Boiled Prawn Wontons With Chili Dressing.

INGREDIENTS.

225 g raw prawns, from sustainable sources
1 spring onion
1cm piece of ginger
1½ teaspoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
24 fresh wonton wrappers (about 7cm square)

SICHUAN SEASONING

1 tablespoon sichuan pepper
3 tablespoons sea salt

CHILLI DRESSING

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
40 ml vegetable oil
20 ml light soy sauce
20 ml rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 pinch of sichuan seasoning

Method.

1. First, make the Sichuan seasoning. Dry-roast the Sichuan pepper and 3 teaspoons of sea salt in a heavy-based pan. When the peppercorns start to pop and become aromatic, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.
2. Next, make the chili dressing. Place the chili flakes in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small heavy-based frying pan until it shimmers slightly, and then carefully pours the oil over the chili to release the heat and flavor.
3. Stir, then let stand, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain the oil through a fine sieve over a bowl (discard the chili), and mix with remaining dressing ingredients.
4. For the wontons, peel, dice and place the prawn meat in a bowl. Trim and finely slice the spring onion, peel and finely slice the ginger, then add to the bowl with all the remaining ingredients, except the wonton wrappers, and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. For each wonton, place a rounded teaspoon of prawn filling in the centre of a wrapper. Dip your finger in some water and moisten the bottom edge of the wrapper, then fold it in half, towards you, to enclose the filling. Smoothing out any air, press to seal. Hold the wonton lengthways with the folded edge down. Fold in half lengthways and then lightly moisten one corner of the folded edge. Bring the two ends together with a twisting action and press lightly to seal, making a ring shape.
6. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully drop the wontons, in batches, into the water and cook for 2 minutes, or till just cooked through. To test if the wontons are ready, remove one using a slotted spoon and cut through it with a sharp knife. The prawns should be just cooked through. Remove the other wontons and drain in a colander.
7. To serve, arrange the wontons on a serving platter. Stir the chili dressing and then spoon it over the wontons. Serve immediately, sprinkled with Sichuan seasoning.

Crispy squid & prawns with homemade sweet chili sauce.

INGREDIENTS.

• vegetable oil , for deep frying
• 4 whole large squid , prepared, with tentacles
• 16 large prawn , shell off and butter flied (tail on)
• 2 limes
• 100 g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon , cut into wedges

FOR THE SAUCE (MAKES 500ML)

• 20 fresh chilies , (different colors)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup caster sugar
• white wine vinegar

METHOD.

1. Start by making the sweet chili sauce: finely chop the chilies, keeping some seeds intact, then peel and finely chop the garlic.
2. Place the sugar and 1 cup of cold water in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chilies, garlic, a good pinch of salt and a good splash of vinegar, then cook over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon. For a smooth syrupy texture, whiz the sauce in a food processor if you like, or leave it finely chopped, then put to one side.
3. Place a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep saucepan over a medium–high heat (roughly 180ºC). Fill three-quarters full with vegetable oil and leave to heat up.
4. Meanwhile, wash and pat dry the squid. Slice the tubes horizontally into rings or slice and open them out, then halve length-ways and cut a crisscross pattern onto the surface. Place the squid onto a large plate, along with the prawns, making sure any black bits have been removed. Finely grate over the zest of the limes and squeeze over most of the juice, then toss to coat.
5. Place the flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl, then add the squid and prawns and toss to coat (you’ll need to do this in batches).
6. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a piece of bread into the pan – if the bread floats to the surface, sizzles and turns golden, it’s about right. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the prawns and squid into the hot oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the outside and cooked through (you’ll need to do this in batches). Transfer the cooked prawns and squid to a double-layer of kitchen paper and then repeat with the remaining seafood.
7. When the last batch of seafood is almost done, squeeze a little lime juice over the parsley sprigs, then dip into the flour and lower into the oil for a few seconds – be careful as it’ll spit.
8. Serve the crispy squid and prawns straight away, with crispy lime-spiked parsley, lemon wedges for squeezing over and the sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping. Keep any leftover chili sauce in sterilized bottles and store for up to 2 months in a cool dry place.

South Asian chicken curry

    

INGREDIENTS.                                                                

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

1 6cm piece ginger

A few sprigs fresh coriander

2 peppers, mixed-color

100g cherry tomatoes

2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, higher-welfare

Vegetable oil

2 heaped teaspoons curry powder

Half teaspoon turmeric

100ml light coconut milk

100ml organic chicken stock

160g basmati rice

1 lime

1 tablespoon mango chutney , (optional)

                          

Method.

1. 1.Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks. Deseed and roughly chop the peppers, then halve the cherry tomatoes. Cut the chicken thighs    into 3cm chunks.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and pepper,then fry for around 10 minutes, or until softened.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander stalks, then fry for a further 3 minutes, or until softened. Next,add the curry powder and turmeric and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Throw in the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly to coat.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 12 to 15    minutes,or until thickened, turning the heat up if you need to. Add the cherry tomatoes for the last 5 minutes.
6. While the curry is ticking away, place the rice in a pan, add twice as much boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Cover and cook on medium for 7 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to steam with the lid on for 7 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.
7. Squeeze half the lime juice into the curry; add the mango chutney (if you have some) and a pinch of black pepper. Taste and add a little more lime juice, mango chutney or seasoning if needed.
8. Scatter over the reserved coriander leaves then serve with the fluffy rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.