The spotlight is on our favourite storecupboard staple this month – spice and all things nice! If the mere mention of the word makes you sweat, rest assured, not all these seasonings are about turning up the heat. Adding spice is a quick way to layer flavour into a dish, without blowing your SmartPoints¨ Budget and it’s the WW kitchen’s secret weapon. So turn the page to learn how to wield cumin with the same confidence as cinnamon, and let the magic happen
Turmeric & coconut chicken soup
A little spice goes a long way in this soothing dish, which is inspired by the cuisine of southeast Asia.
Turmeric adds vibrant colour and a robust, warming flavour
Serves 4 Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 15 minutes Calories 304 per serving
SmartPoints® per serving
Calorie controlled cooking spray 15g fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 garlic cloves, crushed 480g skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into 2cm chunks 1½ tsp turmeric 400ml tin reduced-fat coconut milk 400ml chicken stock, made using 1 stock cube 150g mangetout, sliced lengthways 1 large red pepper, deseeded and sliced 150g fresh egg noodles Small handful coriander leaves, picked 1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 Lightly mist a large pan or wok with cooking spray and place over a medium-high heat. Fry the ginger and garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, until golden. Stir in the turmeric and cook for another minute.
2 Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then add the mangetout and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
3 Add the egg noodles to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until warmed through. Season to taste. Divide the soup between 4 bowls and garnish with the coriander and chilli to serve.
Did you know?
Used in India for thousands of years as an alternative medicine, turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory properties
Cinnamon swirled banana loaf
The woody, sweet spice of cinnamon is the perfect flavour-boost for banana. Here, it takes a deliciously moist cake up a notch. Anyone for tea?
Serves 12 Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 1 hour Calories 246 per serving
SmartPoints per serving
100ml vegetable oil, plus ½ tsp for greasing 4 bananas (around 400g), mashed 2 eggs 100g golden caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 250g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt
3 tbsp dark brown sugar 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4. Lightly grease and line a 22cm x 10cm loaf t
