CHEF and blogger Paul James writes for our paper.

As many of you may know I have just had my latest cookbook released called ‘The Grandfather, My Grandad is the Best Chef in the World’ – written with the help of my three beautiful young grandchildren.

As a retired chef I personally believe that children should be encouraged with the help of an adult, from an early age, to know the basics of cooking – after all it is an important part of life, just as paying your bills and going out to work is.

I was fortunate to have the very talented and good friend of mine and without doubt one of the best chefs in the world Cyrus Todiwala OBE to write the foreword for the book.

Well I tried to nail Cyrus’ ‘Dragon Chicken’ dish he created on Saturday Morning with James Martin a couple of weeks ago and

I’ve got to say I will definitely be cooking it again.

I just loved the way the flavours marry together, proving that to make a dish of this quality you do not need to throw in jars of curry powder or paste, just simple cupboard ingredients that will not only give you a tastier final dish but definitely will be cheaper in the long run.

Certainly this sauce can be made up and used for vegetarian dishes also.

Well….did it live up to its fiery dragon heat? It sure did unblock my sinuses in my small kitchen, but it wasn’t overwhelming, it was beautifully delicate with a kick of heat coming through.

This is a must-try dish, trust me you won’t be disappointed.

Many Thanks to Cyrus Todiwala for this amazing dish that he made on James Martin’s Saturday Morning show.

Visit shieldcrest.co.uk/about/featured-authors/paul-james/ for more on Paul’s book and recipesfrommytravels.com for his recipes and blog.

Dragon Chicken

Ingredients

The marinade

Diced chicken breast

1tbsp of red chilli paste

2tbsp of soy sauce

1tbsp of ginger garlic paste

1/2tsp of crushed black pepper

1tbsp of cornflour/corn starch

1tsp of sea salt

The Sauce

1tbsp oil

Handful of almonds

2-3 red chilli deseeded and chopped

1 onion finely sliced

1/2tbsp of chopped ginger or paste

1/2tbsp of chopped garlic or paste

1 red pepper thinly sliced

2 spring onions, sliced on an angle.

150grams of good quality tomato ketchup

1tbsp of light soy sauce – add more later for your own taste preference.

Chopped fresh coriander.

METHOD

For the chicken marinade.

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix in very well.

2. Refrigerate for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Remove and spread the chicken on a ovenproof tray.

4. Place in a preheated oven at 180c and cook thoroughly.

Then the sauce.

1. Add a tbsp of cooking oil to a heated wok or large frying pan.

2. Fry first the almonds and stir continuously until light in colour. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

3. Next add the shredded peppers and once again sauté until they go slightly soft, remove and add them to the almonds.

4. Add a bit more oil if you think you need it and then add the red chilli or flakes and the ginger and garlic and fry until garlic starts to colour

5. Add the sliced onion and sauté until onions turn soft.

6. Add the tomato ketchup and a drop of water gradually to loosen the mix.

7. Let it boil and then add the light soy sauce the chopped coriander and spring onions and then the chicken along with the almonds and the peppers.

8. Stir a bit until the chicken gets hot again, taste for seasoning, but it shouldn’t need any by now.

9. Serve on a warm plate with some slightly seasoned boiled white rice.

10. Sprinkle over some sliced spring onions.

And enjoy.