5:2 Fast Day Recipes: "Faux" Pho - Prawn Noodle Soup

The wonderful thing about herbs and spices is that they are virtually calorie free - therefore liberal usage is encouraged. I wanted to created a dish like the pho I always order at my local Vietnamese restaurant, so my faux pho was born. I know the basic ingredients but have next to no idea just what makes the broth so delicious, so I experimented and was pretty pleased with the results.

To my delight, my faux pho was a heady, aromatic dream to eat - more feast than fast. I substituted the beef fillet I would usually opt for, for prawns - lower in calories but still meaty and delicious. For obvious reasons the noodles had to be rationed, but once I upped the quantity of bean sprouts this was barely noticeable.

Best of all though, this dish is both quick to prepare and to cook. One thing - this is one of those rare meals that does not get better with age... If left too long, the herbs and spices begin to lose their potency. For that reason it is best to eat this straight away which, given its deliciousness, shouldn't be too difficult.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 

150g fresh, raw prawns. 120 calories

150g dried egg noodles. 210 calories

200g beansprouts. 62 calories

100g babycorns, sliced lengthways. 24 calories

80g mangetout. 31 calories. 

1 red chili, thinly sliced. 7 calories

3 sping onions, chopped. 24 calories 

Inch sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 19 calories

1 garlic clove, finely chopped. 6 calories

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed. 10 calories 

Juice of one lime. 10 calories

Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped. 10 calories

500 ml chicken stock. 32 calories

Total calories: 565

Calories per serving: 283

Method

Heat the chicken stock in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the chilli, garlic, lemongrass and grated ginger. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, until the flavours have begun to penetrate the stock - this will form the base of the soup. 

Add the noodles and simmer until they have softened. This will take around 5- 10 minutes. Then add the sping onions, beansprouts, babycorns, mangetout and prawns. When the prawns have turned pink, they are cooked through.

Place in a warm bowl and squeeze over the lime juice. Scatter the chopped basil over the top and serve immediately. 

One last thing - the delicate but floral flavour of green tea and/or jasmine tea complement this dish really well and have the added bonus of being low in calories, so give them a try... Enjoy!

Chicken Challenge Day 1: Chicken Jalfrezi

So my challenge this week is to see how many meals I can make out of one chicken. I bought a medium sized free range chicken today and have jointed it so that I can use it to form the base of our mid-week dinners.

The first thing I'm going to make with it is a chicken jalfrezi. For this I'm going to use the legs, thighs and wings. I'm using these cuts because they are quite forgiving. Unlike the breasts, they can be cooked for a couple of hours without turning tough, which is ideal for a curry as it's important to simmer it for some time to allow the flavours to develop.

Ingredients 

For the curry base

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp turmeric 

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp galangal

2 tsp red chilli 

2 medium onions, grated

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp ghee, or olive oil

For the meat and veg

400g skinless and boneless chicken (preferably thighs or legs)

1 green and 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

400g chopped tomatoes 

300ml water 

1 tbsp olive oil

Method 

1. Toast the coriander and fenugreek seeds in a dry frying pan for few seconds until they start to release their aromas - be careful not to burn them. Grind these up in a pestle and mortar and combine in a bowl with the rest of the powdered spices.

2. Soften the galangal by covering it in hot water and leaving it to soak until needed.

3. In a heavy bottomed casserole dish, heat the ghee or olive oil over a medium heat and add the grated and chopped onions and garlic, cooking for around 5 minutes until softened. Add the ground spices and mix into the onions thoroughly, cooking for a further 3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes along with the water. Mix everything through, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so the spices are combined with the sauce. Drain the galangal and add this as well.

5. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil to a high temperature and fry the chicken until it is browned evenly on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and add the the curry sauce along with the sliced peppers.

6. Turn the temperature on the hob down to low, and simmer the curry for a couple of hours. If it becomes too dry, just add a little more water. It is important to let the flavours mingle and develop, so taste it as it's cooking and you'll get an idea of whether it's ready or not. You may also wish to add some salt.

Serve hot, with pilau rice and naan bread. This curry tastes even better the next day so you may even want to make two batches!