Blog

  • Beef Rendang

    Beef Rendang

    Category: Beef

    Area: Malaysian

    Ingredients:

    • 1lb Beef
    • 5 tbs Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 3 Cloves
    • 3 Star Anise
    • 3 Cardamom
    • 1 cup Coconut Cream
    • 1 cup Water
    • 2 tbs Tamarind Paste
    • 6 Lime
    • 1 tbs Sugar
    • 5 Challots

    Instructions:

    Chop the spice paste ingredients and then blend it in a food processor until fine.
    Heat the oil in a stew pot, add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
    Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight.

  • Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

    Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Mexican

    Ingredients:

    • 4 whole Green Pepper
    • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1 small finely diced Onion
    • 2 cloves minced Garlic
    • 1 cups Quinoa
    • 1 can Black Beans
    • 1 cup Sweetcorn
    • 1 can Diced Tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin
    • ½ tsp Chili Powder
    • ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
    • To taste Salt
    • To taste Pepper
    • 1 1/2 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese
    • Chopped Cilantro

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or a similar-sized casserole dish.
    2. Place the bell pepper halves in the prepared baking dish, cut side up. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly softened.
    3. While the bell peppers are baking, prepare the filling. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for another 1 minute, until fragrant.
    4. Stir in the cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until heated through. Remove the skillet from heat, and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese, if using.
    5. Remove the bell peppers from the oven, and carefully stuff each pepper half with the quinoa and black bean mixture. Top the stuffed peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, if using.
    6. Return the stuffed peppers to the oven, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender.
    7. Remove from the oven, and allow the stuffed peppers to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

  • BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes

    BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes

    Category: Pork

    Area: American

    Ingredients:

    • 2 Potatoes
    • 1 Red Onions
    • 2 cloves Garlic
    • 1 Lime
    • 2 Bread
    • 1 lb Pork
    • Barbeque Sauce
    • Hotsauce
    • Tomato Ketchup
    • Sugar
    • Vegetable Oil
    • Salt
    • Pepper

    Instructions:

    1

    Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Cut sweet potatoes into ½-inch-thick wedges. Toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, 20-25 minutes.

    2

    Meanwhile, halve and peel onion. Slice as thinly as possible until you have ¼ cup (½ cup for 4 servings); finely chop remaining onion. Peel and finely chop garlic. Halve lime; squeeze juice into a small bowl. Halve buns. Add 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) to a separate small microwave-safe bowl; microwave until melted, 30 seconds. Brush onto cut sides of buns.

    3

    To bowl with lime juice, add sliced onion, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine; set aside to quick-pickle.

    4

    Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds more. Add pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.

    5

    While pork cooks, in a third small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, pickling liquid from onion, 3 TBSP ketchup (6 TBSP for 4 servings), ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4), and ¼ cup water (⅓ cup for 4). Once pork is cooked through, add BBQ sauce mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened, 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

    6

    Meanwhile, toast buns in oven or toaster oven until golden, 3-5 minutes. Divide toasted buns between plates and fill with as much BBQ pork as you’d like. Top with pickled onion and hot sauce. Serve with sweet potato wedges on the side.

  • Chick-Fil-A Sandwich

    Chick-Fil-A Sandwich

    Category: Chicken

    Area: American

    Ingredients:

    • 1 Chicken Breast
    • 1/4 cup Pickle Juice
    • 1 Egg
    • 1/4 cup Milk
    • 1/2 cup Flour
    • 1 tbs Icing Sugar
    • 1/2 tsp Paprika
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
    • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 1/4 tsp Celery Salt
    • 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 cup Olive Oil
    • 1 Sesame Seed Burger Buns

    Instructions:

    Wrap the chicken loosely between plastic wrap and pound gently with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until about 1/2 inch thick all around.
    Cut into two pieces, as even as possible.
    Marinate in the pickle juice for 30 minutes to one hour (add a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce now for a spicy sandwich).
    Beat the egg with the milk in a bowl.
    Combine the flour, sugar, and spices in another bowl.
    Dip the chicken pieces each into the egg on both sides, then coat in flour on both sides.
    Heat the oil in a skillet (1/2 inch deep) to about 345-350.
    Fry each cutlet for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.
    Blot on paper and serve on toasted buns with pickle slices.

