curry

Malaysian Beef Curry

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 2 Comments

On 3rd April 2016, This was Dinner…

When slow cooking, shin beef turns into the most delicious, melt in the mouth bit of meat you could ever have. Pop it in a mouth buzzing curry and enjoy.

I’m not sure if it is proved but I believe that freezing chillies takes away some of the heat, so with that in mind I used one ghost chilli, two scotch bonnets and two yellow chillies for this. You can use less (or more if that is your thing), we like our stuff hot and this was H.O.T. Oh and I don’t deseed either – ever.

Get set…

  • Trim some shin beef and cut into chunks (don’t be afraid to leave some fat on)
  • Finely chop an onion
  • Peel & roughly chop some ginger
  • Peel a few garlic cloves
  • Roughly chop your chillies
  • Deseed and slice a pepper
  • Prepare about 250ml of beef stock
  • Toast some desiccated coconut
  • Pick a few coriander leaves
  • Get curry powder, cardamom pods, 2 star anise, turmeric, light coconut milk, oil & seasoning ready

Throw it together…

Heat some oil and cook the onion until softened, let it cool a little.

Pop the onion in a processor with the ginger, garlic, chillies and turmeric and whizz up.

Heat some oil and brown the meat in batches then set to one side.

Add the paste to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Pop the curry powder in along with the cardamom pods and star anise. Stir then add the beef stock and stir well. Pop the beef back in the pan along with any juices.

Ad half of the coconut milk and simmer then turn low, pop the lid on and cook for two hours. Check it occasionally and if it looks like it is drying out, add water.

After the two hours, remove the lid and add the remaining coconut milk along with the pepper. Stir well and cook for another half hour.

Dish it up…

Serve garnished with the desiccated coconut and some coriander along with a side of jasmine rice.

TWD_Beef_Curry.jpg

This was another old scrap from a Morrison’s magazine.

Cod & Spinach Yellow Curry

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 3 Comments

On 26th March 2016, This was Dinner…

There is something satisfying about a fish curry in my opinion. I think this might be a version of Meen Molee, a dish I found many moons ago and got me into making my own curry sauce rather than buying a packet/jar. This recipe is so quick too.

Get set…

  • Skin a cod fillet & cut into chunks
  • Finely slice an onion
  • Finely peel & chop a couple of garlic cloves
  • Peel & grate a piece of ginger
  • Get a can of coconut milk, spinach, garam masala, turmeric, smoked paprika, groundnut oil & seasoning ready

Throw it together…

Mix half of the spices together with the seasoning and coat the fish. Set to one side.

Heat some oil in a pan with a lid and gently cook the onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Add the remaining spices and cook for a minute, stirring well.

Add the coconut milk and stir well, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the fish and pop the lid on and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it has wilted and the cod is cooked through. Add some seasoning if required.

Dish it up…

Serve with rice and naans.

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Surprise, surprise it is a BBC Good Food recipe and here it is.

Balti Chicken

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 4 Comments

On 23rd January 2016, This was Dinner…

We had a quick lunch in town today and then came home and took Walter for a walk. We picked up a couple of beers on the way back and then made this. Far better for you than a takeaway.

I bought some cashews for this and thought I had hidden them well but it turns out Mr S had “stumbled upon them” and they were no more. I stuck flaked almonds in instead.

To cook, it couldn’t be simpler.

Get set…

  • Thickly slice an onion
  • Finely slice a chilli
  • Prepare some chicken stock
  • Roughly chop some coriander
  • Get chicken breasts, balti paste, chopped tomatoes (tin), rice, flaked almonds, oil & seasoning ready

Throw it together…

Heat some oil in a pan. Brown the onion them remove and pop to one side.

Brown the chicken on each side then add back the onions. Pop the chilli in along with the balti paste and the rice. Stir everything well for a minute or so.

Add the tomatoes and the stock, bring to boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if required.

Check for seasoning and that the chicken is cooked through then add the flaked almonds.

Dish it up…

Serve with a sprinkle of coriander and a cold beer.

TWD_Balti.jpg

A balti is a ‘type of curry served in a thin, pressed steel wok called a balti bowl’ (source: Wikipedia), the balti in this instance refers to the paste I used (and the online recipe from BBC Good Food that I adapted and can be found here.)

Braised Coconut & Chilli Beef

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 4 Comments

On 9th January 2016, This was Dinner…

Out with the old in January, I thought it was time to use up all the odds and ends in the freezer and pantry. This recipe stemmed from having a can of coconut milk, plenty of chillies and a piece of ginger. It was £3.05 f0r 2 glorious pieces of shin beef.

Preparing:

  • Finely chop an onion
  • Peel & bash 3 garlic cloves
  • Finely chop a ghost chilli (be careful!)
  • Peel & grate a piece of ginger
  • Cut some charlotte potatoes into pieces
  • Get ground mace, madras curry powder, sumac, shin beef, coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, dried thyme, oil & seasoning

Making:

Mix the curry powder with the sumac and mace. Season the beef and add to the spices, mixing well.

