Chicken satay, spare ribs & fried rice.

Nope, I did not order in a takeaway :) This was all made by me, and actually tasted great. I used recipes from my Old Faithful, The Takeaway Secrets recipe book by Kenny McGovern. I really do recommend this book to anyone who loves a good takeaway and wants to make their own. Everything is easy to make, and usually tastes just like the real thing. Tonight I made spare ribs, satay chicken & egg fried rice. You need to make the marinade for the ribs in advance, and also have some cold, cooked rice ready.

Spare Ribs

2 teaspoons garlic & ginger paste (I use the Lazy jars of garlic & ginger & mix them)
8 tablespoons tomato ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
½ tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 kg/2.2 lb pork ribs



Mix the garlic/ginger paste with the ketchup, honey & soy sauce, then coat the spare ribs. Marinade for at least 4 hours, overnight is ideal though.

Heat the oven to 200c, and lay a heatproof bowl containing water in the bottom. Place the ribs on a tray and cook for 8 minutes on the middle shelf. Turn the ribs and cook for another 8 minutes. Turn again, place on the top shelf and cook for a final 8 minutes.

Chicken Satay

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mild Madras curry powder
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce
200 ml/7 fl oz coconut milk
75 ml/2½ fl oz water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
wooden skewers
3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cornflour

In a small saucepan or frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over a low-medium heat. Add the chopped onion and stir fry for 1–2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the curry powder and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the peanut butter and stir-fry for another minute until beginning to melt. Add the soy sauce, coconut milk, water, sugar and dried chilli flakes. Bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat until the sauce is combined and the desired consistency is reached. Remove from the heat and set aside. The sauce will thicken upon cooling and can be reheated when needed, adding a little water if necessary.

Soak the wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.

Trim any excess fat from the chicken breast and cut into 6–8 long, thin strips. Add the soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder and vegetable oil. Mix well and marinade for 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of cornflour and mix well again. Ribbon the chicken strips onto the soaked wooden skewers, piercing each piece of chicken several times.  Grill the skewered chicken on a high heat for around 2 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and just beginning to char. Remove the cooked chicken skewers and arrange on a serving plate. Drizzle with the prepared satay sauce and serve with fried rice.

Egg Fried Rice



150g basmati rice (ubcooked weight) cooked & cooled completely
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 spring onions, chopped (optional)
Any veg you like (I add mushrooms, frozen peas & frozen sweetcorn)

3 eggs lightly beaten with a pinch of salt


Heat some oil in a large wok. Add the rice & stir until completely coated. Add teh soy sauce & vegetables, and mix through. Make a well in the middle of teh rice, and add teh beaten egg. Lightly whisk the egg as it cooks, then mix into teh rice once it has scrambled slightly. Season & serve when the rice & egg is all heated through.