chicken shawarma kebab

This is an extremely tasty, tender chicken dish with a morish char on the outside, there are various ways to cook and serve this dish.

8 large, skinless, boneless chicken thighs. (i just removed all of the extra fat/sinue!)
1tbsp paprika, cumin, garlic granules (or 1 grated clove), ground coriander, dried oregano.
a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
1 tsp baking powder
juice of 1 lemon.
mix the dry ingredients with the lemon, then coat the chicken with the mixture.
Leave to rest for 20 minutes to let the baking powder work its magic.
I just grilled my chicken turning every so often but you could bake or pan fry the chicken too! I am definitely trying this on the BBQ in the summer!

For the white dressing: 200ml 0% fat greek yogurt, squeeze of lemon, finely diced fresh mint and parsley, sprinkle of garlic granules and a pinch of salt and pepper all mixed together!

You could serve as i did with rice and a pile of salad underneath the chicken or you could use your healthy extra b (depending on what wraps and pittas are available) layer some of the sauce, fresh leaves and then add in the chicken.

sticky 5 spice ribs

This is also nice on chicken but is extremely easy and tasty.

1kg pork ribs
3tbsp hoi sin sauce (blue dragon is 2 syns per tbsp)
2 tsp 5 spice powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

Boil the ribs for 20 minutes
meanwhile mix the remaining ingredients together.
Drain the pork ribs and rinse them under cold water and put in the slow cooker. pour over the sauce and coat the ribs then cook for 2-4 hours on high
or alternatively put the ribs in a sandwich bag with the marinate for 20 minutes then cook in the oven at 190degrees celcius for 20-30 minutes.
very very morish!

fresh asian salad/slaw

okay so this may not be 'chinese' but is a good accompaniment to the previous dishes i have posted.

2 handfuls fresh bean sprouts
1 tbsp mixed chopped coriander, mint and basil
1 large carrot shredded
4 large spring onions, thinly shredded
1/4 head of white cabbage finely shredded
1 mild chilli finely chopped

1tsp soy sauce
1tsp fresh squeezed lime juice (or white vinegar)
pinch of sweetener

the key to this dish is balance, if you like it sweeter, add more sweetener if you prefer it more sour leave out the sweetener and so on.

toss all together and you are ready to go!

My chinese cooking essentials!

So giving you a quick break from recipes im going to share with you my chinese kitchen essentials. from crockery to store cupboard staples.

Some form of steamer: you can purchase a steamer or you could you a pot with some water, them put a bowl rim down and  put the plate with whatever you are steaming on top them cover the pot.

Wok: preferably non stick. if you cant afford a wok a good NON STICK pan is ideal and easy to put into a cupboard. A good thing about the frying pan is that the heat evenly distributes.

a flat stirring instrument like something you would flip pancakes with. perfect for stir frying.

seasonings: soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, ginger (ginger can freeze for months when you need some just use a fine grater and place back in the freezer)

store cupboard: rice, egg noodles, tinned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.

I know that if i have all of these in my food cupboard i can make a delicious slimming world friendly meal!

basic chinese mixed vegetables

Just like you get from the takeaway, although there isnt much flavour to them there is always something morishly comforting about the gravy on these vegetables!
(i sometimes add straw mushroom if i can get them, they come in a can just drain the liquid go through and cut them in half, they look odd, like little balls but when you cut them in half you can see the stalk, they are used a lot in chinese vegetable dishes)

Of course you could add meat to this.

1 large clove of garlic, grated.
2 tbsp soy sauce
300ml chicken (or veggie) stock,
1 tbsp cornflour (1 syn)
1/2 tsp sesame oil (1 syn - optional but the flavour makes it just like the chinese)
handful of bean sprouts,
1 small tin of mixed bamboo shoots and water chesnuts (just drain them and slice into bitesize pieces)
1 small carrot sliced then chopped into bitesize pieces
1 small onion in bitesize chunks
1/2 small green pepper in bitesize chunks
1tsp oyster sauce.

mix the oyster sauce, stock, soy sauce and cornflour with a generous pinch of black and white pepper.
get the pan hot then add the carrot and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. add the rest of the veg (but not the beansprouts) stir fry for 2-3 minutes then add your sauce mixture and stir constantly cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens and becomes gravy like. add your beansprouts. cook through for 1 minutes and you are done!