Heat some oil in a pan and brown the beef (in batches if needed).

Pop in a casserole dish then add a little more oil to the heated pan and cook the onion and chilli for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and any leftover spices, stir for a minute then add everything to the beef.

Pour in the tomatoes and the coconut milk along with a little of the thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer then partially cover and cook for a couple of hours. You might need to add some water from time to time.

After two hours, check the seasoning and add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

TWD_SpicyBeefTWD_SpicyBeef2

I made mine with a couple of changes, a little spicier too. The original can be found here.

Curried Pulled Lamb

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 4 Comments

On 21st September 2015, This was Dinner…

The picture really does not do this meal justice. The curry sauce was mighty fine and the lamb just melted in your mouth. I started this on Saturday, precooked it on Sunday and finished it off (both in terms of cooking and eating) on Monday so elegant and perfect photos were the last thing on my mind.

Saturday Preparations:

  • Peel 6 garlic cloves
  • Peel and roughly chop a thumb sized piece of ginger
  • Roughly chop a green chilli
  • Lightly score a shoulder of lamb (mine was 1.5kg)
  • Get turmeric, chilli powder, ground cumin & ground coriander

Whizz up the garlic, ginger, green chilli and the spices in a processor along with a splash of water and a pinch of salt. Rub a third of this paste all over the lamb then cover and pop in the fridge overnight. Pop the remaining paste in the fridge too.

Sunday Preparations:

  • Preheat the oven to 140ºc (fan)
  • Slice a couple of onions
  • Chop a couple of large tomatoes
  • Get the lamb and curry paste ready
  • Get natural yoghurt, a few cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick, a couple of bay leaves, muscovado sugar, malt vinegar, oil & seasoning ready

Heat the oil in a casserole/oven proof pan and add the onions, cardomom cinnamon and bay. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and golden. Sprinkle with the sugar then add in the vinegar and stir for another minute. Add the remaining curry paste and cook for a minute more.

Add in the tomatoes and then add some water and the natural yoghurt. Season. Pop the lamb in the dish and spoon over some of the sauce. Cover and stick in the oven for about 3 hours.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, carefully separate the lamb from the sauce (it will be very tender). Cover the lamb and pop in the fridge again. Transfer the sauce to another container and pop in the fridge.

Preparing:

  • Preheat the lamb to 180ºc (fan)
  • Get the lamb, sauce, oil & seasoning ready

Making:

Brush the lamb with oil and cook in the oven for around 30 minutes.

Pour the sauce into a processor and whizz until smooth. Pop in a pan and heat through.

I just served mine with flatbreads I made using a shop bought bread mix and natural yoghurt.

TWD_2109_Pulled_LambThat’s a cumin polenta crusted roasted carrot in the bottom left of the picture which I then chopped up and added to the rolled flatbread.

The recipe came from BBC Good Food September but is now on their website. They do have some great accompaniments to go with it too but there was only the 2 of us so it seemed a bit much.

Vietnamese Chicken & Squash Curry

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On 24th July 2015, This was Dinner…

It’s so easy to buy a curry off the shelf, there are plenty of tasty ones but it’s oh so easy to whip up a curry like this too. I was lucky that Mr S did all of the prep.

Preparing:

  • Peel & finely slice a couple of lemongrass stalks
  • Finely chop some garlic cloves
  • Finely chop a couple of shallots
  • Deseed & peel a butternut squash, cut into cubes
  • Halve some baby new potatoes
  • Slice a green chilli
  • Cut some chicken thighs into pieces
  • Prep some chicken stock
  • Get curry powder, turmeric, coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce & seasoning ready

Making:

Whizz up the garlic and lemongrass in a processor.

Heat a large pan and add the oil. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic and lemongrass mixture and stir for a minute or two. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir well. Pour in the stock.

Bring to the boil then add the potatoes and squash. Season, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, sugar and the fish sauce then cook for another 5-10 minutes ensuring the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.

Garnish with the green chilli.

TWD_2407_Chick_SquashThe recipe can be found in the July edition of BBC Good Food.

Sri Lankan Salmon Curry

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On 11th June 2015, This was Dinner…

Tonight I had to say goodbye to my dualit mini-blender which went kaput as I was trying to whizz up a paste. I’ve had it for years. It was a Christmas present from Mr S, and before you say anything, yes I was pleased. I’d have kitchen based Christmas presents over other stuff any time.

So now I am mini blenderless and I had to revert to the pestle and mortar, which is how the paste is made in the original Delicious Magazine recipe.

