Ingredients:

• 1 tsp groundnut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed/finely chopped/whatever
• 4 small carrots, halfed lengthwise and finely sliced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dried coriander leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 chillies (or just the one if you’re not wanting it too hot) finely sliced
• 75g Greek yoghurt
• 2 large (bonless and skinless) chicken thighs (approx 250g), chopped into small 2cm-ish chunks
• 800ml chicken stock
• 50g (uncooked) basmati rice
• cornflour to thicken (optional)

Start by heating the oil in a medium-large pan, and sweat off the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, carrot and half of the chilli, and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer about 2/3-3/4 of the mixture to a small blender, and with a bit of water added, blend until you get a very smooth paste. Return the paste back to the pan, add all of the spices, and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in the yoghurt (a small amount at a time, so that it doesn’t split), followed by the chicken and cook slowly until not-quite bubbling, before adding the rice and stock. Cook for ten minutes, or so, until the rice and chicken is cooked. If the sauce is too thin, add a couple of teaspoons of cornflour let down with a small amount of warm water, and stir into the soup.

Serves 4, and if you’re counting, each serving weighs in at a fairly lean 225 calories

• a pack of lardons
• two leeks, sliced into small rings
• an onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 swede, peeled and roughly cubed
• a pack of about six good sized skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• three cloves garlic, sliced
• handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• a bottle of white wine
• couple of handfuls of frozen peas
• couple of cups of chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6-8 dumplings made from packet mix

Brown off the lardons in a hot stock pot, before adding the leeks, onion, garlic and swede. You don’t need extra oil, just let them cook in the tasty bacon fat until they’ve softened up a bit, for about 5 minutes or so. Add the chicken, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, and turmeric, and stir about in the mix before adding in the bottle of white wine and frozen peas. Top up with the chicken stock until it looks like there will be enough liquid for about half an hour’s cooking, and sit the doughy dumplings made from the mix on the top.

Cook for half an hour and when almost done, throw in the chopped parsley and season. This can be served on it’s own in a bowl, or with a generous serving of mashed potatos should make enough for four people.

Ingredients
1/2 tsp dried, red chilli flakes
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2cm chopped galangal (ginger)
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
2 medium red chillies chopped and deseeded
1 stick of lemongrass, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

1ltr chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 chicken thighs
200ml coconut cream
1 large sweet potato, diced
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 spring onions, sliced
Juice of lime

Rehydrate chilli flakes in water for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, galangal, turmeric, red chillies, lemon grass, shallots and oil and fry for about 20 minutes. That’ll make the paste.

To the paste, add the chicken stock and potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Blend until smooth and add the sweet potato, coconut cream and chicken and cook for another 10 minutes until the sweet potato and chicken is cooked. Then add the fish sauce and lime juice, and top with spring onion to serve.