pudding or a tantalisingly taste-rich cheeseboard? Opinions vary significantly and this was the problem that faced me when I was trying to come up with the third and final principal course for this Armed Forces' tribute meal for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In the first post relating to this meal, I prepared a starter of pheasant and cider casserole to represent the Royal Air Force. In the second, a seafood platter represented the fruits of the sea and the Royal Navy. Part three is devoted to the fruits of the land and the British Army. Sweet or savoury? I went for both! Enjoy...

Toffee Apple Crumble with Cornish Clotted Cream

This crumble recipe is slightly different from the traditional British apple crumble recipe. The principal difference is that the sugar used in the crumble topping is soft brown sugar rather than the more popular granulated or caster sugar. This gives a toffee-like texture to the underside of the crumble and - hopefully you'll agree - an extra little something special to the dish.

Ingredients (Serves Four)

7oz plain/all purpose flour
4oz unsalted butter
4oz soft brown sugar
3 medium to large Bramley apples
1 and 1/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
3 tbsp cold water
4 tbsp Cornish clotted cream
4 sprigs of fresh mint to garnish
  

Put the flour in to a large mixing bowl and cut the butter in to it in fairly small pieces. Use your fingertips to rub the butter in to the flour until you have a mixture which is the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.
 

The soft brown sugar should be added to the butter and flour mix and stirred carefully to combine with a wooden spoon.

It is not essential but it is a good idea to slightly cook your apples before assembling the crumble. This simply helps the flavour infusion. Peel and core the apples and chop them to about one inch chunks. Add them to a pot with the water and caster sugar and gently heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

Carefully spread the apple mixture in the base of an ovenproof dish and scatter over the crumble mix. Put it in to a preheated oven (180C/350F) for half an hour.

When you remove the crumble from the oven, you should be able to see the delicious, sticky toffee-ness (is there such a word? - there is now!) seeping around the crumble mix. For best results, leave it to rest on a chopping board as in the picture below for ten minutes or so before spooning on to plates and serving with the beautiful clotted cream and mint sprig garnish.

Simple British Cheeseboard with Spring Onions and Black Olives

Firstly, I apologise for using the black olives - I know they are far from British. The reality is, however, that while some people like grapes and apple with their cheeseboard to add a very defined flavour contrast, I prefer savoury all the way. This is why I have instead used spring onions (scallions) and black olives. Fruit can of course be used if preferred.

Secondly, I have to apologise to Northern Ireland for not being represented in this dish. I did try to get a sample of what I know are the many wonderful Ulster cheeses for this cheeseboard but unfortunately couldn't source one locally. This just proves the point that we all have to prepare a cheeseboard with whatever cheeses we have available to us in our local areas.

Ingredients per Person

2oz Stilton cheese
2oz Cornish brie
2oz Welsh cheddar
3 Scottish oatcakes
1 spring onion/scallion
6 to 8 pitted black olives

Oatcakes are a Scottish creation and are available in many different forms from many different suppliers. I have no hesitation here in recommending what are unquestionably the best oatcakes I have ever tasted, those produced by Stockan's in the Orkney Islands. These oatcakes alone are available in several different varieties from British supermarkets and have to be tasted to believed.

Wash the spring onion and cut in to discs. Cut the cheese in to segments and plate with the oatcakes, before scattering the spring onion over the top and laying the black olives alongside.

In the first post of this series of three, I covered three beers which could very successfully be made to represent the three principal branches of the UK Armed Forces. Although beer may not be the preferred choice with either the apple crumble or a cheeseboard, don't forget to enjoy a Bombardier after your meal!

Thank you for reading these posts dedicated to the British Armed Forces in this, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. I hope there is something that you will try and that you'll come back soon, to read more posts dedicated to the occasion and of course the more established style posts that have kept this blog going for what is now more than three years, wholly dedicated to food pleasure and enjoyment.