Tag Archives: Quorn

Quorn, mushroom and red pepper curry – tastes great.

25 Jul

As I have got older I have eaten less meat and more vegetarian dishes.  I have to say that I am still persevering with Quorn but dishes like this one are so tasty it is difficult to detect the Quorn.  It isn’t the flavour, it’s the texture I am having to come to terms with, although there is no doubting, it is much healthier than eating meat for every meal.  I made this recipe up as I went along, using tips I had picked up from some of my favourite chicken curry recipes.  I was delighted with the outcome.  It might even make me a convert!

I used a curry paste in the recipe.  As the Quorn readily absorbs flavours I chose a medium strength paste but, off course, you can vary this to suit your palate.  Here is a bit of information that may help you make an informed choice.

Curry pastes are a mist blend of herbs and spices and are used as a base for many curry recipes.  There are a number of different Thai curry pastes, each imparting their own specific flavour to the dish.

Red curry pastes usually include red chillies, shrimp paste, lime leaves, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, coriander and seasoning.

Green curry paste is the same as the red except it uses green chillies.

Yellow curry paste gets its colouring from turmeric and, occasionally, yellow chillies.  The other ingredients are as above.

Massaman curry paste is based on Indian cuisine and includes a number of dried spices such as cumin, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.

All the above are quite spicy so take care how much you add if you don’t like your food too hot.  Phanaeng curry paste is milder though.

Patak make curry pastes with a wide range of heat ratings.  Mild pastes include Korma, Tandoori and Tikka.  Medium are Balti, Bhuna, Jalfrezi, Rogan Josh and Biryani.  Hot are Garam Masala, Madras, Vindaloo and Kashmiri Masala.

Quorn, mushroom and red pepper curry                             Serves 4  (can freeze)

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp medium curry paste (I used Patak’s Balti paste)
  • 6 fresh baby plum tomatoes, quartered
  • 150g button mushrooms
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
  • 350g Quorn chicken style pieces
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp full fat Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 pt hot water
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion until soft and turning golden (should take about 10 minutes).  Stir in the curry paste, lemon juice  and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute more.
  2. Add the mushrooms, pepper and Quorn pieces  and gently mix so they are all coated with the spice mix.  Cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a measuring jug, whip the yogurt then gradually add the hot water then the salt.
  4. Gradually add the yogurt mix to the quorn, stirring continually.  Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the herbs then serve with rice or naan bread. 

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Related articles
Advertisement

Tags: , , ,

Quorn Chicken and Tarragon Pie – low fat and tasty! Or replace the Quorn with chicken. Yum!

30 Jan

I feel like I have been neglecting my vegetarian friends so here is a Quorn recipe I make for my daughter-in-law Tracy.  Just so my son and daughter are not left out I replace the Quorn with chicken.  I have been trying to make Quorn recipes in earnest for the last three years, since I retired and decided to cook for the kids once a week.  Now I feel I am on a mission.  Quorn have actually made a great cookbook and also have recipes on-line but I still like to experiment.  This recipe is easy to make and really tasty.  It is perfect for a vegetarian of course, but also is great for anyone on a diet.  I’m not sure how it fits with the Slimming World diet but I seem to remember Quorn is free on Green days.  Perhaps my friend Ali could let me know? 

Did you know that Quorn was actually invented to help solve world hunger?  In the early 1960’s there was a predicted population growth that threatened food and protein supplies.  Scientists were trying to find a solution and even looked to making protein out of coal and saw dust!  In 1965, Lord Rank, who owned a Company that includes the Hovis brand, decided to put this as a challenge to his Research and Development department.  In 1967 an organism was found occurring naturally in the soil in a field in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  I cannot think for the life of me why they would be looking there!!  There was obviously a lot of work to do to make this into a mycoprotein, turn it into something edible, pass all the strict food laws and make it in sufficient quantities that they could supply demand.  It wasn’t until 1985 that the first retail product was launched, a vegetable pie.  Research continued and in 1990 the first Quorn branded cooking product was launched, Quorn cooking pieces.  Today Quorn make over a 100 different products in their ready meals section, as well as a full range of products to enable customers to make their own meals up.

Quorn itself is almost flavorless so when you make a recipe you have to make sure there is plenty of flavour in the other ingredients as the Quorn will take this on.  Curries, chillies and pasta sauces are obvious excellent choices and I have experimented successfully with many of these.  However, Tracy is pregnant at the moment and curries is definitely off her food list.  Hence the pie.  I hope you give it a try.  Here is the recipe.  If, like me, you are not too keen on Quorn, replace it with cooked chicken, its lovely.

Quorn chicken and tarragon pie         Serves 2

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g Quorn chicken style pieces
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 3/4 pint milk
  • 1 tsp dried tarragon
  • 2 small handfuls of frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g potatoes (suitable for mashing)
  • knob of butter
  • a little extra milk
  1. Fry the onion in the oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes until it is softened but not coloured.  Add the Quorn pieces, stir around and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
  2. In a separate pan, make the tarragon sauce.  Melt the butter then add the flour.  Mix well and cook for a minute.  Very slowly, to avoid curdling, add the milk.  When all the milk has been added stir in the tarragon and continue to cook over a medium heat until the sauce thickens.  Season to taste.
  3. Add the sauce to the Quorn mix and stir in the peas.  Cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes then place the mix evenly in an ovenproof dish.
  4. Meanwhile,cook the potatoes in salted water.  When tender, mash with the butter and milk to make a creamy consistency.  Top the Quorn mix with the potato then cook in a preheated oven, 190C/180C fan/Gas 4, for 25-30 minutes or until the potato is browned on top and the base is bubbling. 

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tags: , ,