Easy Paella

Preparation Time: ;10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6

olive oil for cooking
2 cups of fresh chicken stock  (a little extra may be required)
1 1/2 cups of white rice (i use long grain)
1 small red onion diced
1/2 small red capsicum chopped
3 pieces of bacon diced
1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads
1 garlic clove chopped finely
1/4 cup of chopped tomato
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of peas
salt and pepper
1 chorizo thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley finely chopped
24 fresh raw tiger prawns (shelled and deveined)
1 chicken breast cut into cubes
100g white fish (i use rockling) diced
100g fresh calamari cut into fine rings

In a large bowl place the rice and the chicken stock with the saffron threads and stir a little then let it sit for ten minutes so the saffron starts to infuse into the rice.

Heat a little olive oil in a large fry pan or electric wok.  Add the diced chicken and cook for around 5 minutes or until cooked.  Place chicken aside in a covered bowl. Then cook the fish, calamari and prawns in a fry pan with a little oil for around 5 minutes until cooked and set aside in another bowl.

In your pan/wok add the bacon, capsicum, onion, cayenne, tomato, garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.  Then add the chorizo, peas, parsley and a little shake of salt and pepper.  Add the rice and saffron stock mixture and mix well.

Bring to the boil slowly and then reduce the heat to low simmering for around 10 minutes.  Add more stock if you need to so it cooks the rice.  Add the chicken, prawns, calamari and fish to the top of the rice and push down gently . Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes until the rice is tender.

Serve in bowls with extra parsley on top.

The freshest seafood make the best paella.  If you like mussels you can cook some in a little white wine and onion first and wait until they open. Discard any unopened ones.  Set aside the cooked mussel in the liquid and add to your rice at the part where you add the seafood.

Spicy Vegetable and Lamb Couscous

 Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Olive oil for each frypan (2)

1 small red chilli diced finely

1 white end of leek diced up finely

1 teaspoon of cumin ground

1 teaspoon of turmeric

shake of black pepper

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

500 ml vegetable stock

1 zuccini diced

1 bunch of broccolini (just the florets)

1 small tomato diced

1 tablespoon of parsley

1 tablespoon of thyme

400g lamb diced

6 pitted dates chopped

1 cup of vegetable stock

shake of black pepper

1 teaspoon of moroccan spice

Couscous

1 cup instant couscous

30 g butter

1 cup of hot vegetable stock

 Add a little oil to a frypan and add the lamb pieces, dates, vege stock, pepper and moraccan spice. Simmer on medium heat on stovetop making sure to add stock to just cover the meat. This makes a gorgeous thick sweet lamb after around 30 min simmering.  

To make the vegetables place some oil in a deep frypan and add the chilli, leek, cumin and turmeric and cook til leek is slightly opaque.  Then add the sweet potato and half the vegetable stock and simmer.  Add the broccoli florets, tomato, parsley and thyme and simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes (or until vegetables are tender). Add stock as required .

Make the couscous by placing the couscous grains in a large glass bowl and place butter and hot vegetable stock over the cous cous.  Leave to absorb for around 5 minutes then fluff gently with a fork to separate the grains.

To serve place Couscous in serving bowl then place vegetables and meat on top or you can mix meat into vegetables first then onto couscous.  Delicious food!

Spicy lamb salad with mango lime dressing

Serves 4 small side plates
Preparation Time: 20 minutes


150g thin sliced lamb shoulder meat
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1-2  shakes of dried garlic powder
1 small butter lettuce or similar leaves separated and washed
5 diced in half cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion slices thinly
1 avocado sliced in lengths with no skin
salt and pepper

Mango Lime Dressing:
1/2 mango pureed
1 lime juiced


Combine the spices in a bowl and roll the meat into the spice mix.  Pan fry the meat on low heat with some olive oil.  Turn heat off when cooked and set aside.

Place your lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion, avocado and salt and pepper together arranged on a small plate.  Place the cooked meat into each and then pour over the mango lime dressing.

Fantastic!!

Prawn and vermicelli Laksa

Serves 4
Preparation and Cooking Time:

For your Laksa paste :

1 small red mini hot chilli chopped finely
1 clove of garlic
1cm piece of fresh ginger
very small amount of coriander (optional)
1 teaspoon of tumeric powder
very tiny shake of cumin powder
handful of spring onion chopped
Splash of oil or butter (melted) to blend it together

Place all these ingredients into a food processor and blend into a paste.

Other ingredients :

400g prawns cooked
500ml fish stock (premium)
400ml coconut milk
handful of bean sprouts
Vermicelli noodles (half pack approx)
1 finely chopped red mini chilli
butter for cooking
fish sauce (optional) to taste (use soy if no fish sauce)
1 teaspoon of sugar

Garnishing:
2 thinly sliced pieces of a little hot red chilli
1/2 cucumber seeded and finely sliced for garnishing in thin long strips
1 lime (slices for garnishing)
1 Sprig of coriander
3 spring onions chopped thinly ( just the white parts up to the light green section )

Soak the vermicelli noodles in a large pot of boiled water while preparing the laksa.

If you do not like your Laksa too spicy hot then take some of the chilli seeds out before cooking

To prepare your Laska :

In a large saucepan place some peanut oil  and add some of your red chilli.  Then add the paste you prepared first as above.  Then you can add the prawns. Then add the coconut milk. Stirring through then you can add some fish stock (1 cup first and a little  more if it looks a little low) .  Add bean shoots then the vermicelli on top.  Let sink down and add a little fish sauce to taste. Then add the sugar.

Place into deep individual bowls to serve and place garnishing as desired.

Vegetable Korma

Serves: 4 approx

you can omit whatever ingredients you do not like (example my friend dislikes garlic,onion so he has his own in separate casserole dish)

1 clove of garlic whole
1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
1 large tablespoon of korma paste
1 diced small eggplant
1 small red pepper diced
1 small cauliflower florets and stalk cut up into chunks
1/4 small pumpkin diced
2 small potatoes diced
coriander if you like (i only used for garnish)
1 x 150ml tin approx of coconut milk
500ml of organic vegetable stock
fresh black pepper


Prepare the garlic and onion into a casserole dish and place korma paste.  Cook until onion clear and then place all other ingredients all into pot.  If preparing without onion and garlic omit these items at the first stage and add the korma paste and everything together.

Cook a little on stove top for a moment and blend ingredients then place into an oven for approx 2 hours stirring occasionally with casserole lid on.

Serve with some rosemary flat bread or bread you desire. Or with rice (cook 10 minutes in saucepan).

To make the rosemary flat breads i used pizza flour and warm water mixed in with a little olive oil , rosemary from garden chopped finely then add a little salt and a pinch of baking powder. 

Use a rolling pin and place on board and flatten down very thin.  When ready to serve the Korma you heat these breads up in a hot fry pan with a little oil.  Serve with Korma.