Skinny Scottish Fried Chicken and Slaw Salad

There appears to me to be only two types of cooks on Instagram and that is either #vegan #healthy #cleanliving or super duper fatty and indulgent food makers. I like to think I can straddle both but know that ultimately I will always be the fatty and indulgent man because it's what I love to cook. Homemade, yes but not always healthy.

One of the best examples of this attempted balancing act is my fried chicken and fresh slaw salad. Now tried and tested a whole one-time and I can report it was a roaring success, even tempting my sister, who is on a diet (sorry!), to try some.

There are probably a million and one recipes out there for fried chicken, for the varied styles across the globe, but I have tried to rob and thieve the elements I like the most to create something sweet, salty and spicy to go alongside a vibrant and lively slaw salad  that nicely balances out the overwhelming sense of cardiac arrest within the words "fried chicken" served with and rich spicy sauce that compliments the absolute savoury flavours within the chicken.

My blog is in its infancy right now but if you are going to try one of my recipes now or going forward make this your place to start, I entreat you, because it is one I feel is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Wet mix (to be made separately)

200ml buttermilk
1tsp tamarind
1tsp chipotle
1tsp rice wine vinegar
1tsp worcester sauce
1tsp sriracha
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp tomato ketchup

Dry mix (to be made separately)

200g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp paprika
2tsp muscavado sugar
1tsp golden caster sugar

600g of chicken thighs (sliced in half horizontally)

1.5l veg oil for frying

Slaw Salad

1/4 red cabbage (finely sliced lengthways)
2 small carrots cut to thin battons
1/2 red onion cut finely lengthways
4 large radishes finely sliced
Handful of chopped coriander
50g toasted cashews and peanuts (1/2 tsp of five spice and salt for toasting)
1/2 fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes

Method
Make your slaw first and set aside in the fridge by combining your sliced veg, keeping aside the coriander and nuts, in a bowl seasoning with salt and the chilli flakes. Toast your nuts by setting a high heat, no oil, and placing them into the pan and seasoning with 1/4 five spice and salt. Allow them to sit in the pan and begin to crack, not burn, and toss intermittently to ensure they don't turn to charcoal. Turn the heat off once darkened and season with the rest of the five spice and salt and set aside to cool.

To make the fried chicken start by mixing all of your wet ingredients together and dry together (separate bowls) and add your chicken thighs to the wet mix, marinading for as long as you can wait. Once marinaded fill a large pan or fryer with your oil and bring to 180c and turn your oven to 125c, covering your marinaded chicken in your dry mix, shaking off any excess, and place into the fryer or pan, remembering to always place your chicken away from yourself as you place in to save any splashing.

Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes, ensuring not to overload the pan or fryer so the chicken cooks, turning the chicken to evenly cook the batter. Once cooked and the batter browned remove from with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen roll to remove any excess oil. Once all chicken is cooked place into the oven to allow you to finish your slaw and make your sauce.

To complete the dish, bring your sauce to heat in a pan by combining all ingredients and stirring regularly until dark and molasses like. Bring off the heat and add to an appropriate dipping bowl, I picked a souffle dish to be contrary. Remove your salad from the fridge, tossing in your nuts and coriander and squeeze over the fresh lime to bring it all to life.

Serve to as many people in your home would eat 600g of chicken, in ours it's just me and Charlotte (mostly me), and enjoy the spectrum of flavours on display.

Chilli con carne ala daz

How spicy do you like your food? I myself prefer the heat come with added flavours and not just a smack in the chops. Everything I make at home is to suit more tender taste buds and so packs less of a punch but one thing is for sure chilli con carne goes down a treat regardless of the heat.

For me it's a surprisingly easy one pot in which you can add whatever you fancy, whilst cooking or as a side, to tart up the oft brown and dreary looking meal. Take your pick of rice, roasted whole sweet potatoes, guacamole, nachos or even all of them if you're feeling bold. Whatever you go with you can bet you will be filled to the brim with spicy goodness and ready to tuck this "patented" recipe away for future con carne cravings.

These are the sorts of meals I go to time and again when I just want to keep it simple and cook everything together and it never gets boring, you just mix it up each time and keep coming back for more. Let me know if you have dinners that are your "patented" go-to dishes that never fail you. I am always keen to try out new recipes and dishes so share with me and I'll get one up on the blog.

One Pot Chili

235g beef steak mince (look out for something nice and lean)
240g kidney beans (tinned and drained for swiftness)
1/2 whole sweet potato (diced/cubed)
50g sweetcorn

1/2 whole red onion (sliced thinly lengthways)

1tsp garlic powder
1tsp dried oregano
1btsp paprika
1/2 - 1 tsp cajun or one finely chopped fresh red chilli with seeds intact (depending on your spice preference)
2tbsp tomato ketchup
2tbsp HP sauce
25g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
2tbsp Worcester sauce
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp Marmite
200ml beef stock
and
A handful of coriander or  curly parsley (finely chopped)

Method


Start by adding your red onion to a low to medium heated pan with some oil and cooking out your onion until it begins to caramelise and soften. Season generously with salt and pepper and empty from the pan for now. Return your pan to the heat and raise to a medium to high heat for your steak mince. Add to the pan to brown off adding your garlic, oregano, paprika and cajun at this time to begin to add flavour to your mince. Once browned and seasoned return your red onion,

Once brown you can drop the heat to medium are now ready to add your sweet potatoes. Cook them with your mince for a further five minutes and then add your ketchup, brown sauce, soy, Worcester sauce, marmite and beef stock and kidney beans cooking for a further 10-15 minutes.

