Celebrate the Year of the Rooster

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banana, banana halves, beer, caramel, chilli oil, Chinese, chopsticks, Coconut ice cream, crab meat, creamy, deep fat fryer, dim sum, dulce de leche, eggs, feast, fish sauce, ginger, ginger pork stir-fry, mange-tout, mushrooms, pan, peppers, piping hot, pork tenderloin, ready-made filo pastry, salt, seaweed, sesame oil, simmering, soup, soy sauce, spring onions, sticky rice, stir-fry, sunflower oil, sweet tooth, The Chinese New Year, The Year of the Rooster., toasted sesame seeds, toffee banana spring rolls, totally tasty recipes

Saturday January 28 marked The Chinese New Year and the start of The Year of the Rooster.

While there are celebratory events happening around the country over the next few weeks, if you would rather stay at home in the warm with family and friends, we have some quick and easy, but totally tasty recipes for you to try.

The staples for any Chinese feast are sticky rice, seaweed, beer, chopsticks and dim sum, you can then start with a delicious, spicy crab and sweetcorn soup. To serve six you will need:

• 6 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 2 medium sweetcorns with the kernels removed
• 4 teaspoons of cornflour
• 200g of fresh shredded white crab meat
• ½ thumb of peeled and finely chopped ginger
• 4 finely sliced spring onions
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons of chilli oil
• 1 tablespoon of dry sherry
• 2 lightly beaten egg whites

Fill a pan with water and as you bring to the boil stir in the fish sauce and add a pinch of sail. Then add the corn and simmer gently for five minutes.

Next add several large tablespoons of cold water to the cornflour, blend and pour into the simmering soup, mixing until completely combined and all lumps are dissolved. Continue to simmer until the kernels are soft and the soup has started to slightly thicken. Add the crab meat, ginger, spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and season to taste. Finally slowly drizzle the egg white into the soup to create long white strands then serve in bowls and add chilli oil as required.

For a main meal treat, go for ginger pork stir-fry, for which you will need:

• 250g of pork tenderloin
• 1 teaspoon of cornflour
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 150g of sliced mushrooms
• 2 deseeded, sliced red peppers and one yellow one
• 75g of trimmed mange-tout
• A thumb of grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 4 thinly sliced spring onions
• Freshly ground black pepper

This is quick to make, so get all the ingredients prepared and when guests are ready to eat mix the corn flour with two tablespoons of cold water until it is a smooth paste, and then gently stir in the soy sauce.

Warm the oil and when hot stir-fry the pork for a couple of minutes until lightly browned but not totally cooked through. Transfer to a plate then reduce the heat and stir-fry the mushrooms and peppers for several minutes together with the mange-tout and cook for a minute.

Add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and add the pork back to the pan and cook for several minutes and serve with rice when piping hot.

For those with a sweet tooth, there is nothing better than delicious than toffee banana spring rolls.

For these you will need:

• 100ml sunflower oil for frying
• 3 sheets of ready-made filo pastry
• 60g dulce de leche (a creamy caramel sauce)
• 3 ripe bananas
• Five-spice powder, for sprinkling
• Coconut ice cream and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

To make the rolls start by heating the sunflower oil in a saucepan, or you can use a deep-fat fryer set to 180C.

As the oil warms, cut the sheets of pasty in half and halve the bananas.

Spread two generous teaspoons of duche de leche over each halved banana; sprinkle over some spice and then place the banana at the bottom of the pastry sheet before creating your roll. Brush a little water across the seam to seal then repeat the process with the rest of the banana halves.

Deep-fry the rolls until crispy and golden, use kitchen paper to drain and serve with the ice cream and if you dare, repeat.

Have fun and if you have a Chinese recipe you love, let us know.

Team Pure-Beauty

There’s more to turkey than sandwiches

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almonds, carrots, Christmas, curry, drink, eat, eating, food, garlic, healthy, meals, noodles, olive oil, powder, seasonal, sesame, soy sauce, stir-fry, stock, tangine, turkey, wok

Once the roast dinner is done with, most people are left with mounds of turkey waiting to be made into sandwiches thick with mayo and mustard.

The thing is, if you only do this with your leftovers you are missing out on a healthy trick and some tasty treats. Turkey is a delicious, lean meat that is low in fat and an excellent source of protein, so don’t let it go to waste.

We have some easy recipes to help you make the most of that left over turkey you can enjoy with friends during the festive season.

Turkey Tangine

This is a delicious meal that is perfect for enjoying with family and friends between Christmas and New Year.

