FLOWER POT KITCHEN: RENDANG CHICKEN CURRY STUFFED BEETROOT CHARD BURRITO

17 Sept 2015

RENDANG CHICKEN CURRY STUFFED BEETROOT CHARD BURRITO

Gloriously fresh and vibrant burrito, how can something this decedent be so good for you! Rich creamy coconut rendang spiced chicken stuffed in a beetroot chard leaf loaded with raw shredded carrot, beetroot and topped off inside with a fresh tomato and red onion chilli salsa, spicy jalapeno and lime guacamole, then finished off with a drizzle of the creamy coconut curry sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Prep Time 5-10 minutes / Cook Time 7 minutes / Serving Time 3 minutes

Ingredients

(makes 2)

Rendang Paste

2 red chillis

2 shallots peeled

1 cloves garlic peeled

1 tsp fresh turmeric peeled

1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled

1 tsp galangal peeled

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 lemongrass stalks roughly chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves crumpled

2 large beetroot chard leaves

2 kale leaves

1 beetroot raw grated

1 carrot raw grated

4 skinless boneless chicken thighs diced

1 small onion finely diced

1 large tomato diced

1 red chilli diced

1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

300ml coconut milk

(method below if you want to make your own coconut milk)

Avocado Guacamole

1 avocado mashed

1 spring onion diced

1 tbsp coriander chopped

1 jalapeno diced

1 lime juiced

Place all the rendang ingredients except the kaffir lime leaves in a food processor and blitz to a paste. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and gently fry your rendang curry paste for ten minutes, add the chicken and kaffir leaves and when three quarters cooked add the coconut milk simmer reducing by half to make your sauce, this will also finish off cooking the chicken, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime.

Mix all the avocado ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Take the diced tomato, spring onion, chilli and coriander mix together and season to taste.

Take the beetroot chard leaves and lay the kale leaf in the centre, then top with a sprinkling of raw grated carrot and beetroot, next a generous portion of your rendang chicken, top with a spoonful of guacamole and tomato salsa, fold the two ends up over the filling and then fold over the two sides, rolling over the whole parcel so that you serve the burrito seam side down. drizzle over a generous spoonful of the coconut rendang sauce over the burrito and enjoy.

To Make Your Own Coconut Milk

This is a really simple and quick process and well worth the effort, your coconut milk will keep for a week in the fridge. First remove all the coconut flesh and water, place in a food processor and blitz really well, pour in 400ml boiling water and blitz for a further five minutes.

Place a muslin cloth over a large bowl and pour the coconut into the cloth, strain all the liquid through the cloth squeezing every drop out, the left over coconut flesh is great for cakes and sprinkling on breakfasts, or you can dry this out slowly in a low oven and store in an air tight container. The liquid in your bowl is your coconut milk, if you pour this into a ball mason jar and leave to settle in the fridge, the coconut cream will rise to the top this you can use for a richer creamer coconut flavour or mix it in with the coconut water and use as milk.

Good For You Science bit

Coconut

Rich in fibre, Vitamin C, E, B1, B5, B6, Iron, Selenium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous. Coconut is extremely healthy for you full off medium chain fatty acids launic acid which is easily digested and almost immediately broken down in your saliva and gastric juices which means it is less likely to be stored as fat, because of this pancreatic fat digesting enzymes are not essential which puts less strain on your liver allowing the liver to work more efficiently, also full of anti viral, anti bacterial properties protecting your body from infections and viruses, helps regulate the thyroid function and highly nutritious.

Beetroot and Beetroot Chard

Organ and blood cleansing, lowers risk of heart disease, helps stimulate and improve overall liver function, full of iron, calcium, magnesium, folate, carotenoids, lutein, high in plant flavonoids and beta carotene supports eye health, vitamins A, C, E, B1, B6, B3, copper, potassium maganese and fiber

Carrots

Lowers risk of cardio vascular disease, eaten in abundance significantly lowers the risk further, antioxidant benefits, inhibits growth of diseases, prevents oxidative damage inside the body, detox cleaner, promotes healthy liver and kidney function, antibacterial and anit viral, protects capillaries, chest, skin and eyes.

Tomatos

Outstanding source of lycopene, a carotenoid, packed full of antioxtioxidant, very good source of nutrients, a treasure of riches when it comes to their antioxidants in terms of phytonutrients, tomatoes are off the chart. Reduce lipid peroxidantion (oxygen damage to fat cells membranes or in the blood stream). Reduces risk of heart disease by antioxidant support and regulation of the blood stream. This really supports your cardiovascular system, bone health and reduces risk of alzheimer's. Vitamin C, K, A, B6, B3, E, B1, biotin, molybdenum, copper, potassium, maganese, fibrer, folate, phosphorous, magnesium, chromium, panththenic aicd, protein, choline, zinc, iron.

Onions

Anti bacterial, cardio benefits, protects heart and blood vessels, anti clotting capacity and helps prevent unwanted clumping of the blood platelet cells, lowers blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, improves cell membrane functions in red blood cells, anti inflammatory, anti carcinogenic, oxidant protects arteries, can increase bone density and connective tissue. Vitamins C, B6, B1, B7, folic acid, phenolics, flavonoids, manganese, copper, anti bacteria.

Avocado

Compounds help liver to cleanse toxins, lowers blood cholesterol, eat with spinach and carrots to increase absorption of impressive carotenoids, these are fat soluble and aid absorption of carotenoid nutrients, anti flammatory, helps arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid cardiovascular health, protects blood vessels and promotes blood sugar regulation. Vitamin B6, K, C, E, a perfect food that provides compounds in fact 67% more un-saturated fats as omega 9, oleic acid, 19% palmittic acid and linoleic acid, 14% saturated fat, potassium, folic acid, high fiber, folate omega 3 and 9 fatty acids.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.