TV chef Colin Fassnidge reveals his favourite go-to recipe
A fan of simplicity, Colin Fassnidge reveals his favourite easy recipe
WHO DOESN’T know Colin Fassnidge! He’s the guy on My Kitchen Rules with the cute Irish accent and the very cheeky grin.
Fassnidge knows good food. As a celebrated chef he has built his reputation on delicious food and his distinctive nononsense advice for home cooks.
When it comes to cooking at home Fassnidge believes it comes down to commonsense — thus the name of his latest cookbook The Commonsense Cook.
Master the basics, he says, — a simple omelette, a failsafe pizza base, a green sauce that goes with everything, the perfect roast — and you have the foundation for countless meals.
Fassnidge’s book is real family food made easy.
Following is one of his recipes:
SOY-POACHED CHICKEN
This is the most-cooked dish in our house! It’s my go-to meal when I want something that’s light, but still packed full of flavour. The end result is melt-in-the-mouth chicken that’s perfect served with steamed rice. Turn any leftover chicken into a salad the next day with home-made salad cream using the tip below. This recipe also works well with pork fillet. Add the pork as soon as the liquid comes to the boil, then remove from the heat (no need to simmer).
Ingredients
130g ginger, roughly chopped bunch of coriander, roots scraped clean, leaves picked
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp chilli oil, such as chiu chow 80g coconut oil
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, smashed using the side of a knife 2 onions, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 garlic bulbs, halved horizontally 2 bay leaves (fresh if possible) 4 makrut lime leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 star anise
200ml white wine
200ml light soy sauce
21⁄2 Tbsp fish sauce
21⁄2 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar 50g dried shiitake mushrooms 3 Tbspbrown sugar
1 x 1.6kg free-range chicken 4-6 eggs steamed white rice, to serve crispy fried shallots, to serve
Method
Place the ginger, coriander root, sesame oil, chilli oil and half the coconut oil in the small bowl of a food processor and blitz to a rough paste.
Heat the remaining coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the paste and lemongrass, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, lime leaves, cinnamon and star anise and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until the onion and carrot are soft but not turning brown.
Pour in the wine and stir to deglaze the pan, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce, Chinese black vinegar and dried shiitake mushrooms, along with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and add the sugar, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan, making sure it is submerged under the liquid, and bring everything back to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low, add one egg for each guest and simmer for 9 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, then cover and allow the chicken to poach in the liquid for 1-1 1⁄2 hours, until the chicken is firm and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife.
To serve, remove the chicken from the liquid and cut into portions.
Peel the eggs and slice them in half. Divide steamed white rice among serving bowls and top with the chicken, egg, a handful of crispy shallots and a few coriander leaves.
Spoon over a little of the poaching liquid and serve immediately.
Leftovers
Turn leftover chicken into a salad for lunch the next day. Make a simple salad cream by combining 250g mayo, 25ml evaporated milk and 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar. Season with caster sugar and salt and set aside. Shred the leftover chicken into a bowl and add a handful of chopped tarragon, basil and rocket leaves, along with 3 tablespoons chopped capers. Squeeze over 1⁄2 lemon, season and lightly coat in salad cream. Serve on large lettuce leaves.