  • Mince Pies

    Mince Pies

    Category: Dessert

    Area: British

    Ingredients:

    • 225g Butter
    • 350g Plain Flour
    • 100g Caster Sugar
    • 280g Mincemeat
    • 1 small Egg
    • Topping Icing Sugar

    Instructions:

    To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt.

    Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.

    Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole.

    Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies.

    Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies.

    Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month).

    Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack.

    To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar.

  • Beef Asado

    Beef Asado

    Category: Beef

    Area: Filipino

    Ingredients:

    • 1.5kg Beef
    • 1 Beef Stock Concentrate
    • 8 ounces Tomato Puree
    • 3 cups Water
    • 6 tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 1 tbs White Wine Vinegar
    • 2 tbs Pepper
    • 4 Bay Leaf
    • 1/2 Lemon
    • 2 tbs Tomato Sauce
    • 3 tbs Butter
    • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
    • 1 chopped Onion
    • 4 cloves Garlic

    Instructions:

    0. Combine beef, crushed peppercorn, soy sauce, vinegar, dried bay leaves, lemon, and tomato sauce. Mix well. Marinate beef for at least 30 minutes.
    1. Put the marinated beef in a cooking pot along with remaining marinade. Add water. Let boil.
    2. Add Knorr Beef Cube. Stir. Cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes in low heat.
    3. Turn the beef over. Add tomato paste. Continue cooking until beef tenderizes. Set aside.
    4. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the potato until it browns. Turn over and continue frying the opposite side. Remove from the pan and place on a clean plate. Do the same with the carrots.
    5. Save 3 tablespoons of cooking oil from the pan where the potato was fried. Saute onion and garlic until onion softens.
    6. Pour-in the sauce from the beef stew. Let boil. Add the beef. Cook for 2 minutes.
    7. Add butter and let it melt. Continue cooking until the sauce reduces to half.

  • Chilli prawn linguine

    Chilli prawn linguine

    Category: Pasta

    Area: Italian

    Ingredients:

    • 280g Linguine Pasta
    • 200g Sugar Snap Peas
    • 2 tblsp Olive Oil
    • 2 cloves chopped Garlic Clove
    • 1 large Red Chilli
    • 24 Skinned King Prawns
    • 12 Cherry Tomatoes
    • Handful Basil Leaves
    • Leaves Lettuce
    • to serve Bread
    • 2 tbsp Fromage Frais
    • Grated Zest of 2 Lime
    • 2 tsp Caster Sugar

    Instructions:

    Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

    Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Add the sugar snap peas for the last minute or so of cooking time.

    Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, toss in the garlic and chilli and cook over a fairly gentle heat for about 30 seconds without letting the garlic brown. Tip in the prawns and cook over a high heat, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until they turn pink.

    Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes until they just start to soften. Drain the pasta and sugar snaps well, then toss into the prawn mixture. Tear in the basil leaves, stir, and season with salt and pepper.

    Serve with salad leaves drizzled with the lime dressing, and warm crusty bread.

  • Kafteji

    Kafteji

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Tunisian

    Ingredients:

    • 5 Large Potatoes
    • 2 tbs Olive Oil
    • 1 Green Pepper
    • 5 Onions
    • 1 tbs Ras el hanout
    • 500g Pumpkin
    • 24 Skinned Eggs
    • Pinch Salt
    • Pinch Pepper

    Instructions:

