You South Africa You Batch Cooking

This star appears with the 18 basic recipes (printed in bold below) you can cook in bulk, divide into batches then use as the basis for various delicious dishes. IDEA #1 Who wants to eat the same thing every day? Each of the ideas uses a portion of a basic recipe to create a brand-new tasty dish. TO FREEZE We share tips on freezing–at which stage you should do it and how to pack the food for your freezer. There are also tips on defrosting and reheating. t = teaspoon = 5ml • T = tablespoon = 15ml • c = cup = 250ml…

MAKES 5 LITRES BROTH Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 1 hour INGREDIENTS ◗ 1 whole chicken◗ 5 bay leaves◗ 30ml (2T) black peppercorns◗ 5 garlic cloves◗ 4 onions, halved◗ 6-8 soup celery stalks with leaves, chopped◗ 4 carrots, cut into chunks◗ 3 pouches (20g each) dried mushrooms◗ 5 litres (20c) water◗ 5cm fresh ginger, thinly sliced◗ 3 whole red chillies◗ 1 cinnamon stick◗ 2 cardamom pods, cracked open◗ 5 star anise◗ 20ml (4t) cumin seeds◗ 2 limes, sliced◗ 50g fresh coriander◗ 30ml (2T) brown sugar 1 Put the chicken in a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly for 1 hour or until the chicken falls off the bones. Or cook in a pressure cooker. 2 Remove the chicken from the broth, debone…

SERVES 8-10 Preparation time 30 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes INGREDIENTS ◗ ½ quantity Basic Asian Chicken Broth◗ 30ml (2T) soy sauce, or fish sauce to taste◗ juice of 1-2 limes TO SERVE ◗ ½ quantity shredded chicken from broth◗ 200g rice noodles, cooked◗ handful of fresh bean sprouts or ½ head Chinese cabbage, finely shredded◗ bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced◗ 2 carrots, julienned◗ big handful each of fresh coriander, mint and basil and a few chillies, chopped if you like◗ 1 lime, sliced 1 Heat the broth in a pot. Season with the soy or fish sauce and lime juice. Freeze or serve. TO SERVE 1 Put the chicken, noodles, bean sprouts or cabbage, spring onions, carrots, herbs and chillies in separate bowls and arrange on a serving table. Pour the heated broth into jugs or teapots. 2…

MAKES 3 LITRES SOUP Preparation time 20-30 minutes Cooking time 50 minutes INGREDIENTS ◗ oil for shallow-frying◗ 6 spring onions, chopped◗ 10ml (2t) red curry paste◗ 1 can (400ml) coconut milk◗ 2 chillies, chopped◗ ½ quantity Basic Asian Chicken Broth◗ 500g roast pumpkin cubes TO SERVE ◗ ½ quantity shredded chicken from broth◗ soy sauce and lime juice to taste◗ extra chopped spring onions, a few chilli strips and thin lemon slices to garnish 1 Heat a little oil and fry the spring onions until soft. Add the red curry paste and stir-fry for a few seconds. 2 Add the coconut milk and chopped chillies and bring to the boil. 3 Add the broth and pumpkin and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Freeze (see previous page) or serve. TO SERVE 1 Add the chicken to the broth and heat well.…

MAKES 5 LITRES STOCK Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 1 hour INGREDIENTS ◗ 1 whole chicken◗ 5 bay leaves◗ 2 fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)◗ 30ml (2T) black peppercorns◗ 5 garlic cloves◗ 4 onions, halved◗ 6-8 soup celery stalks with leaves, chopped◗ 4 carrots, cut into chunks◗ 3 pouches (20g each) dried mushrooms◗ 5 litres (20c) water 1 Put the chicken in a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly for 1 hour or until the chicken falls off the bones. 2 Remove the chicken from the stock, debone and shred the meat. Divide in two and set aside until needed or freeze. 3 Drain the stock and discard the solids. Divide in two and set aside until needed or freeze. TO FREEZE Allow the drained stock…

MAKES 2, 5 LITRES SOUP Preparation time 5 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes INGREDIENTS ◗ 15ml (1T) each butter and olive oil◗ 3 chopped spring onions◗ 500g chopped mixed mushrooms◗ ½ quantity Basic Chicken Stock◗ 125ml (½c) sherry◗ salt and pepper TO SERVE ◗ extra chopped or julienned spring onions to garnish◗ lemon wedges 1 Heat the butter and olive oil and fry the chopped spring onions and mushrooms until soft. Add the stock and sherry. 2 Simmer for about 15 minutes or until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Serve or freeze. TO SERVE 1 Reheat the soup. 2 Sprinkle chopped or julienned spring onions on top and serve hot with lemon wedges. TO FREEZE Both soups can be frozen before the garnishes are added. Cool completely. Ladle into freezer bags or containers and freeze. Defrost before reheating.…