tom yum soup

Ingredients

For the fishcakes

• 400g fish – I’ve used cod, prawns, whatever
• 3 spring onions, roughly chopped (green and white parts)
• Half a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
• Small piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red or green chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp red curry paste

For the soup

• 300ml good chicken stock
• 2tsp tom yum paste
• 5 spring onions, roughly chopped (green and white parts)
• Half a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
• Small piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red or green chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 stick lemongrass, trimmed and chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• whatever veggies you have stocked

Method

For the fishcakes:
Put all the ingredients in the food processor and process until finely chopped but not too paste like. Form into small cakes and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook them.

For the soup:

Chop all the vegetables and sort them according to the order in which they’ll cook. In a large pan, warm a little oil and add the chilli, ginger, garlic and the white part of the spring onions. Cook until the wonderful volatile oils make you cough, but nothing is browning. Then add your slower-cooking veg, the stock, tom yum paste and a cup of water. Simmer until the hardest of the veg – usually the carrots – are beginning to tenderise. Then add the softer vegetables and simmer.

Heat a pan with a little oil or non-stick cooking spray and cook the fishcakes for about five minutes a side, until brown, sticky and cooked through.

Add your final ingredients to the soup: the spinach and spring onion tops, tofu or raw prawns if you’re using them. Simmer briefly, then finish with fresh coriander.

Serve the fishcakes on the side and the soup in its pot. You can eat them separately or dunk the fishcakes in the lovely fragrant broth.

Asian Sticky Chicken

Ingredients

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 T low sodium soy sauce
1 t Splenda or (2 T Brown Sugar Blend Splenda or 3 T honey Consolidation)
2 t chili paste

Method

In a skillet with a bit of cooking spray, brown both sides of your chicken.  Chicken thighs should probably cook for 5 minutes a side, chicken tenders for about 3.  While you’re doing that, combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, or until it thickens.  After your chicken has browned, add the sauce to the skillet and cook for another 5-10 minutes for thighs, 5-7 minutes for tenders, or until chicken is fully cooked.  Voila.  It’s that simple!

Thai Basil Chicken

 

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2-6 thai “bird” chilies chopped and pounded with a mortar and pestle (keep seeds in for extra heat)
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 250g/1/2 lbs boneless chicken thigh boneless chicken thighs, coarsely chopped, or cut into small bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
• 2-3 tspn. black soy sauce (the sweet kind), or to taste
• 2 tspn splenda
• pinch of white pepper
• big bunch of Thai Holy Basil or or Thai sweet basil, stems removed
• 2 eggs
• 2 small kaffir lime leaves, very finely slivered (optional)

 

Method

Add spray into a heated wok, follow by chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic, then add the chicken meat into the wok. Quickly stir-fry and break the ground chicken meat into small lumps. When the chicken meat changes colour, toss in the chillies and the seasonings (fish sauce, sugar alternative, and sweet soy sauce) and continue to stir-fry. Add in the basil leaves and do a few quick stirs until the basil leaves are wilted and you smell the exotic fragrance of the basil leaves. Sprinkle two dashes of pepper powder into the dish, do a final stir, dish out and serve immediately.

Spicy Garlic Sauce

Quick sauce which works great with any leftovers you have in your kitchen and it’s dead easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 100ml/half a cup of beef broth
• 100ml/half a cup of red wine
• 2 chopped scallion
• 1 tblspn oyster sauce
• 2 tblspn low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tspn of sugar alternative
• 1-2 tspn. red pepper flakes or crushed dried chilli
• 1 tblspn Corn starch mixed with 1 tblspn of water

Method

• Mix all ingredients up to the corn starch and add to a pan.
• cook for 1 minute and add the corn starch
• simmer for 2-3 minutes

 

Works great over beef and/or veggies

Dukan General Tso’s Chicken

Ingredients:

 

• 10 oz/300gr boneless, skinless chicken meat (thigh or breast), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup/75 gram corn starch
• 3 slices peeled ginger, finely minced
• non-stick cooking spray.
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 4-5 dried red Chile's, rinsed and deseeded
• 2 stalks scallion, white-part only, cut into small lengths

Sauce:

• 2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar alternative like Stevia or Splenda
• 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
• 1 scant tablespoon corn starch

Method:

Marinate the chicken meat with the Shaoxing wine and salt for 15 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat the chicken generously with the corn starch. Heat up the cooking spray and fry the chicken until they turn light brown. Dish out with a strainer, draining the excess fat by laying the chicken on a dish lined with paper towels.

