Nutrition

Food Full of Yummiest and Colour

Charlotte Palmer of foodspecialist.co.uk shares her colourful culinary delights

This stir-fry is a colourful and nutritious selection of greens, red chili, zinc-rich ginger, and refreshing limejuice. For the veggies among us, cashew nuts make a great protein substitute, along with Vitamin C rich plantain. Cooking with a medium chain fat coconut oil is a safer way to fry, and it also aides weight loss and promotes good gut health. Prawns and chicken also work really well in this dish depending upon your dietary persuasion.

Plantain and asparagus, chilli and basil stir-fry, with cinnamon and cardamom basmati rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe plantain, sliced
  • A handful of asparagus chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • Baby courgettes sliced /diced lengthways
  • Small bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
  • Knob of fresh ginger, grated
  • A small bunch of Thai basil, torn
  • A sprinkle of paprika
  • 100g/5oz of whole or broken cashew nuts
  • A tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil
  • A fresh lime, squeezed
  • Basmati rice
  • Cardamom pods
  • Cinnamon sticks
  1. In a dry, heavy pan, roast the cashew nuts, until very lightly toasted; set aside.
  2. In a wok, melt a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil, on a medium heat.
  3. Add the chili and ginger, fry for a few minutes.
  4. Add the plantain and fry until both sides are golden, sprinkle with paprika and a squeeze of lime. Set aside, on a plate.
  5. Add all of the vegetables together and stir-fry for at least five minutes, then add the plantain, cashew nuts, and the basil. Fry for a further two minutes.
  6. Steam a cup of basmati rice, three cardamom pods, and two small cinnamon sticks together in a pan. Use just enough water to cover the rice, and after a brief boil, turn down to a very low heat and steam with the lid on tight, until all of the water has been absorbed.
  7. Serve the stir-fry with the steaming rice immediately!

 

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments