This sauce makes a brilliant base in which to cook or heat vegetables, white fish, tofu, pre-cooked lamb, or cooked chickpeas. It also freezes well for future fast dinners. I have also posted my “Aromatic ginger, tomato & coconut chicken” recipe where I use this lovely sauce to cook chicken fillet and spinach.
For enough sauce for 2 people Remember to check out my “larder & shopping” section for unusual ingredients
25g creamed coconut cut up roughly OR ½ cup of thick full-fat tinned coconut milk
3-4cm approx of fresh ginger root (enough to give 1 rounded dsp ginger when finely grated)
500g (500ml) bottle of passata (sieved tomatoes – from all supermarkets)
2 green chillies or ¼ teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 large handful fresh coriander if you have it
2 large garlic cloves
Version 1 (made with food processor or liquidiser)
1. Peel the garlic, de-seed the chillies (or if you like more heat leave them in), chop the ginger and coriander roughly and throw the lot into a small food processor. A food processor is preferable to jug liquidiser as if gets the ingredients ground up more quickly.
2. Add enough of the passata to get everything going and blitz until smooth.
3. Pour into a saucepan, add the rest of the passata and the creamed coconut or coconut milk and simmer for five minutes until the creamed coconut is melted and the sauce has slightly darkened. The sauce is now ready for use. Or cool and store in the fridge for a day or two until needed, or in the freezer.
Version 2 (without kitchen gadgets)
1. De-seed and chop the chillies, crush or finely chop the garlic, chop up the creamed coconut and the coriander roughly, finely grate the ginger.
2. Put all of this, with the passata, into a saucepan
3. Simmer for 5 minutes until the coconut is melted and the sauce has darkened a little. The sauce is now ready for use. Or cool and store in the fridge for a day or two until needed, or in the freezer.
Add green vegetables of your choice and cubes of raw chicken or fish, or cooked lamb or beef and simmer till everything is cooked. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Chicken pieces and baby spinach (see recipe)
Stir the following into the sauce and bubble, covered, until the veg are cooked but still crunchy, and the meat is heated through:
150 cooked, cubed lamb, 1 x 454g tin or mug of cooked, drained chickpeas, and 4 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 x 450g tins or mugs of cooked, drained chickpeas plus 4 cups green beans cut into 4cm lengths
4 cups broccoli florets or 5cm lengths of runner beans and 300g bite-size cubes of firm white fish such as monkfish, lemon sole or coley
If you are not wanting to lose weight, and are not following a ketogenic or paleo diet, you could also enjoy some brown rice on the side.
Why this recipe is good for you: Processed tomatoes with no additives are a rich source of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects your skin from the damaging effects UV rays – like an edible sunblock! Your body absorbs lycopene better from pureed tomatoes than from whole tomatoes. Ginger, tomatoes, turmeric and chillies all have anti-inflammatory properties that are helpful for a healthy digestive system and good, clear skin. Non organic rice can be heavily contaminated with arsenic but fresh coriander bind to this and other toxic metals in your intestines, helping them be eliminated from your body. Spices like ginger and garlic help boost liver function, also to eliminate both natural and man-made toxins. Yet more reasons why herbs and spices are fantastic for you. Using passata packaged in glass jars or bottles means less exposure to toxic bisphenol A (BPA) , which is present in the plastic linings of cartons and tins. Scientific studies link BPA to hormonal imbalances such as low libido, endometriosis, fibroids, and hormone breast and prostate cancer) as well as osteoporosis. Limiting your exposure is good news.
Use this dressing for salads, or to drizzle over steamed vegetables to liven them up. Its also great for knocking a cold or flu on the head. If you have some left over, store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge to avoid its delicate health-giving oils from being damaged. Keeps for a week in the fridge. Tamari is a naturally gluten-free soya sauce found in Asian shops and health stores, which also stock healthy cold-pressed (or “virgin”) nut and seed oils.
Basic dressing:
4 tbs extra virgin sesame, rape or sunflower oil
1 tbs (2 dsp) apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp tamari sauce (for SC diet substitute generous pinch Himalayan/sea salt)
1 dsp peeled, finely grated fresh root ginger
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper to taste Optional extras (health + flavour boosters):
