Month: Nov 2025

Chicken pilau

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Mild in chilli but mighty in flavour, this one-pot chicken and rice dish is a brilliant autumn evening meal. Looks much lengthier and complicated than it actually is! Feeds 2 generously

  • 160g basmati rice
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cm piece of ginger, minced
  • 3 green birdseye chillis
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 400g chicken thigh, diced into small pieces [or paneer or chickpeas instead if you like]
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp crispy fried onions
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 250ml boiling water
  • Handful flaked almonds, toasted
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Yoghurt, mango chutney, green chutney
  1. Rinse the basmati rice thoroughly under cold water, soak it in water for 10 mins, then drain well
  2. Put the tip of a sharp knife through each of the chillis without fully splitting them lengthways
  3. Heat the veg oil in a deep, lidded frying pan over medium heat
  4. Put the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, black cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns into the pan
  5. Fry and stir about for a minute until aromatic
  6. Tip in the onions, then stir well and cook for 8-10 mins until completely soft and golden brown
  7. Add the bay leaf, ginger, garlic and chillis. Stir together and cook for a couple of mins
  8. Then add the turmeric, garam masala and salt to the pan and stir to combine
  9. Add the diced chicken, butter, wet rice, crispy onions and lemon juice, and stir well to coat everything in the spices
  10. Pour in 250ml boiling water, stir into the rice and turn the heat up to bring back to the boil
  11. Put on the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 mins
  12. Then lift the lid, cover the pot with a tea towel, place the lid tightly back on top (flipping the tea towel edges onto the top of the lid so you don’t set fire to them) and cook for a further 10 mins
  13. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for another 5 mins without lifting the lid, then open up and fluff well
  14. Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander and flaked almonds – with plain yoghurt, mango chutney and green chutney on the side or just dolloped in an artistic manner on top

Sausage ragu pasta bake

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

The ultimate warming winter pasta dish. Eat it on a chilly day, it’s like a radiator for your insides. Feeds 2 generously

  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 4 sausages
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 250ml red wine
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 200g pasta shapes
  • Cheddar, grated
  1. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium high
  2. Squeeze the sausages into pieces into the pan and break up further with a wooden spoon
  3. Cook until well-browned and then remove from the pan
  4. Reduce the temperature and add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan
  5. Cook, stirring often, until soft
  6. Add the stock cube and tomato puree, stir well to combine and cook for a couple of mins
  7. Add the wine and turn the heat up. Use the liquid to scrape the brown off the bottom of the pan
  8. Add the tinned tomatoes, half a tin of water, thyme, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper
  9. Bring to a bubble, then add the sausage back in
  10. Simmer for 20-30 mins until thickened and rich
  11. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C) and cook the pasta in salted boiling water, draining it 2-3 mins before it’s fully cooked
  12. Mix the undercooked pasta with the sauce and tip the whole thing into a casserole dish, top with grated cheese and bake for 20-30 mins until golden and bubbling
  13. Allow to sit for 10 mins until it’s slightly less hot than a lake of boiling lava, then serve with a crispy green salad