Sunday, 25 January 2015

Make your own Katsu Curry!

Hey guys its Alex!
Japanese Inspired Katsu Curry!


So I have a big obsession over Japanese food, but really fail at cooking it (especially sushi) so when I was really board the other day i thought; wouldn't it be nice to find a simple katsu curry recipe 
Katsu Curry can't be that hard? Can it??
I eventually found the perfect recipe that seemed simple enough that I could follow and adapt in my own little quirky way- Here's the link for the non quirky recipe :) 
To start I bought some chicken goujons and Uncle Bens microwavable rice, this cut time and cost!! and after getting all the basics of the dish I needed to concentrate on the sauce….
This is how I got on :) 

What you will need….

Ingredients:
3 tbsp sunflower oil 
2 medium onions, roughly chopped 
25g chunk of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped- this was debatable and i didn't add in the end
4 garlic cloves, sliced 
3 tbsp medium curry powder 
1⁄2 tsp ground star anise- or I have Chinese 5 spice which did the trick 
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric 
4 tsp of plain flour 
500ml chicken stock (made with 1 chicken stock cube) 
4 tsp tomato purée 
2tsp freshly ground black pepper
ohh and then i added a tad soy sauce when cooking the onions.
-My first move was to fry the onions with some sunflower oil for about 5 mins- but make sure not to burn them like I did, just let them go golden - I may have aded soy sauce- you don't need it though.
-Then add in 4 garlic cloves with the onions, sliced into iddy, biddy, diddy chunks 
-With them slowly frying, add and mix in all the turmeric, curry powder, black pepper, the star anise/five spice and sprinkle in the flour. 
-Once mixed up in the pan add the chicken stock slowly, then add in the purée, I suggest at this point taste the mixture and see if it needs more flavouring. 
-Let the sauce mix on a light flame to simmer. If its turned thick and paste like, add more water and slowly stir mixture. This is when I popped the rice in the microwave and the chicken was nearly finished being cooked in the oven.
-Once everything looks cooked put the rice and chicken on the plate with the sauce, you need to pour the sauce into a blender or use a stick blender to grind the mixture down to a smooth and creamy appearance and then its ready to serve
Daaadaaaa easy peasy lemon squeezy!!!

Tuck in and enjoy, let me know how you get on!



Wednesday, 31 December 2014

~ Simple 'PARRTAAY' Cocktails ~

Hey guys, its April :)

Whos up for some really super easy cocktails for your new years eve party? looking for simple cocktails that please all? You have come to the right place, My uni drinking experiences has come in handy! YAY DEGREE!


~Pimm's~
AKA- Pimm's and ginger ale. 
A summer fave, you most likely have bottle spare in you drinks cupboard. 
Mix with either ginger ale, or lemonade with assorted fruit, try mixed berries for the colder months with cinnamon sticks = YUM
~Paloma~ 
AKA- Tequila with grapefruit juice. 
Perfection in a cup, this is the only way i love to drink tequila, super tasty and uber refreshing, although be aware of the headache caused by this drink! 
so drink lots of water alongside this drink 
(all alcoholic drinks for that matter)
~Cuba Libre~
AKA- rum and coke, this drink is even better if you have  cherry coke!
if you would rather a mocktail (non alcoholic cocktail) ask for a 'virgin cuba libre' sheldons drink from big bang theory!
~Gin and Tonic~
A personal fave of mine, this was my go to drink at university, low in calories- (compared to other cocktails) especially if you choose the slimline tonic, you can also drink gin with fanta lemon- (my holiday drink) as i like to call it, it's super refreshing, especially with ice and a wedge of lime and orange
~Seven & Seven~
AKA- whiskey lemonade, me and amreeta would pre drink on this many a time at uni! 
super delish and super drunk scale 100%
whiskey is also nicely mixes with coke or cherry coke, slice of lime and a cocktail umbrella :)






And there we have it 5 simple yet pleasing cocktails to serve at your NYE event! 
NOW obviously i'm not promoting abusive drinking behaviours, just merely guiding/showing you ways to create simple yet tasty alcoholic beverages, also, on a side note to this, please drink responsibly, have lots of water, before, during and after drinking, and act safely over this holiday and we will see you in the new year with a fresh new look to the blog!
Hope you guys have an amazing new year filled with family and friends!





PS) sorry its been so long since my last post, i've been working! thats right, i've actually become a normal functioning human that works and has money for stuff...with zero time to actually spend the money! ~Booo~
But yes, new year new me, and all that shizzle that makes me want to be sick, next week i start my new job, something that's actually relevant to my degree, i'm super excited but also super duper terrified! My job title will be  "Social Media and Marketing Assistant"  how fancy... really, it means i sit on social media all night for a certain business. I'm very very excited for this, however my blog posts may be a bit sparse whilst i settle into my new grown up life.. Bare with me please? :) 

Toodlepip xx


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Monday, 18 August 2014

Garlic and Rosemary Mushrooms

This is a quick and easy recipe if you're in a rush. I used to make this a lot a uni, all you need is a couple of ingredients and 10 mins!

Ingredients: 
  • Chopped Mushrooms
  • Garlic cloves (add as many/little as you want) 
  • Oil (4 tablespoons)
  • Rosemary (can use mixed herbs instead)

First- Chop the garlic cloves and rosemary into big or small pieces. In a bowl add the oil, rosemary and garlic so they can infuse. 

Second- Chop up the mushrooms and pour the oil into pan along with the mushrooms. Keeping the heat to medium. Once the mushrooms have shrunk and become darker in colour, you can add the rosemary and garlic as well as salt and pepper to taste. Cook these all together for about 2-3 minutes. And your done!  

You can add a sauce to this and boil some pasta and it becomes and instant meal. Hope you enjoy making it :)
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