QUORN CHICKEN KORMA.

This is my version of the popular Indian dish Chicken Korma. It’s a mild, creamy curry, flavoured with a blend of subtle, fragrant spices such as cinnamon, coriander and cardamom. The yogurt and coconut adds a great creaminess to the sauce. I’ve not cooked this dish as many times as other more spicy curries but as my children get older they are starting to be slightly more adventurous with their food tastes. I am now pleased to say that Quorn Chicken Korma is their new favourite dish .

I love the addition of Kashmiri powder, It’s mildly hot and adds a red colour to foods. The great cooks of the Kashmir region make their own spice blend pastes which they then dry into small discs and seeing as Kashmiri chillies are hard to come by, even in India, it makes using it even more of an event.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients for Korma paste

200g coconut milk or creamed coconut

50g cashews, roughly chopped

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp sugar

2 dried red chillies

10 black peppercorns

Ingredients for Masala

250g or 2 medium onions, finely chopped

12 broccoli florets

75g peas

50g ghee, vegetable oil or rapeseed oil

3 garlic cloves

1 cm piece root ginger, chopped

I red (bell) pepper, roughly chopped

4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 cinnamon stick, broken

1 200g bag of Quorn Chicken Pieces

1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or regular chilli powder

4 tomatoes, chopped

125ml thick Greek-style yoghurt

150ml water

Ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

Whole coriander leaves, to serve

How to make KORMA PASTE

To make the korma paste, lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan until they are fragrant, just under 2 minutes should do it, then put these into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar along with the cashews and other dry paste ingredients, if using a grinder, add the coconut milk and grind to a smooth, thick silky paste. With the pestle and mortar, tip the dry paste ingredients into a bowl and mix in the coconut milk to form the silky paste.

How to make MASALA

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the yogurt and rest of water then return to a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, adding a little water if needed, until the masala is thick and creamy.

Then serve topped with whole coriander leaves and enjoy.

3 Ways to Freeze Bananas.

Freezing Bananas is Easy!

Maybe being in lockdown has meant It’s been difficult to plan ahead in terms of food shopping and it is costly throwing away uneaten fruit and vegetables but worry not, most fresh foods can be frozen and bananas are no exception. In fact, they are one of the easiest fruits to freeze and store for all sorts of amazing recipes.

Just follow the 3 tips below for your leftover bananas and you will never waste a banana again and will always have bananas ready to hand for your recipe creations and the best part is that freezing a banana doesn’t even reduce its nutritional value.

1. Freezing Bananas Whole

This is the simplest way to freeze a banana whole. I’ve frozen bananas in their skins before but they do go slimy and are a pain to peel when needed. If you plan to use your bananas in smoothies or milkshakes then freeing them whole is the simplest method.

• Just peel your bananas whether they are yellow or brown. (Don’t freeze green ones as they will still be green after freezing and will not ripen.)
• Making sure there is space between each banana, place them in a freezer food bag or suitable container and label with the date.
• After 30 minutes to an hour you can re-pack the bananas to optimise storage space.

2. Freezing Banana Slices

If you chop your bananas into slices before freezing it makes them easier to handle when you need them and they will defrost quicker than other methods.

• Prepare a baking tray with parchment or wax paper.
• Chop them into 1-2cm thick slices (Any slice size freezes but thicker ones take a bit longer to defrost).
• place onto the prepared paper so they are not touching (Do this promptly as the bananas turn brown quickly).
• Place the whole tray in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the slices become rigid, this keeps them from sticking together as much later.
• Remove them from the freezer and use a spatula to remove bananas from the baking sheet.
• Pack the frozen slices into a freezer bag (removing as much air as possible) or suitable container and label with the date.
• Finally, you can seal and place in the freezer ready to use whenever you want.

3. Freezing Mashed Bananas

If you need you bananas mashed for banana bread, cakes or biscuits, then you can prepare them and then freeze mashed which will save time when ready to use and it’s a great way of storing your over-ripened brown bananas.

• Peel and slice the fruit and use a food processor to mash it into a smooth consistency.
• Put the pureed bananas into a suitable container. I use freezer food bags. Try to remove excess air from the bags, flatten them a little and store in the freezer. Flattening makes it easier to use when needed

How to Defrost Frozen Bananas

• If you are going to blend the bananas they can be added directly from the freezer bag.
• If you are baking then take as much as you want to use out of the freezer bag and place in a bowl or on a plate in the refrigerator for a few hours until they thaw.
• Once defrosted, treat the banana as fresh and use as soon as possible.
• Do not refreeze the bananas once they have defrosted.

How Long to Keep Frozen Bananas

Unpeeled frozen bananas stay good for just about 2 months but,

when stored properly as above bananas will last for up to 6 months