I finely chopped red chilli
½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander
1 dessertspoon sesame seeds
1. Place the basic dressing ingredients in a screw top jar.
2. Add an optional extra if using, shake well and drizzle over salad, a grilled chicken/fish fillet or steamed veg.
Why this recipe is good for you: Extra virgin (cold-pressed) raw sesame, rape and sunflower oils are a great source of unrefined omega 6 fatty acids. These delicate and easily-damaged oils are essential for digestive health, skin and hormone balance as well as energy, weight management and immunity. Damaging, toxic, “-trans fats” are created when omega 6 oils are extracted from seeds/nuts at high temperature, when they are heat-treated for longer shelf life, or when they are fried. All non virgin (non cold-pressed) nut and seed oils contain toxic trans fats and belong in the bin. Beneficial omega 6 oils are found in (raw, unsalted) hazelnuts, peanuts, sunflower and ground sesame seeds. Ginger, garlic, Chinese 5 spice and chillies are high in antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting effects. Keep your precious omega 6 oils airtight in the fridge, otherwise they’ll go rancid quickly. GOOD FOOD GOES OFF! Other healthy oils include extra virgin olive, coconut, avocado which are all monounsaturated oils. This means they are not so easily damaged and so you can heat/cook them.
This is a dressing I eat almost every single day to make my raw lunchtime salads delicious. Vary the herb and spice flavours according to your mood. It lasts in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. If you use balsamic vinegar, the dressing will look a rich dark brown in the jar. Pure balsamic from wholefood outlets tends to be free from caramel and other toxic colourings or E numbers often found in discount supermarket brands.
For the basic dressing:
A screw top jar, about 450ml (a standard honey jar is this size)
Extra virgin olive oil
Pure no-added-sugar balsamic or apple cider vinegar (ideally organic)
Heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard (helps dressing mix well and is anti-inflammatory)
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
A pinch of Himalayan or Atlantic sea salt
Heaped tsp ground sumac or paprika
Optional extras for a health/flavour boost (choose one or two):
1 tsp sun dried tomato paste or black olive tapenade
Heaped tsp dried oregano, tarragon, basil or herbes de Provence
Teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Fill the jar 1/4 full with the vinegar, add the mustard and garlic, about 10 grinds of black pepper, and one of the optional extras.
Fill to near the top with the extra virgin olive oil, put the lid on and shake well.
Why this recipe is good for you: Herbs and spices are powerhouses for health. Weight for weight they contain many hundreds of times more antioxidants than fruit and vegetables. They are powerful modulators of gut bacteria, inflammation and enhance your immune system. Allergies, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and arthritis are all inflammatory conditions where your immune system loses control of itself. Even bone loss is affected by your antioxidant levels and your gut bacteria. Always keep dried herbs and spices in an airtight glass jar somewhere dark and ideally not right next to heat. Heat, oxygen and light degrade the powerful health benefits of herbs and spices. Eating a wide range of herbs and spices every week is a fantastic hack for getting and staying well.
Raw, cold-pressed (ie extra virgin) olive oil has high vitamin E to reduce inflammation. Vitamin E helps recycle (prolong) the effects of vitamin C in your body to lower inflammation, enhance immunity and optimise normal healing and repair.
This is a traditional southern French garlic mayonnaise at its best. Always makes me think of holidays. The other day I ate a generous dollop on some poached salmon with a large salad with nasturtium flowers from the garden. Aioli is fantastic with poached or baked fish, cold meat, or hard-boiled eggs in a salad. If you like a more neutral-tasting mayo, you can use equal parts olive and a second cold-pressed (extra virgin) neutral-tasting oil such as sunflower or rapeseed. Do not use refined (non-cold-pressed) seed/nut oils as they are damaging to health. Aioli will keep for about 5 days in a glass jar in the coldest part of the fridge. The garlic helps preserve the raw eggs. It’s quicker to make aioli using an electric whisk than with the pestle and mortar. But don’t try to make it in a blender because it never thickens up for me using one!
For 4 servings:
3 cloves garlic
1 organic egg yolk, at room temperature (this helps the mixture not to “split” or separate)
150ml (approx) extra virgin olive oil (or half olive oil half raw cold-pressed sunflower or rape oil), also at room temperature
A pinch of Atlantic sea salt or Himalayan salt (optional)
You will need:
A pestle and mortar and/or an electric whisk
Pestle and mortar method:
Peel the garlic, slice into slivers, and pound to a paste with a pinch of salt, add the egg yolk, and mix in. Pounding the garlic gives a different (and in my opinion, subtler) flavour from just crushing it with a garlic crusher.
You can now either continue making the aioli with the pestle and mortar or (for less work) transfer the garlic/yolk mix to a bowl and get out your electric hand whisk before starting to add the oil as follows:
Beat in the oil, at first drop by drop, and then, as the mix begins to thicken and resemble mayonnaise, add more liberally but never in a heavy stream. It is ready when it looks thick and creamy. See below for instructions on what to do if it goes wrong.
Electric whisk method:
1. Crush the garlic (with a garlic crusher if you have one, otherwise crush with the back of a knife, using a pinch of salt to really grind up the garlic). Add to a bowl.
