Pataks and Blue Dragon Products Review

I was recently sent some delicious Pataks Curry Pastes and Blue Dragon products to review.  I must confess I do use these sauces occasionally when I can't be bothered cooking from scratch and they are a great quick fix dinner solution.

I love the Pataks curry pastes as you can adjust the flavour of your curry by adding coconut milk or cream to make the dish milder for those who don't like too much spice or heat.  The curry sauces are SO versatile! You can use them with vegetables, chicken, beef, lamb or even fish.  There is a recipe on each jar, but for more delicious meal ideas you can check out the recipe section of the Pataks website.

I also use Blue Dragon sauces for a quick weeknight stir fry or asian inspired meal when time, and energy and tempers are short.  There is a fab recipe section on the Blue Dragon website as well as a brilliant Cooks Guide that's full of information to help you prepare superb Oriental cuisine, suggestions for using seasonal produce and useful tips. It even has a product focus section which explains what things are and how to use them.

I totally recommend both Pataks and Blue Dragon products as they are one of my standby meal ingredients when I really need a quick fix dinner or am totally lacking culinary inspiration. 

Here's my favourite Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry recipe from the Pataks website:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

500g boiled or canned chickpeas

150g onion, chopped

200g canned chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp Patak's Tikka Masala Paste

1 tbsp Patak's Madras Curry Paste

½ tsp sugar

200ml water

1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until light golden brown (about 3 - 4 minutes).

Add the Patak's Tikka Masala and Patak's Madras Pastes and sauté for a further one minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 1 minute.

Add the cooked chick peas, sugar and water and mix well. Transfer to your slow cooker and cook on high for 1½ - 2 hours.

Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with warm Chapattis.




Here's one of my favourite Blue Dragon recipes from their website:

 Squash and Sweet Chilli Pasta

1 squash, peeled and deseeded

A few spigs thyme, freshif possible

Splash of white wine

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

500g penne pasta, cooked according to pack instructions

12 rashers streaky bacon or pancetta, chopped into small pieces

2 large handfuls spinach leaves, washed and prepared

1 block feta cheese, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 tbsp Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce (or to taste)

Peel and deseed the squash and cut into small bite sized cubes. Place in a baking tin with 3 tbsp olive oil, a splash of white wine and salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the thyme and roast for 30-45 mins at 200'c/400'F or until soft and caramelised.

Meanwhile, boil the penne pasta in salted water until al dente. Set aside.

In a frying pan, add the chopped pieces of pancetta or streaky bacon and fry until crisp.

When cooked add the pasta to the frying pan with the bacon, along with the squash, spinach, feta and sweet chilli dipping sauce. Cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and spinach starts to wilt then serve.

1 comment Dinners, Lunches, Pasta, Review, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian