Red Thai Chicken Curry

Adapted from a Ken Hom recipe

Serves 6

• 4 large chicken breasts chopped
• 2 tablespoons chinese stir fry oil, seasame oil or peanut oil
• 4 banana shallots finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (Tesco's have a great one in the herb and spice aisle, or make own using 4 medium red chillies split in half and deseeded, 4 level teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 level teaspoons cumin seeds and dry roast in a frying pan until you can smell them then crush in pestle and mortar to powder, then put in food processor with 4 stems of lemo grass, 2 tablespoons grated ginger, 4 shallots, 6 cloves garlic, grated zest and juice 2 limes, 2 level dessertspoons hot paprika and blitz until coarse paste, freeze in 2 tablespoon portions)
• 1 tin light coconut milk
• 450ml chicken stock
• 100g fresh or tinned bamboo shoots
• selection of asparagus tips, green beans, baby sweetcorn
• 4 fresh red chillies, seeded, cut in half and sliced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 fresh kaffir leaves or 2 tablespoons lime zest
• handful fresh basil leaves

Heat wok or large frying pan over a high heat, add the oil and then once hot fry off the shallots until soft, then add the curry paste and mix in for 30 seconds.

Add the coconut milk and give it a good stir, then add the stock.

Add all the vegetables including the bamboo shoots, chillies, fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves. Finally add the chopped chicken.

Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir to mix well and finish with the chopped basil leaves.

Barbequed leg of lamb with thai green spices

From JamieOliver.com with adaptations ;)

For the marinade:

• 10 kaffir lime leaves (I didn't have any so I used a mixture of thai basil leaves and lime basil leaves)
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of lemon grass trimmed and roughly chopped (ASDA Shaw do a new Thai spices bag near the fresh garlic which is ace for this, shame it doesn't have ginger in it tho)
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• bunch of fresh coriander leaves picked
• 2 green chilles, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 limes

For the lamb:

• 1 x 2.2.5kg leg of lamb butterflied (went to Darryl's at top of High Crompton - perfect)
• salt and pepper
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 fresh red chille, deseeded and chopped

Preheat oven to 170oC/325oF.

Add to large pestle and mortar, or bowl/jug/foodprocessor for blending: lime leaves, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, most of coriander and green chilles. Make thick, fragrant green paste. Add olive oil and lime juice.

Pierce lamb all over with knife and then rub with marinade. Season lamb and place in a roasting tin, cover with clingfilm and leave for a while to marinade.

An hour before BBQing remove clingfilm and cover with tinfoil and place in oven for an hour.

After half and hour light BBQ. Have coals high on one side tapering down to the other giving a variety of heat across the grill.

After an hour take lamb out of oven and cut or break into a few big chunks so it's easier to grill.

Place lamb pieces on hot side of BBQ with the roasting tray and juices on the cooler side. Can add a little more lime juice to the tray if you wish at this point. Turn the meat regularly, basting it in juices from the tray as you go. Gives a nice, dark crust. Do the meat for about 10mins like this.

One meat done, remove from grill and place on a board and cover with foil to allow to rest. Add coconut milk to tray and let it bubble for a few mins to thicken.

Carve lamb into chunky slices, serve with the Thai sauce, sprinkles with chopped red chilli and the remaining coriander.