Chicken, Plums, Soy

The only books I tend to buy are cookery books and this weekend it was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Three Good Things... on a plate that catches my eye with it's content and half price-ness and finds it's way into my house.
I love the idea of simple effective dishes so I leaf through the book to find a recipe that aligns with the ingredients I have to hand of which Chicken, Plums, Soy fits the bill.
Essentially this consists of roasting chicken thighs of half an hour, before adding some aromatics and then after a further ten minutes adding plum halves and soy sauce and returning to the oven until the plums are soft.
It's a rare thing to have plums in a main meal and I'd wondered how it would work, especially as the plums I had were quite hard. However, no worries are required as the plums have a soft sweetness after being in the oven that complements the salty soy sauce soaked up by rice and shredded steamed greens. Definitely one I'll do again.

Chicken, plums, soy

Chinese Roast Pork Belly & Mushroom Risotto

A little clash of cultures tonight as Chinese Roast Pork Belly meets Italian Mushroom Risotto. This takes a little preparation as I marinade the pork in oil, soy sauce, a crushed star anise and a squeeze of maple syrup for a couple of hours before readying a hot oven (200 degrees celsius) and cooking for around half an hour, seasoning each side and turning halfway through. I slice before putting on a plate.
The mushrooms take some preparation too as I soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for half an hour before straining and reserving the liquid for use in cooking the rice. I also add chopped fresh mushrooms too.
I wasn't sure how this dish would turn out, but I really really like it! Mushrooms are quite complementary to savoury dishes and the roast pork is no exception, the dark pork glaze beautifully complementing our fungal friends.

Chinese roast pork belly and mushroom risotto

Salmon & Broccoli Noodles

A bit of pre-work preparation for today's speedy dinner of Salmon & Broccoli Noodles as I marinade the salmon in Teriyaki marinade and leave it until I return home that evening. Upon return I cook the marinaded fillets in the oven for 20 minutes and with 5 minutes left to go boil a nest of noodles with florets of broccoli ( of the same size of yesterday). After transferring the noodles and broccoli to a bowl, I flake large chunks of the fillet over it with thinly sliced chilli and add a dash of soy sauce. I decline lemon juice on this occasion to retain the Asian flavours. The teriyaki salmon is the central taste in the dish.

Salmon & broccoli noodles

Chicken Noodle Soup

Leftover roast chicken is a wonderful asset to have of a weekend, perfect for a midnight snack, Club sandwiches at lunchtime and this evening for Chicken Noodle Soup. I don't have the green leafy vegetables which I'd like for this or the shreds of spring onion, but I make do with some carrot and add sliced chilli and soy sauce. The result looks quite shoddy but tastes just fine to welcome in British Summer Time.

Chicken noodle soup

 

Maple Syrup and Chilli Salmon

Cooking a dish that you've half remembered from a magazine while pretending to be involved in a conversation is a probably a bad start to convincing dining, luckily it's only me having Maple Syrup and Chilli Salmon. I make a marinade of maple syrup, soy sauce and chilli sauce to spread over salmon fillets before cooling in the fridge for an hour.
I serve with roasted (only because I have the oven on for the fish anyway) new potatoes and a salad.
The first bite of the salmon reveals a surprisingly subtle sweetness with soy sauce bringing a certain depth and right at the end, a little chilli spice. This is actually very nice. Despite looking like it was bathed in Cola...

Maple syrup and chilli salmon

 

Grilled Pork Chop with Rice

A late dinner today after expending some willpower watching other people eat in the pub, knowing that a Grilled Pork Chop with Rice is awaiting me on my return. Cooking something rather more involved than sticking a pizza in the oven after the pub is always a bit more frenetic than normal with the extra urgency to sate the hunger, which can sometimes lead to utter disasters. Not on this occasion as I continually remind myself to keep a watchful eye on the grill. I season with a dash of soy sauce before eating in front of QI.

Grilled pork chop with rice

Grilled Pork Chop and Sugarsnap Peas

Further porky themes for today's dinner with a Grilled Pork Chop and Sugarsnap Peas. I briefly marinade the chop in mustard and maple syrup (disappointing classicists everywhere for I have no honey); a few minutes later and it's on the grill until the fat pops and blackens under the heat. Application of light pressure to half a lemon yields a few drops of juice splashing onto the meat. I perch the chop on some wilted spinach with a dash of soy sauce and slide some blanched sugarsnap peas onto the side of the plate.
I find that pork always takes well to sweet flavours, but it's the salty zing of soy sauce with a hint of lemon that really makes the dish here.

Grilled pork chop and sugarsnap peas

 

Steamed Vegetable Noodles with Oyster Sauce

I'm trying to have one non-meat meal per week (does oyster sauce count as vegetarian?) so I try steamed vegetable noodles with oyster sauce.
I cut thick straws of carrot and wide slices of pak choi to steam above a nest of noodles in simmering water, while I finely chop garlic and chilli into a mug before adding a splodge of oyster sauce. Once the noodles and veg has finished cooking I add tablespoon of the simmering water to the oyster sauce and stir while warming. Placing the veg over the noodles, I pour over the oyster sauce finishing with a dash of soy sauce. 10 minutes duration: the hot, salty sauce alternates with the freshness of the vegetables on the palate for a quick, easy dinner.

Steamed vegetable noodles with oyster sauce