A taste of the Caribbean

I like blogging about food. Whether I’m eating in a restaurant or cooking it myself, I have the pleasure of enjoying the meal followed by the creative buzz that derives from writing about it. I’m not reviewing for a Sunday newspaper but I still get the satisfying reward from people telling me that they enjoying following it.

Today it’s a Caribbean fish, sweet potato and spinach curry. It’s a one saucepan recipe, will serve four but can be stretched to serve more easily. On this occasion, I’m using white sweet potatoes and for the fish, fillets of Pollock (one per person).

Instead of chilli powder, I’m adding my favourite West Indian hot pepper sauce which you can buy for about £1 in most supermarkets and Asian stores. As you only use a little, the bottle lasts for ages and can be used in all sorts of hot and cold recipes.

The method plays out in reverse of that described in my Thai chicken curry blog. That is, you start with the onion and spices then add the vegetables and then finally the fish as it cooks quickly.

So, fry an onion and add an orange pepper, some curry powder and the hot sauce. Stir in and add a tin of tomatoes (I like to throw in one or two fresh ones too) and a large sweet potato, which is first cut into small cubes. Next, add coconut milk and vegetable stock and leave to simmer until the potato is softened.

This is a great dish if you are having guests over because the first steps can all be done before they arrive and the base left to cool until you’re ready to eat. About ten minutes before serving, cut the fish into chunks and add to the saucepan, along with the fresh spinach and then leave to heat through fully. Give it a final stir and there you have it. A taste of the Caribbean.

T(ha)ime to improvise...

It’s the weekend so there’s no excuse. I can do this. Now, I’m not one of these people who can whip up anything amazing without first consulting a cookery book, but I know enough to figure out what goes with what.

Following on from my last post about the wonders of cheap living, there’s a tray of chicken breasts in my fridge that were scooped up in the reduced section for a mere £1.65, There's also a pack of creamed coconut so I’m thinking curry, maybe Thai.

The great thing about Thai food (at least, for me) is that you can follow a basic procedure and, unless you do something horrifically wrong, generally come out with a result that appears far more impressive than it actually is.

It’s basically a three step process. Fry meat, add vegetables, add spices (ultimately incorporating the ‘guess quantities, try not to get it wrong’ technique).

In my case, I fry chicken, add red and yellow peppers, red onion and a courgette and fry some more. (I’m not sure of the timeframe – stop when they look cooked but not unconscious is a ballpark).

Then step three. Here, anything goes (keeping the 'try not to get it wrong' aspect in mind). I transfer everything into a saucepan as the frying pan is getting a little overcrowded. Add curry powder and creamed coconut and mix well. I like spicy food so finish with a good dose of chilli then stir in fresh egg noodles.

Finally, find chopsticks in the kitchen drawer to create the feel that you’re in a posh restaurant and there you have it - Thai chicken curry, just how it looks in the photo.

Bargain food

I love a good bargain. And I also love food. So this week I decided to have a bargain inspired recipe week. I set off to the supermarket with a single mission in mind – to find ingredients on offer that would inspire recipes.