Once your ingredients are harmoniously potted together add in your sweetcorn and coriander and stir through for 2-3 minutes and finish off with a grating of your dark chocolate stirring through to coat your chilli in a bitter sweet flavour that really adds something different.

It couldn't be simpler, he says, but it really is a tasty treat suitable for a homemade treat any night of the week. Served up with some guacamole, sour cream and some ice cold Coronas on a Saturday night does tend to be the best time though!

King Prawn and chickpea curry

Curry is one of the UK's absolute favourite meals and, especially in Glasgow where there are curry houses galore, curry is heralded as the takeaway treat. Chief amongst the curries is Tikka Masala, claimed to have been derived in none other than sunny Glasgow, and yet that's where our love affair with curries seems to slightly come undone.

Authenticity with our curries seems to deviate wildly from our Tikka Masalas to Chinese chicken curry awfulness straight from the packet. I'd be hard pressed to tell you how many people make their own but I suspect that with the plethora of takeaways available it's far easier to get on Just Eat and order in that put the care and time into making your own.

Don't mistake me for being a hater of the takeaway or curry house, far from it. I've had phenomenal curries eating out but the truly best thing about making your own is being able to tailor it to your tastes and adding whatever it is that suits you at that particular time. Curries are some of the most versatile meals you can make and the various global influences at play in making them (India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia) only add to the options available to contribute to your experience.

I ask all of you to not be afraid in giving it a go. Get yourself a blender or even a smoothie maker (just clean it well afterwards, nobody wants savoury smelling and tasting smoothies!) and get to work. Give yourself a shopping list of the foundations of a curry: onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and think about how you like it. Do you like it mild? Then get yourself some cream, cocounut milk or ground almonds to help you along. Do you like it fresher and a bit more lively? Get the coriander, tomatoes or fruity chillis in the mix. Do you just like it super hot? Well that one is easy, ramp up that chilli input.

Regardless of what you want out of your curry there's plenty of options available to you. Think colours, aromas, texture and taste and let your better greengrocery intuitions follow. All I ask is that you give it a go and experiment with what suits you.

When you're done get eating and get snapping as the main reason this blog exists is to get you guys involved in cooking your own meals.

Now, as for my curry it was very much on the mild side and featured more sweet and sharp flavours to suit the tastes of this household. It was served up with broth loving ramen, salt and pepper prawns and toasted and crispy chickpeas.

Curry  Sauce

2 thumb sized pieces of (this is standard measurement for) ginger 

5 garlic cloves

1/2 red onion

1 fresh chilli (deseed and de-membrane if you like or keep for extra heat)

1sp tamarind

1tsp paprika

2tsp fish sauce

1tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2tsp garam masala

1tsp turmeric

1tbsp tahini

2tbsp tomato sauce (yes, ketchup!)

3tbsp soy sauce

1bsp rice wine vinegar

Juice of whole lime

200 ml chicken stock

200 ml coconut milk

50g ground almonds

For the rest of the curry

4 chesnut mushrooms (thinly sliced)
1/2 whole red pepper (diced)
25g sesame seeds
200g prawns
200g chickpeas (drained)
2 stems of ramen noodles (or any other noodles you fancy)
1/2tsp cumin powder
Oil of your choice for cooking

Method

Add your ginger, garlic, onion and chilli to a blender or smoothie maker (if it's a smoothie maker add a little water to loosen it up) and blitz until it forms an aromatic paste.

Add your coconut oil to a large heavy duty pan or wok and melt with a medium to high heat and add in your paste. Once the oil has dissolved from solid to oil let this cook out, stirring frequently, for around 5 minutes and then add all your remaining ingredients as above, less your stock, milk and almonds, and cook on a medium heat for a further five minutes, continuing to stir.

Once cooked through and darkened add your stock, milk, almonds and mushrooms and cook on a medium to low heat for a further 15-20 minutes, remembering to stir through to ensure nothing sticks to your pan.

In leaving your sauce to simmer this gives you time to cook your chickpeas, noodles and prawns to complete your meal. Leave this to around 5 minutes before you are ready to serve up your curry.

Firstly, drop your noodles into boiling water 5 minutes until al dente, or soggy if you really really must. Whilst they are cooking get two pans ready both lightly oiled and set to a medium to high heat ready for your prawns and chickpeas. To cook your chickpeas add to the pan and sprinkle with salt and cumin, ensuring you do not shake too often to allow the chickpeas to char, adding flavour.

To complete your meal, in a separate pan, cook your prawns at the same time as your chickpeas by adding to the pan once it is very hot and generously season with salt and pepper, ensuring to toss regularly to get a nice even coating of seasoning and cooking. The prawns are ready when they curl, turn pink and go tender. Both your chickpeas and prawns will require around 5 minutes each.

To serve add the peppers and sesame seeds to your curry and your noodles to your curry sauce. Toss it all together and out onto your bowls topping with your sumptuous prawns and charred chickpeas. For extra freshness and kick you can dress with the juice of half a lime, chopped chilli and coriander.