Heat up a wok with 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking spray. Add the minced ginger, garlic, and dried chillies into the wok, stir-fry until you smell the spicy aroma of the chillies. Pour the sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add the chicken, stir to combine well with the sauce. Add the scallion and stir a few times, dish out and serve immediately.

Dukan Miso steak

 

Yes I looked it up, Miso is allowed with the Dukan diet.

According to a Weekly Chat With Dr. Dukan

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp sake  (or dry sherry)
• 1 tbsp sugar alternative
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 300g/11oz lean steak

Method

 

• Add miso paste, sake, sugar alternative and garlic into a sealable food bag and mix well. Add the steak, massage on the marinade and seal. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr, overnight is better.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with cooking spray. Grill steak, 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Set aside for a few mins to rest.

Thai Hot and Sour Broth

You can make this with either chicken or prawns

Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken breasts (6 oz/175 g each) in small strips or the equivalent in small raw peeled prawns
• 2 pints (1.2 litres) chicken stock
• a small bunch of coriander leaves (½ oz/10 g)
• 2 small red bird's eye chillies
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, roughly chopped
• a small piece (1 inch/2.5 cm) of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (including the green parts)
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon tamarind purée
• Juice of a large lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3 table tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tbsp sweetner

 

Method

 

• Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 mins,
• If using prawns add them to heat through, for chicken add strip sand leave the chicken to poach gently for 5 minutes or until it is cooked through
• Serve in small bowls or cups.

Thai minced chicken salad ( Larb Gai )

 

Ingredients

• 2 lemongrass
• 4 (kaffir if you can get them) lime leaves ,
• 2 red chillies , deseeded
• 3 garlic cloves
• fingertip-length piece fresh ginger
• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 table spoon vegetable oil
• 1 tea spoon chilli powder or ground dry chili
• 50ml Thai fish sauce
• 1 red onion , chopped
• 3 limes (zested and one juiced) (yes lime juice is not allowed officially but what the heck)
• handful each mint , basil and coriander leaves, roughly chopped

 

Method

• Roughly chop the lemongrass, lime leaves, red chillies, garlic and ginger, then throw them all into a processor until everything is very finely chopped together. Mince the chicken breasts into tiny pieces.
• Heat a wok over a high heat spray with cooking spray.
  Add mixture and stir-fry briefly before adding the minced chicken and the chilli. Stir-fry the chicken for 4 mins then add the fish sauce. Turn down the heat a little and simmer for another 4 mins, then add the chopped red onion and cook for another min.
• Remove from the heat, pour over the lime zest and juice and toss in the herbs. Serve with salad on a veg and protein day

Chicken Kebabs or wings

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 50ml (2floz) soy sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic sliced thin
• 1-2 tablespoons of sweatner
• 3 tablespoons of Chinese 5 spice powder
• Some chopped ginger
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 of chick stock cube
• Paprika powder
• 8 Chicken Wings with skins removed

 

Method

Place all ingredients into a bowl and leave the chicken wings and contents to marinate for around 3-4 hours, however over night would be ideally.

Try and turn them a few times during the process.

Once ready place into a oven proof tin and cook under the grill for around 12 minutes, or until you can hear the sizzle from the chicken.

Turn them over nd cook for a further 8 minutes or until nice and brown.

They are now ready to eat.

Thai beef stew

Ingredients

Curry paste:

• 6 dried chiles, stemmed, seeded
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom bit only, Skin removed cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh galangal
• 2 tablespoons sliced peeled fresh turmeric
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup halved garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Thai shrimp paste or Trassi

Stew:

• 2 pounds trimmed beef cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably Thai thin soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ground dried Thai chiles
• 9 cups beef broth, preferably low-salt
• 1 cup halved shallots
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick half-moons (about 1 cup)
• 6 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Thinly sliced Thai basil

Preparation

For curry paste:
In a mortar, pound chiles and salt with a pestle until pulverized, about 5 minutes. Add ingredients one by one in order listed, fully pulverizing each before adding the next, about 15 minutes total. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead; cover and chill.

For stew:
Combine curry paste, beef, soy sauce, and ground dried chiles in a pot; stir to evenly coat beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender but not falling apart, 2–2 1/2 hours.

Stir in shallots, carrots, and lime leaves. Simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. If broth is too salty, add water a few tablespoonfuls at a time.

Garnish with cilantro and basil.