Sweet and Nutty Satay

This recipe only gives you the basics - you can add precooked chicken, pork, beef or lamb at the same time you add the vegetables. This way the meat will not only heat through gently but will also absorb the sweet nutty flavours of the other ingredients.

Preparation time is virtually 5 minutes and cooking time about 20 minutes - so this is an easy dish to prepare after a long day of driving and is exceptionally satisfying to the inner driver!

Ingredients

Small tin creamed corn

400 gm tin apricot or mango juice

Small tin pineapple

Small tin mushrooms in butter sauce

500 gram packet frozen mixed vegetables, the ones here are Mediterranean plus a few baby peas and corn

1 packet Trident Lo-fat Coconut Milk powder (this is easier to store than tins)

Stock cube vegetable or to suit your meat

Selection of spices dried and fresh if you have them

1 large onion

Garlic cloves to taste

50 grams unsalted peanuts

Crunchy peanut butter - you only need 2 tbls from jar

Sesame oil (or margarine or butter)

Heat the onion in the non stick saucepan with 1 tbls of sesame oil - this gives a lovely nutty flavour.

Add powdered spices - I used garam, paprika, cumin, tumeric and cinnamon - about 1/2 a teaspoon of each, with a teaspoon of lemon grass and four cloves of garlic (good anti-flu suggestion with winter coming up)

When onion is soft, add the frozen vegetables, juice, stock cube, diced pineapple, creamed corn, mushrooms and peanuts.

Let this simmer away on a very low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes until vegetables are nearly tender - the exact time will depend on the vegies used. A good excuse for a taste test - but watch it - it's hot!

Drain off some of the liquid from the pan into a separate small bowl, stirring in the coconut milk powder, to make a firm paste.

Mix this paste back into the pot, together with 2 tbls of peanut butter or paste.

Stir thoroughly and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes maximum or until the whole mix is lovely and thick.

Serve immediately.

This quantity will serve 4 people of average appetite. For two hungry people, you will still have enough left over to have on toast or in a jaffle iron between bread the next day. Allow to cool and simply put into a Tupperware, or similar, container and place in the fridge.

This concoction came out my head one damp afternoon - Bob wanted spaghetti a la packet - but I thought we needed a change. It is all very well having a motto "If there's nothing wrong don't change it!" BUT he needs to have some variety - as long as he doesn't change his woman!!! Not much chance of that, thank goodness.
If you have unexpected guests, you can always serve on a bed of rice or I sometimes use dried noodles. Peanuts make it a most filling dish, the pineapple and mango or apricot juice add a lovely sweetness, giving you a very surprising Sweet and Nutty Satay - vegetable - chicken - beef - lamb - or - pork.

As usual, feel free to use this as a base recipe and email me about any experimental variations you create - my recipes usually can never be duplicated exactly as there are never exactly the same ingredients in our Possum House - but that's half the fun of A-Cooking!

Chrissy!

Heat the onion in the non stick saucepan with 1 tbls of sesame oil - this gives a lovely nutty flavour. Add powdered spices - I used garam, paprika, cumin, tumeric and cinnamon - about 1/2 a teaspoon of each, with a teaspoon of lemon grass and four cloves of garlic (good anti-flu suggestion with winter coming up)
When onion is soft, add the frozen vegetables, juice, stock cube, diced pineapple, creamed corn, mushrooms and peanuts. Let this simmer away on a very low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes until vegetables are nearly tender - the exact time will depend on the vegies used. A good excuse for a taste test - but watch it - it's hot!
Drain off some of the liquid from the pan into a separate small bowl, stirring in the coconut milk powder, to make a firm paste. Mix this paste back into the pot, together with 2 tbls of peanut butter or paste.
Stir thoroughly and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes maximum or until the whole mix is lovely and thick. Serve immediately. This quantity will serve 4 people of average appetite. For two hungry people, you will still have enough left over to have on toast or in a jaffle iron between bread the next day. Allow to cool and simply put into a Tupperware, or similar, container and place in the fridge.