Chicken Pakora

Taken from: Feed your family for about £20 a week

Ingredients
Chicken Pakora:

• about 500g chicken in small cubes (if you want massive pakora, you have to cook the chicken first, a gentle simmer for 5 mins, or they will still be raw in the middle)

Batter:

• 4 heaped tablespoons Gram flour (chick pea flour. You NEED this, you use it for pakora and bhajis and you cant sub for wheat flour. It doesn't taste the same. A 3kg bag is about £2.50 in the asian shop, it lasts ages)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry or 1 clove crushed garlic, same of dry or crushed ginger
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder or flake
• 1 level teaspoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1 of turmeric.
• optional dollop of mango chutney and fresh coriander leaves.
• cold water to turn to sticky batter

Method
Deep fry in med/hot oil (the batter should immediately sizzle but not immediately brown and spit, that's too hot, they will burn before they are cooked in the middle) (I use my wok with 3-4 ladles of oil from the chip pan. Easier to clean)..for about 4-5 mins till all golden dark and lush  (the batter isn't red, but the cooked item is)

*spices... you get at least 4-6 times the amount of spice for your money at the asian shop compared to asda.

BBQ Chicken Pieces

Taken from: Feed your family for about 20 a week

Kid friendly BBQ chicken pieces! Kids adore these (so do the grown ups!)

It's a simple sweet sticky make shift BBQ sauce... Ketchup, 3tbs, brown sauce 3tbs, tsp coriander powder, a squirt of tomato purée, a glug of vinegar and a a dash of Worcestershire sauce, mix, put into a ziplock with the chicken (or whatever you are using) and marinate for as long as you can, then oven bake for about 45 mins. The kids adore this, it's also lovely on pork, chicken and ribs. I use a good sprinkle of chilli flakes in it in doing hot BBQ ribs for grown ups. Doesn't sound great, but I promise it's amazing! 

Doughnuts

Taken from: Feed your family for about £20 a week

Go nuts for doughnuts!!! We bloody adore these bad boys!! It's a bit of effort, but seriously worth it! Really, you knead (see what I did there?) these in your life!

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 150ml/5fl oz warm milk
• 130ml/4½fl oz water

Method

• For the dough, place all ingredients into a large bowl holding back a quarter of the water.
• Stir with your hands until a dough is formed.
• Slowly add the remaining water and knead the dough in the bowl for four minutes. (Alternatively, you could mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
• Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour.
• Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and knock it back by kneading it a few times.
• Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
• Place all balls onto a floured baking tray and allow to rise for an hour.
• Preheat a deep fat fryer, filled with sunflower oil, to 180C/350F.
• Lower each doughnut into the fryer, cooking each side for about five minutes or until golden brown. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon and immediately roll in caster sugar so that the hot fat makes the sugar stick to the sides.
• Set aside and leave to cool.
• When completely cool, using a small, sharp, knife make a cut into the side of the doughnut, reaching to the centre.
• Spoon some smooth or sieved strawberry jam into a piping bag, or piping syringe.
• Pipe, or syringe, the jam generously inside. You could use custard, chocolate or apple sauce! Make your own! Sometimes, I don't even fill em!

Sugar Doughnuts