Winter in Perth can sometimes feel like a drag – cold days, even colder nights, shorter days and not much chance to go out and enjoy our beautiful beaches… All that aside though, it certainly has its perks. Right up there with winter boots and fashion, warming comfort food has to be one of the highlights of winter. So now is the perfect time to stay in, rug up and fill up on hot curries, delicious soups and slow cooked stews.
In Perth we are also very lucky to have so many creative and talented small business owners making it easier for anyone to whip up gourmet food in their own kitchen. That’s why we have a whole gourmet section at Perth Upmarket, with a great range of specialty products to put a bit of “wow” into your home cooked meals. Think gourmet truffle products from Great Southern Truffles, handmade sweet and savoury preserves from Katandra, Bee Lane’s unique cold smoked tomatoes or the finest olives and products from Ol-ive Half.
Latasha’s Kitchen, who have amazing ready-to-go curry pastes and chutneys for making restaurant quality food at home, always have mouth-watering recipes. Try out one of Latasha’s recipes below (and please let us know what you think!).
Coriander Chicken and Lentil Fennel Stew
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ½ medium red onion, finely diced
- Small fennel, finely diced, including fronds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green chilli, sliced in rounds (optional)
- Roots and stems from a large bunch of coriander − washed of dirt, trimmed of rootlet hair, then finely diced (keep the leaves for garnish)
- 1 x 400 g can Mutti brand whole tomatoes in juice
- ¼ jar Latasha’s Kitchen Coriander Curry Paste
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets, diced
- 1 small can Ayam brand coconut cream
Yellow Split Pea Lentil Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow lentils, washed well then soaked for 2 hours
- 3 cups water
- 1 clove garlic, bashed
- 1 knob ginger, bashed
- 1 tbsp sliced onions
- ½ tsp asafoetida powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp ghee
Garnish
- 2 tbsp store bought fried shallots
- 1 bunch coriander leaves or sliced spring onions − green or white sections.
Method
- In a large pot heat ghee then fry diced red onion, fennel, 3 cloves minced garlic, green chilli and salt.
- Add Latasha’s Kitchen Coriander Curry Paste, finely diced coriander stems and roots. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Then add tomatoes including juice and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Next add chicken and coat thoroughly with paste. Add coconut cream, bring to a quick boil, then cover and simmer till done.
- In a separate pot cover pre-soaked lentils with water, add clove of garlic, ginger, sliced onions and asafoetida.
- Add ghee and salt and bring to a boil then simmer, with a lid on until cooked. Mash then add store bought fried shallots.
- Mix lentil stew into coriander chicken curry.
- Garnish with coriander leaves or sliced spring onions.
TIP: Try adding frozen spinach or grated radish to this dish for a delicious twist. Hot ghee is delicious drizzled over just before serving.
For more winter foodie inspiration, don’t miss Perth Upmarket on Sunday 25 June from 10am-4pm at UWA’s Winthrop Hall.
