Neven Maguire is the Irish Times Food Month guest chef this week and each day he will be sharing a recipe from his latest cookbook, Midweek Meals: Simple Recipes for Easy Everyday Eating.
As a chef, restaurateur and TV presenter, Maguire has a finger on the nation’s culinary pulse and has sold more than 100,000 cookbooks.
This week he will be sharing five recipes for meals that are easy to cook, and quick to prepare (or will sit happily in a slow cooker).
Quick chicken korma with sweet potatoes and chickpeas
This quick and easy curry has everything you need in one bowl – it's nutritious, filling and packed full of goodness. It's also delicious made with monkfish instead of chicken. I like to serve it with warmed flatbreads or pitta breads for scooping it up, but you really don't need them.
Serves four to six
Ingredients
2tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
1tbsp mild curry powder or paste
1 x 400g tin of Italian chopped tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
1tbsp mango chutney
4 x 175g boneless, skinless chicken fillets, cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
200g fresh or frozen spinach
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnish: chopped fresh coriander or basil leaves
To serve: warmed flatbreads or pitta breads
Method
1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 4-6 minutes, until golden brown. Stir in the sweet potato and ginger and cook for one minute, stirring.
2 Add the curry powder or paste and a pinch of salt, and cook for another minute, stirring. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and mango chutney. Stir well to combine, then bring to a fast simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is so well reduced that it’s almost sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3 Stir in the cubed chicken and slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and completely tender.
4 Add the rinsed chickpeas, spinach and lime juice, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Season to taste.
5 Ladle into warmed bowls and scatter over the coriander or basil. Serve with warmed flatbreads or pitta breads, if liked.