Preparing:

  • Finely chop a couple of green chillies
  • Finely chop a couple of garlic cloves
  • Finely chop some ginger
  • Chop a red onion
  • Cut some broccoli into small florets
  • Chops some salmon into bite sized pieces
  • Get a tin of chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, mild curry powder, oil & seasoning ready

Making:

Bash up the chillies, garlic cloves, ginger, curry powder, oil and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar to form a paste.

Heat some oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook until softened.

Add the paste a cook, stirring well, for a couple of minutes.

Add the tin of tomatoes and half a tin of water. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for five minutes.

Add the coconut milk (you won’t need a full tin) and broccoli and cook for another ten minutes with the lid on.

Add the pieces of salmon and put the lid back on. Cook for around five minutes until the salmon is cooked through.

Serve with rice.

TWD_1106_Salmon_CurryWe were supposed to have Indian Scrambled Eggs for dinner on Friday night. Not much of a Friday night dinner – I know. We had fish butties instead.

Chorizo & Cabbage Stew

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 2 Comments

On 11th & 12th May, This was Dinner…

There has to be an obligatory chorizo dish every so often and it’s even better when paired with cabbage! I’m definitely a fan of the veggies that [most] kids and lots of adults would ‘Urgh’ at!

Preparing:

  • Cut up a chorizo
  • Thinly slice an onion
  • Slice some Charlotte potatoes
  • Shred some Savoy cabbage
  • Get a tin of chopped tomatoes, a chicken stock ‘cube’, oil & seasoning ready

Making:

Fry the chorizo in a pan until it starts to release it’s oil, remove from the pan.

Add the onion with a little oil if required and fry until starting to soften. Add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Pour in the tin of tomatoes with another tin of water and throw in the stock cube and the chorizo. Season, stir well, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potato is almost done.

Add the cabbage and pop the lid back on and cook for another five minutes.

TWD_1105_Chorizo_CabbageFind the original here.

On Tuesday Mr S made a deliciously creamy chicken korma. I’ve never used the creamed coconut before, it’s a lot richer than a tin of coconut milk, that’s for certain. Mr S marinated the thighs in something first but neither of us can remember what.

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Katsu Inspired Jalfrezi

~ What Lisa Cooked ~ 4 Comments

On 11th & 12th March 2015, This was Dinner…

Today was our 5th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary to the wonderful Mr S, we bought ourselves some movies and, as five years is wood and he is happy to indulge in my owl addiction, we bought these lovely Sass & Belle Owl Coasters (from Debenhams though, their online pic is rubbish).

I went to work in the morning and we were meeting up to eat out in Doncaster. By the time I got there it was miserable and rainy (nothing like the bright and warm day we had five years ago). We’d had a cheap meal out the day before and we couldn’t think where we wanted to go so after a couple of pints we decided to go home and make our own curry. The weather was that crap I couldn’t even be bothered to go for a cocktail!

Preparing:

  • Chop an onion
  • Chop some mushrooms
  • Slice a chilli
  • Finely chop a garlic clove
  • Bash up some cornflakes
  • Cut some chicken thighs into bite sized pieces
  • Whisk an egg
  • Trim some green beans
  • Get a jalfrezi sauce, oil, plain flour & seasoning ready

Making:

Season the flour. Coat the chicken pieces in the flour, dip in the egg then roll in the cornflakes to coat.

Heat some oil in a pan then cook on either side for a few minutes then remove from the pan.

Add a little more oil if required then cook the onion until softened then add the garlic mushrooms and chilli and cook for another minute.

Add the jalfrezi sauce and bring to the boil, adding a little more water using the empty jar if required. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the green beans and the chicken and stir gently, cook until the chicken is cooked through.

TWD_1103_Curry

We served it with chapatis and poppadums.

What a lovely day Thursday was too. Just lazing around watching some of the movies we bought yesterday, finishing with a Chinese takeaway.

Not Quite Korma Prawn Curry

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On 3rd & 4th February 2015, This was Dinner…

It’s so cold at the moment! However, it is February and I do live in the North of England so this is no anomaly – AND – I am British so it’s part of my make up to complain about the weather!

I had a bag of prawns in the freezer and a korma paste and a tin of coconut milk in the pantry so this was a no-brainer.

Preparing:

  • Slice an onion
  • Halve some mushrooms
  • Slice a red chilli
  • Get raw prawns, coconut milk, oil & seasoning ready

Making:

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onion, cook until softened and starting to brown.

Add the mushrooms and do not stir, leave for a few minutes then stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the chilli and korma paste and stir well for a few minutes then add a splash of water.

Pour in the coconut milk and bring gently to the boil. Leave to simmer whilst your accompaniments are almost ready. We had chips and chapatis.

Add the prawns and cook through. Check for seasoning. Simple!

TWD_0302_Prawn_Curry

On Wednesday night we had the leftover chilli from Sunday. Quick and easy this meant I had time to get my shopping list sorted out.