    Peel potatoes and cut into 5cm cubes.
    Pour 1-2 cm of olive oil into a large pan and heat up very hot. Fry potatoes until golden brown for 20 minutes, turning from time to time. Place on kitchen paper to drain.
    Cut the peppers in half and remove seeds. Rub a little olive oil on them and place the cut side down on a baking tray. Place them under the grill. Grill until the skin is dark and bubbly. While the peppers are still hot, put them into a plastic sandwich bag and seal it. Take them out after 15 minutes and remove skins.
    In the meantime, heat more olive oil another pan. Peel the onions and cut into thin rings. Fry for 15 minutes until golden brown, turning them often. Add the Ras el hanout at the end.
    Cut the pumpkin into 5cm cubes and fry in the same pan you used for the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until it is soft and slightly browned. Place on kitchen paper.
    Pour the remaining olive oil out of the pan and put all the cooked vegetables into the pan and mix. Whisk eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Put the lid on the pan so that the eggs cook. Put the contents of the pan onto a large chopping board, add salt and pepper and chopped and mix everything with a big knife.

  • Egyptian Fatteh

    Egyptian Fatteh

    Category: Beef

    Area: Egyptian

    Ingredients:

    • 1lb Beef
    • 1 Onion
    • 1 Chicken Stock Cube
    • 2 Tomatoes
    • 4 Garlic Clove
    • 1 tbs Tomato Puree
    • 2 cups Rice
    • 1/4 cup Noodles
    • 1/4 cup Butter
    • 2 cups Olive Oil
    • 1 Pita Bread
    • 1 tbs Cumin
    • 3 tbs White Wine Vinegar
    • To taste Salt
    • To taste Pepper

    Instructions:

    To prepare bread for bottom of dish: Take pita bread and rip into bite size pieces. In a frying pan, add about a 1/4 stick of butter, add bread pieces and fry until golden brown and crisp. Put these pieces in a glass baking dish, preferably a square sized dish. Set aside.
    Then add to same pan, a little more butter, salt, approximately 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, and a teaspoon or so of cumin stir around a bit until you can smell aroma, then add fried bread pieces to this mixture, stir to coat bread and put back into glass baking dish. Set aside.
    To prepare meat: put some butter in a pot, stir fry meat until brown, add 1 onion quartered, salt & pepper, 1 cube of chicken bouillon and water to cover meat. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and cook until tender, approximately 2 hours. After meat has cooled, take out chunks of meat and put in a bowl, set aside. Reserve soup from the meat separately.
    To prepare the rice: Put some butter into a pot, add shareya (fideo noodles) like a handful or so, keep stirring until golden brown, not too dark, but very golden. Then add two cups of rice, stir a little bit until some of the rice turns an opaque white. Add 2-1/4 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer, cook until tender. Test the rice tenderness after about 35 minutes.
    Now take some of the soup from meat and add to the top of the bread pieces in baking dish to saturate.Add cooked rice on top of bread pieces. Slowly spoon remainder of soup onto rice, looking at glass dish sides to see level of soup, should reach just to top of rice, don’t worry, this doesn’t have to be exact. Now you’re ready to make the sauce and fry the meat to put on top.
    To prepare red sauce: In a pan, add a little oil or butter, crushed tomato, a half teaspoon of tomato paste, salt & pepper, 2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic and cumin. Add also approximately 3 tablespoons of vinegar, stir this until you smell aroma and it is a bit smooth. It should be a bit thick, not watery, but if too thick you can add a bit of water. Spread with a wooden spoon atop the rice to cover.
    To fry meat: In a pan add a bit of butter or oil, the meat, just a touch of tomato paste, about a tablespoon of fresh crushed garlic, salt & pepper, a teaspoon of cumin. Cook until meat is golden fried.
    Spoon this atop the rice and serve. Enjoy!

  • Shakshuka

    Shakshuka

    Category: Vegetarian

    Area: Egyptian

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tbs Olive Oil
    • 2 chopped Red Onions
    • 1 finely chopped Red Chilli
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • Chopped Coriander
    • 800g Cherry Tomatoes
    • 1 tbs Caster Sugar
    • 4 Eggs
    • Spinkling Feta

    Instructions:

    Heat the oil in a frying pan that has a lid, then soften the onions, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks for 5 mins until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, then bubble for 8-10 mins until thick. Can be frozen for 1 month.

    Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with crusty bread.