'General Tso chicken'

General tso is a popular american dish that is slowly spreading to the uk, a pungent dish with a good kick!

serves 4
4 skinless/fatless boneless chicken thighs in bitesize chunks
1/2 tsp baking powder (1/4 syn)
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
2tbsp soy sauce
Sauce: 1 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp sesame oil (2syns), 2 tsp each grated ginger and garlic, 1 red chilli finely diced (more or less as much as you can handle),  1tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp water, 1 tsp sweetener. - all mixed together.

mix the chicken, baking powder, cornflour and soy sauce and set aside for 20 minutes to let the baking powder tenderise the meat.
Any veg go well with this dish so you could add them to the chicken or on the side.
start by getting a pan nice and hot with a few sprays of low cal spray and spread the chicken on an even layer and let  sit for 1 minute before slipping, it should look nice and brown and crisp. leave to cook for another minute and keep turning until the chicken is crispy and you cant see any pink.
Add the sauce and toss, let the sauce reduce and keep tossing to coat the chicken thoroughly.
DONE!
if you aren't partial to chilli you could always leave it out but it doesn't give the same punch obviously!
i hope you enjoy!

Beef with ginger and spring onion

Quick, easy and delicious this stir fry is good on its own or with rice.
4-6
500g of steak thinly sliced
1 thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced green bell pepper
1tbsp grated ginger
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp sesame oil (2 syns)
1tsp baking powder
generous pinch of salt and pepper
1 bunch of spring onions chopped into 1 inch pieces.

mix the steak with salt, pepper, baking powder, sesame oil, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Get a pan nice and hot and add the onion and green pepper along with the white parts of the spring onion. toss and stir fry until they char and the spring onion is a little limp.
remove to the side and add the steak along with the ginger. let sit in the scorching pan for a minute or so then toss and let rest again.
when the steak is almost cooked add back in the vegetables including the green parts of the spring onion and toss through throughly and if needs be add a little more soy sauce.

quick, easy and delicious.

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Cashews on slimming world? okay so there might not be as many as in the chinese version but if you chop of the cashews you get a little bit in every bite, which, for me is what a good dish is about, being able to get a little of everything into one bite.

this serves 4-6 people and the cashews, depending where you get them from will vary in syns so i will only give you the syns for the basic other ingredients. Just bare in mind that syn values can change!

6 bones less skinless chicken thighs (no visible fat, cut into bite size chunks)
1 large red and green peppers cut into bitesize pieces.
1 large onion cut into bite size pieces.
4tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1 large grated clove of garlic
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp sweetener
1tsp white vinegar
50g chopped up cashews (just plain or if they only have salted thats okay, i guestimate this at around 16 syns by most of the syn values maybe a little less, personally id rather over syn than under syn!)
1 tsp sesame oil (2syns)
(this dish divided between 6 is 3, between 4 is 4.5 which is still lower than the takeaway version!)

get a frying pan nice and hot add the peppers and onions and char them all over then remove from the pan.
add the chicken, leave to cook for 1 minutes before turning and letting cook for another minute.
while the chicken is cooking mix the soy, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic,sweetener and vinegar.
once the chicken is nearly cooked through, add back in the vegetables and add the sauce, stirring for 30 seconds. leave the sauce to reduce.
When almost no liquid is left add the cashews and toss together.

serve over rice with broccoli or my garlicky greens :)

Satay chicken stir fry

As chinese new year is on monday i thought i would share a few chinese style recipes in the slimming world way.
serves 4-6 people but makes great leftovers and can be frozen! (2.5 syns for 4 people, even less for 6 people)

6 bonesless skinless chicken thighs (or use breasts if thats all you can get)
1 tsp baking powder (half syn)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large onions in bitesize pieces
2 large green peppers in bitesize pieces
1 grated garlic clove and the same amount of grated ginger (would be roughly a tsp)
1 pack of green beans in bitesize pieces.
1 pack of amoy satay sauce (120g-10syns)
i usually serve this with rice! It is also very nice with some broccoli.

cut the chicken in bitesize pieces and coat in the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and baking powder. Put to one side for 20 minutes (this is a good time to prep your veg)
get your pan on a high heat spray generously with low cal spray and add your chicken in an even layer. leave for 30 seconds or until it will move freely in the pan. turn over the chicken, add in the green beans and cook for another minute., add a small splash of water and cover the pan to help steam the beans. When the water has evaporated let the pan get back up to heat and add the onions and green peppers.
Toss with the chicken and let them char a little. cook until the onions only just start to soften. (the onion flavour isnt as strong but still has a nice crunch to it)
add the stir fry sauce and a little water and toss through the chicken and veggies.

i hope you guys enjoy this recipe!

Chicken Dopiaza

This curry isn't exactly for the faint heart, lots of onion, garlic and a good kick of chilli, but is soothing and soul healing at the same time. This curry is especially brilliant if you have a cold as the garlic, ginger, onion and tumeric all contribute to a better immune system and tumeric is just an amazing spice although not much flavour has a large variety of medical properties! Enough warbling lets get on!