2. Add the egg yolk and whisk with an electric whisk for a minute.
3. Beat in the oil, at first drop by drop, and then, as the mix begins to thicken and resemble mayonnaise, add more liberally but never in a heavy stream. If you add it too quickly the mixture will split and never thicken. It is ready when it looks thick and creamy.
To rescue “split” aioli:
Get a fresh (room temperature) egg yolk and start beating it. While beating, VERY gradually and a drop at a time, start adding in the “split” mixture as if it were just oil. Very gradually incorporate the split mixture into the egg yolk, beating continuously, until you have a thick, creamy aioli.
Variations:
Add the zest of an organic lemon and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice to room-temperature aioli (if it’s not at room temperature, adding the lemon juice will make it split). Mix well. You could also add 2 tbsp chopped parsley too.
Why this is good for you: Cold-pressed raw oils are fantastic for your health! The raw oils from sunflower, rape, and sesame are rich in polyunsaturated omega 6 oils, while extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated oils and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Omega 6 is fine in small amounts whereas you can enjoy unlimited extra virgin olive oil. These oils can help weight management, enhance skin health and also moisturize your skin from within. You will need to keep raw cold-pressed nut/seed oils in the fridge as they are fragile and easily go off, losing their health benefits. Refined or fried oils (all supermarket oils except extra virgin olive and cold-pressed rapeseed oil and extra virgin coconut oil) disrupt hormone balance and contribute to weight gain and visible aging. Studies have shown people lose weight when they ADD extra virgin olive oil (and raw nuts) to their diets! High-quality oils make you feel fuller longer. Never cook with polyunsaturated oils, only use them raw and cold-pressed.
We ate this last weekend after arriving back from a few days away, desperate to get away from bland food. This is a beautiful, aromatic cook-in sauce for vegetables, white fish or lean meat. People always ask for the recipe when I serve it up. It is equally nice with fish, chickpeas, or chicken. You could also use it to reheat leftover cooked lamb or beef or as a cook-in sauce for peeled prawns. It stores well in the freezer so you could make a large batch, freeze in individual portions, and thaw as needed. this amount of sauce is enough for 4 people, or 2 with leftover sauce to put in the freezer.
3 medium onions
3cm piece fresh ginger
2 large fat cloves garlic (optional)
1 tbsp virgin coconut oil (or olive oil if you can’t get coconut)
1 rounded tsp ground coriander
1 level tsp ground cardamom
1/2 level tsp ground cloves
1 level tsp ground cinnamon
1 rounded tsp turmeric
1/3–½ level tsp chilli powder (optional – avoid if you don’t like heat!)
1 x 65ml tin coconut milk (or 60g creamed coconut + 300ml/1¼ cups boiling water)
300ml/1¼ cups passata (sieved tomatoes) or 1 tin tomatoes, liquidized
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Pepper
A food processor/liquidiser
1. Finely dice the onion, grate the ginger and crush the garlic. Place in a saucepan with the coconut oil or olive oil and 1 tbsp water and sweat them with the lid on over a low heat until the onion begins to soften/go translucent.
2. Add the spices and sweat for a few more minutes.
3. If using creamed coconut, dissolve it in the boiling water and place it in a food processor. If using coconut milk place in the processor with around 200ml water. Add two-thirds of the onion mixture and process until smooth.
4. Put the processed mixture back into the pan and add the passata and fresh coriander. Simmer for 5 mins, then season to taste with pepper.
5. Freeze in containers ready for future use or use for cooking any of the ideas below.
6. Serve with brown rice.
Cook-in ideas (just heat sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent burning, add your ingredients to be cooked, then cover with a lid):
Fish & veg: Allow 100-120g white fish (skinned and cut into 2.5cm cubes) and 2 cups of broccoli florets or thawed/fresh peas per person. If using broccoli, cook it in the sauce until almost done, then add the fish, which only takes a few minutes. If using peas, you can add the fish and peas at the same time.
Chicken & veg: Allow 100g chicken fillet (cut in 1cm slices or 2cm cubes) plus 2 cups sliced runner beans or broccoli florets per person. Heat the sauce, add everything else, cover with a lid and cook till done, stirring occasionally (around 10 minutes).
Chickpeas & veg: Allow 1 cup of cooked drained chickpeas plus 2 cups green veg (eg. broccoli florets or green beans) per person. Throw the whole lot into the simmering sauce, cover with a lid and cook for around 8 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not overcooked.
Why this is good for you: Research shows that all spices have anti-aging, antioxidant, health-boosting properties. Onions and garlic are great sources of soluble fibre, which feeds the helpful gut bacteria needed for proper digestion, mental clarity, and clear skin. Soluble fibre also binds to natural and man-made toxins (such as chemicals, used-up hormones, and medications) in your digestive system, ensuring that they exit the body quickly and as safely as possible.