You will need
300g leftover turkey cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 sliced onion
3 carrots
2 crushed cloves of garlic
500 ml of turkey stock
150ml of water
1 can of tomatoes (400g)
1 can of chickpeas (400g)
140g of dried apricots and prunes, roughly chopped
Clear honey
½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon flaked almonds

What to do:

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion under a gentle heat for about eight minutes or until they are soft.
Add the carrots and parsnips and then cook until they start to soften and go brown.
Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas, dried fruit and 150ml water.
Season, bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 mins until the vegetables are tender.
Add the turkey and simmer for at least minutes to warm through.
Stir in the honey then add the coriander and almonds just before serving with couscous and a little Greek yogurt.

Turkey Noodles
Whilst curry is the traditional meal to make with leftover turkey, this fresh stir fry is a super-healthy alternative that the whole family will enjoy. Packed with low-fat, high protein meat and tasty vegetables this stir-fry brings the dish bang up to date.

You will need:

200g rice noodles
2 teaspoons sesame oil
250g of turkey cut into strips
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
A thumb sized piece of ginger
1 red chilli that will need to be chopped
2 red peppers that are deseeded and sliced thinly
Left over Christmas vegetables such as peas, shredded carrots and cabbage (maybe leave the sprouts out)
200g beansprouts
1 bunch of spring onions
3 tablespoons of curry powder or paste
1 teaspoon of turmeric
2 large tablespoons of soy sauce plus extra for serving

What to do:

Soak the noodles in boiling water until soft, then drain and toss in a teaspoon of sesame oil in a warm wok for an authentic, delicious flavour.
Place the wok back on the heat with the rest of the oil and gently but quickly fry the garlic, ginger and chilli together.
Add all the vegetables to the wok and fry for a minute before adding the turkey.
Put the noodles plus curry powder, turmeric and soy sauce and cook everything together for a couple of minutes, being careful not to burn, and then stir through the noodles.
Serve with coriander, sliced chilli and extra soy sauce and maybe have a glass of water handy.

Of course you can make salads and soups, curries and hot pots but whatever you do, enjoy your turkey and remember it isn’t just for Christmas.

Cut down on meat this winter

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brunch, cheese, curry, food, health, meat, mushrooms, nuts, stir-fry, tofu, vegetables

Cutting on the amount of meat you eat can be beneficial for not only for your health but also your wallet and the environment, as well as being pretty tasty too.

Less meat doesn’t mean a bland diet of tired beans and pulses, infact with a plethora of celebrities adopting a more healthy lifestyle, it is becoming increasingly easy to make the most of the good stuff.

Making a few clever swaps has never been easier or tastier:

Go nuts
Simply adding a handful of nuts or seeds to salads instantly makes them more filling and nutritious. Walnuts with avocado; pine nuts with kale and hazelnuts in a warm goats cheese salad, all pack a protein punch and taste amazing.

The spice of life
Going without meat doesn’t mean going without flavour. There’s an ever-growing assortment of spices for sale that add something extra to any meal. Paprika, turmeric and cumin are all great ways to add depth to soups, stews and casseroles and they’ll taste so great you’ll forget there’s no meat.

Fresh chillis, ginger, lemongrass and garlic perk up salads, noodles, stir-fries and wraps and make them delicious.

Experiment
We live in an age when boundaries are constantly being pushed, so go ahead and do the same in the kitchen. Swap heavy carbs for ribbons of courgette stir-fried with garlic and olive oil. Make a batch of vegetable curry and go for cauliflower rice as a tasty, tempting alternative to naan bread.

Tofu
Tofu is a wonderful, low fat source of protein that is perfect when cooked with bold flavours. Marinade this veggie staple and serve with a Korean-inspired salad full of colour and crunch. Coat it in sesame seeds, shallow fry and serve with a tasty Asian-style vegetable stir-fry….the ideas are endless.

QUINOA
No kitchen is complete without a stock of highly nutritious quinoa. Known as the “Mother Grain” of the Andes, quinoa is packed with amino acids, has high iron content, a delicious nutty flavor, and cooks faster than rice. Try it hot with stir-fried vegetables, add it into a nutty salad, or make it the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of warming chilli on a cold November evening.

Miso
Miso paste is an Asian staple that shakes up the flavour stakes when it comes to soups and sauces.

Mushrooms
When you are craving that meaty taste, mushrooms really are the way to go. As well as being healthy and filling their rich, earthy flavour makes them the perfect meat replacement. For Sunday brunch why not sauté them in butter and add thyme, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar and serve on rye toast? Mushroom Stroganoff, mushroom burgers and stuffed mushrooms are all great main meals that really pack a punch.

Healthy herbs
They might not look like much but herbs are packed full of health benefits, so take time out to find out which ones you like the best. Adding fresh dill, basil and coriander to pasta sauces offers a tangy, fresh flavour and roast vegetables can be given an earthy depth when cooked with thyme, sage and rosemary.