You will need: 4 large onions (2 quartered, 2 sliced)
1 large red and green bell pepper. (bite size chunks)
8 large boneless chicken thighs (skin and excess fat removed cut into bitesize pieces)
2 tsp grated ginger
3 large cloves of garlic
1 tbsp each of coriander and cumin seeds (lightly crushed)
1tsp tumeric
1 tsp chilli powder (or more if you like)
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1tsp garam massala
1/2 tsp salt and pinch of white pepper
4 tbsp fat free yogurt (to finish the dish, but you can leave it out if you really want)

place the quartered onions, garlic and ginger into a food processor or mini chopper and blend till you get a paste.
meanwhile on a high heat stir fry the sliced onions and peppers until they char a little and the onions become sweeter. (remove to a plate)
on a medium heat stir fry the onion paste until it starts to turn golden brown.
Add in all the spices and stir cooking for 1 minute.
Add the chicken coating in the spice mix.
Add the tomatoes, pepper and salt and a little water, stir and cover letting cook for 20 minutes.
Uncover to let thicken. (this would be a perfect time to sort out your rice)
stir in the onion and bell pepper.
remove from the heat and stir through the yogurt.

This seems long winded but alternately.. you could brown the chicken, sliced onion and bell peppers together to get some colour and put it in a slow cooker, then you could stir fry the onion paste with the spices until it turns brown, add it to the slow cooker then add the tomatoes to the slow cooker, give it a stir and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 on low then stir through the yogurt before you serve.

Sweet and sour pork(or chicken)

So okay this has syns but the syns make this dish taste amazing..
you may think i am mad putting baking powder on meat, but, trust me! Its a traditional chinese method! The baking powder tenderises the meat in about 20 minutes and gives a silky smooth texture in your mouth!
The marinade doesn't look especially delicious but hey ho it tastes lush!

So the basics of this sauce has the meat, cubed green pepper and white onion. obviously you can add as much veggies as you like and serve with anything you like but today this is just a basic sweet and sour i hope you enjoy!

serves 4-6 people
400g bite size chicken breast or pork (i used pork loin chops and removed the fat)
1 tsp baking powder (0.5 syn you cannot replace this with anything else and is essential for this dish)
6 tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp cornflour (1syn)
1 grated clove of garlic
1tsp sesame oil (2syns)
4tbsp (i used morrisons which is 0.5 a syn) ketchup
splash of white vinegar
about 1/2 tsp sweetener
generous pinch of salt and pepper.
1 large white onion and green pepper in rough chunks.

mix together 4 tbsp soy sauce, cornflour, baking powder generous pinch of salt and pepper and the meat. leave to the side while you prep the sauce.
mix the ketchup, rest of the soy, sesame oil, garlic, sweetener and white vinegar and set aside.
Once the meat has marinaded for at least 20 minutes get a (preferably non stick) pan on high heat with a generous spritz of low cal spray.
mix the meat one more time then lay out in a single layer. Leave for 30 seconds then flip the pieces. they should be a lovely golden crispy brown colour.
leave for another 30 seconds then when you can see no more pink, (doesnt have to be cooked right through) remove from the pan and add your vegetables. leaving them to char a little before tossing to char the other side. add the pork back in and stir fry for 2-3 minutes before adding your sauce.
Toss throughly to make sure everything is coated and to make sure the sauce thickens.

Ta da.. done! the prep is the longest it only took me about 5-7 minutes in total to cook the sweet and sour (but i did have a lot of other mixed veggies in my stir fry!)

i hope you guys like it!!

Peking duck

What? you can have this on slimming world too?!
well of course you can my friend! Just in the right way!
So i usually serve this with my 'fried rice' and garlic greens or sometimes it's just as good in a lettuce wrapper!
i don't usually have these with pancakes so i don't know the syns of those but i know blue dragon hoi sin sauce is currently at 1 syn per tbsp (i usually water it down with a little soy sauce or water and toss it with my duck.

This recipe is purely for the duck. i don't know how many syns it would be for cooking it with the skin on but we boil off the majority of the fat first!!

Where to get a duck? usually in the freezer section. I know aldi have had duck in their frozen section for the past 6 months so you must be able to find them in normal supermarkets too :)

So first off, if using a frozen duck i cannot stress the important of defrosting properly before use! DO NOT just sit it in hot water because there is more chance of you getting food poisoning! Get your duck out of the freezer 24 hours before you need it.. put it on a tray and leave it to do its thing.

Now. Get a big pot of boiling water. stab your duck all over with a fork and boil for 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200oC. After the duck is boiled remove it from the oily water and place directly onto a wire rack. (make sure you have a tray with foil underneath the rack!) cook in the oven for 45 minutes. turn off the oven 10 minutes before removing and have your windows open as there will be smoke!

Remove to a chopping board, remove the skin (yes i know its easy to eat crispy duck and chicken skin but think how well you are doing) grab 2 forks and start shredding!
Done!
How easy?!
I hope you give this recipe a try, it will save you a lot of money from the chinese and a lot of syns!