Lamb Dhansak

 Taken from the BBC Good Food website with a few tweaks. This recipe really is as good as the takeaway version!

Serves 4

Extra Easy - 0 syns

Ingredients

100g red lentils

500g butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 onions roughly chopped

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tsp turmeric

1½ tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp ground coriander 

4 cardamom pods, squashed

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

400ml stock (chicken, lamb or vegetable)

 400g lean diced lamb

thumb-sized piece root ginger, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2-3 green chillies, sliced (take out the seeds if you don't want it too hot)

small bunch coriander, chopped

1 tsp garam masala 

steamed basmati to serve

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Put the lentils, squash, onion, turmeric and tinned tomatoes into a sauce pan and pour enough stock to just cover everything. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

3. Spray a pot (that can be used in the oven such as Le Creuset) with frylight and heat. Brown the lamb in batches until it has browned all over. Remove the lamb and add the spices to the pan, then add the ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, lamb, lentils and squash and 200ml stock (top up with hot water if short of 200ml).

4. Put the lid on the pot and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the lamb is completely tender and the sauce thickened. Stir in the garam masala and coriander then serve with boiled rice.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice

This recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala was inspired by the one featured in this month's SW magazine, but with a few tweaks!

Serves 2

Extra Easy - 0 syns

Ingredients (Chicken Tikka Masala)
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into chunks
125g Fat Free Natural Yoghurt
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Very Lazy Ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsps Tikka Curry Powder
1 Red Onion, finely diced
250g Passata
2 tbsps Tomato Puree
2 tsps Chilli Flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Tumeric
2 tsps Granulated Sweetener
100g Fat Free Fromage Frais or 0% Greek Yoghurt
Frylight

Method
1. Mix the chicken, natural yoghurt, ginger, 1 of the garlic cloves and 1 tbsp of curry powder in a bowl and stir. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Spray a deep frying pan with frylight and fry the onions until soft. Add the garlic, tumeric, cumin, chilli flakes and remaining curry powder and fry for 1 minute.
3. Add the passata, sweetener and tomato puree to the frying pan and then add the marinaded chicken (the magazine recommends discarding the marinade but I added it along with the chicken).
4. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has completely cooked through.
5. Stir in the fromage frais (or greek yoghurt) and serve.


Ingredients (Pilau Rice)
150ml Basmati Rice (measured in a measuring jug)
1/2 Cinnamon Stick, split lengthways
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 Cardamon Pods
3 Cloves
1 tsp Ground Tumeric
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Onion Powder (alternatively use 1 small red onion, finely diced)
Frylight

Method
1. Spray a saucepan with frylight and add all of the spices and herbs. Fry on a low heat for 1 minute.
2. Add the rice to the pan and stir until the rice is coated in the spice mixture.
3. Add 300ml boiling water to the pan and bring to the boil. Place a lid on the saucepan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and the water has been absorbed.
4. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamon pods and bay leaf from the rice and fluff with a fork. Serve with the Chicken Tikka Masala.

Thai Curry

A recipe taken from the SW Takeaway Faves recipe book but I added a bit more curry paste to give it more flavour. You can use red or green curry paste with this recipe.

Serves 2

Extra Easy - dependent on brand*

Ingredients
2 tbsps Thai Red or Green Curry Paste (syns dependent on brand)*
75ml light Coconut Milk (3 syns)
150ml Chicken Stock
2 Chicken Fillets, sliced
Frylight

You can use any Asian Vegetables you like but here are some recommendations...
Babycorn, diced
Mangetout, sliced in half diagonally
Half a Red onion, cut into wedges
Half a Courgette, sliced
Half a Red Pepper, sliced
Half a small can of Bamboo Shoots

Method
1. Fry the vegetables in a wok sprayed with frylight until soft.
2. Add the chicken and the Thai Curry paste and mix well.
3. Add the stock and coconut milk and leave to simmer until the chicken is completely cooked through.
4. Serve with rice or noodles.

* Sharwoods Thai Green Curry Paste = 0.5 syns per tbsp
   Thai Taste or Sharwoods Thai Red Curry Paste = 1 syn per tbsp

Thai Red Curry

Thai Red Curry

Thai Green Curry

Chicken Dhansak with Cinnamon Rice

These dishes are inspired by the recipes in the Takeaway Faves recipe book that came with the latest Slimming World magazine. I messed around with the recipes to suit what I had in my cupboards and added some extra spices to make it my own and suit my tastes.

Serves 2 

Extra Easy - 0 syns

Ingredients (Chicken Dhansak)
2 Chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Onion, sliced
1 Red Pepper, sliced
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp Very Lazy Ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of green Lentils, drained
1 Chicken Stock cube
Frylight
Salt & Black Pepper

Method
1. Cook the onion and pepper in a frying pan until softened.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute.
3. Transfer to a saucepan and stir in the raw chicken, tomatoes, lentils, stock cube and spices. Season and bring to the boil.
4. Leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Ingredients (Cinnamon Rice)
150ml dried Rice measured in a measuring jug
300ml boiling water
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground Tumeric
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
Frylight

Method
1. Fry the onion until soft and add the tumeric and cinnamon.
2. Add the dried rice to the onion and add the 300ml boiling water and bring to the boil.
3. Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked and the water has been absorbed. Stir and serve.

N.B. Serve with 1 tbsp of Mango Chutney and add 2 syns