Chicken Pasta Bake and Tom Yum Soup

It is getting so cold and windy!  As you may know, I come from a hot country without the usual four seasons, so when the winter turns cold, I like to cook spicy Asian food to keep me warm!  My husband and the children are not used to eating very spicy food so sometimes I end up cooking two to three different meals to suit the whole family!

I always love Thai food as they can be very spicy! They are best to eat after coming back home from the cold and harsh weather as they give you a fantastic endorphins rush! I choose to cook Thai Tom Yum Soup.

It is fairly easy to cook. It is based on seafood. I personally like to put prawns, fish cake and mushrooms in my soup. The ingredients are up to your choice as some people like to put squid, oyster or mussels too. Of course, don’t forget you need fresh lemon grass stalks, fish sauce, lime, lime leaves, ginger, chopped chilli and sugar. You can buy fresh prepack Thai Tom Yum Soup ingredients via big supermarkets. I added carrots as I like my soup a little sweeter. Also, I like my soup a bit more on the spicy side so I added chilli oil too.

Next is the Chicken Pasta Bake.  I don’t keep all the regular herbs and spices so I cheated by using a ready mixed seasoning pack from Schwartz 2in1 Mediterranean Chicken Pasta + Cheesy Crumb Topping!

You need:

• Pasta
• Chicken breasts
• Oil
• Chopped tomatoes
• Cheese
• A packet of Chicken Pasta Bake seasoning

Firstly, cooked your pasta and set it aside. Next, add oil in the wok and cook your chicken until it is cooked. Add chopped tomatoes followed by the seasoning mix and stir well with the pasta. Place them in the baking tray and add the crumble and cheese. Put it in the grill for 5 – 7 minutes.

I cooked both dishes under 1 hour. They are very simple to cook too!  My tip to cook tender chicken is to give it light coating with cornflour before you cook it. Your chicken will be very tender and smooth.

So what will you be cooking this winter? Do you have a favourite winter warming recipe to share with me? Or do you like my choices?