Spiced chicken skewers with herby rice recipe
Ingredients
6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 tbsp curry paste
200g (7oz) fat-free Greek-style yogurt
1tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric
300g (10 1/2oz) basmati rice
200g (7oz) spinach leaves, washed
handful coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
Method
Step 1 - Combine the chicken, curry paste and 2 tbsp of the yogurt in a non-metallic bowl and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Step 2 - Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until just beginning to brown. Add the cumin, turmeric and rice and stir well.
Step 3 - Add 450ml (3⁄4pt) water, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Stir through the coriander and lemon juice.
Step 4 - Thread the cubed chicken onto 4 skewers (ensure you soak wooden skewers 15 minutes prior to use).
Step 5 - Put a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Put the skewers on the griddle and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, or until cooked through and no pink meat remains.
If cooking on a barbecue, place onto the barbecue on a medium/high heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes; turning regularly until they are cooked through and no pink meat remains.
Step 6 - Serve the chicken with the rice and the remaining yogurt.
Beef kofte with apple raita recipe
Ingredients
For the raita
1/2 red apple, coarsely grated, excluding the core
a squeeze of lemon juice
handful mint leaves, chopped
150g (5oz) natural yogurt
For the kofte
500g (1lb) lean beef mince
1/2 small onion, coarsely grated
2 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
4 mini flour tortillas
1 large carrot, grated
1/4 Chinese cabbage, shredded
Method
Step 1 - Make the raita, toss the apple with the lemon juice to stop it browning. Stir into the yoghurt with half the mint. Cover and chill until needed.
Step 2 - Make the kofte, thoroughly combine the rest of the chopped mint with the beef, onion, cumin, and paprika in a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. With slightly wet hands, form heaped tablespoons of the mixture into ‘torpedo’ shapes or spheres and set aside on a plate. There should be about 20 kofte.
Step 3 - Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Fry the kofte gently for about 8 minutes, turning often, until browned all over and cooked through.
Step 4 - Serve hot or cold, with the apple raita, tortillas, grated carrot and cabbage
Both of these recipes tasted delicious and were perfect for the kids, and very easy to follow. A huge thumbs up from us and we are most defiantly looking forward to trying some more of Flame Academy's recipes. Check out Ben Tish (Executive Director of The Salt Yard Group) is Tesco’s Flame Academy master and he has kindly provided us with a selection of BBQ tips.
Flame Academy: Ben Tish’s top tips for wowing barbecue quests
•Use hard stalks such as thyme, rosemary and oregano to throw onto the BBQ coals and smoke whatever your cooking. Great for a quick smoke hit!
•Slow cook whole chickens and larger cuts of meat with some vegetables help keep them juicy and tasty. Dissolve 10% salt to 90% hot water to make a solution and then cool.
•For larger cuts of meat, a lump of seasoned hard wood such as oak or birch set at the side of the shen coals will gently really a stream of perfumed smoke and in turn smoke and flavor whatever your cooking with.
•Smoking chips thrown onto the coals will give a smokey boost of flavor to smaller items such as steaks, chicken thighs and fish fillets.
•Use the coals as another cooking medium. Wrap vegetables in foil and nestle them between and under the ashen coals to slowly cook and flavor. Great for potatoes, aubergines, beets and carrots.
•A digital meat probe is great for checking if large cuts are cooked through correctly.
•Fish cooking clamps are brilliant for cooking- and turning large flat or round fish without the worry of then breaking or sticking
•A fire chimney is a fast, reliable way to start up your BBQ. It’s also great if you are using your BBQ for a period of time to cook larger cuts or several dishes. You can start the chimney next to the BBQ and then top up as and when needed, just giving yourself 10 minutes to do so.
Make sure you check out Tesco - Flame Academy for all of your BBQ needs this summer.
