Indonesian Chili Beef

Serves 4

For marinade:
 
¼ cup kecap manis
2 ½ teaspoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
 
550g beef fillet, partially frozen and thinly sliced

To garnish:
 
2 tablespoons  chopped roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1.)  Combine the kecap manis, sambal oelek, garlic, ground coriander, palm sugar, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Add the beef slices and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20  minutes.

2.)  Heat oil in wok. Add the meat in batches and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned.

3.)  Arrange the beef on a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro leaves, and serve with steamed rice.

Recipe from Rice and Curry  for personal use only !!!

Babi Kecap

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
50 g shallots, thinly sliced
25 g garlic, crushed
15 g peeled ginger, finely grated
625 g lean pork shoulder, cut into 3cm chunks or 625 g pork belly, cut into 3cm chunks
2 tbsp kecap manis
1  tbsp dark soy sauce
1.5 tbsp Tamarind water
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1-2 medium-hot chillies, seeded and chopped
3  red bird's eye chillies, left whole
1cup (250 ml) Asian chicken stock
Crisp fried shallots, to garnish (optional)

 Instead of five-spice powder you can crush or add whole
half star anise, two cloves, small bit of cinamon, and pinch of fennel seeds

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and fry until they are soft and richly golden. Add the crushed garlic, ginger and 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the pork to the pan and fry on high heat for 3 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the kecap manis, dark soy sauce, tamarind water, pepper,5-spice powder ,chopped and whole chillies and stock. Leave to simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then towards the end of cooking, until the pork is tender.
2. Lift the pork out of the sauce with a slotted spoon onto a plate. Boil the cooking liquid until it has reduced to a well-flavoured, slightly thicken, shiny, dark brown sauce. Season to taste with salt, return the pork to the pan and stir in.Spoon the pork onto a warmed serving plate, scatter with the crisp fried shallots and serve.

Alternative version at:

http://www.blueapocalypse.com/2011/07/babi-kecap-indonesian-braised-pork-in.html

Lemon drizzle cake

175g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
2 unwaxed lemons
3 eggs
100g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
A little milk
100g demerara sugar


1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Beat together the butter, caster sugar and the finely grated zest of 1 lemon until light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt and the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next.

2. Sift over the flour and fold in, followed by the almonds. Add just enough milk to bring the mixture to a dropping consistency (so that it falls off the spoon), then spoon into the prepared tin and even out the top. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a skewer comes out dry (crumbs clinging to it are fine).

3. Briefly mix together the remaining lemon zest, and the juice of both the lemons with the demerara sugar, then poke holes all over the top of the warm cake and pour over the drizzle, waiting for the cake to absorb one lot before adding the next.
4. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out.

Lemon drizzle cake with sunken chocolate chunks

 
Yields approximately 10 slices

For the cake:

• 225g unsalted butter or Stork, softened to room temperature
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs, very lightly beaten in a bowl
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 150g dark chocolate (around 40% cocoa.  I use Bourneville), chopped into chunks

For the drizzle:

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 85g caster sugar or golden granulated or icing sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180C (or 160C for a fan oven) and line a loaf tin (I use a 21 x 8cm tin) with greaseproof paper.

Vigorously beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy (use a K-beater if using a freestanding mixer), then add the lightly beaten eggs, slowly mixing through.

Sift the flour and baking powder together three times, before adding a third to the batter.  Once incorporated, add another third, slowly beat in again and then add the remaining third.

Once all the flour is incorporated, add the lemon zest and mix until well combined.  If using chocolate, add and stir through before spooning the mixture into your tin.  Level the top with a spoon or spatula.

Bake at 180C (160C fan) for 5 mins, then reduce temperature to 160C (140C fan) and bake for another 60-75 minutes until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle.  If you don’t want the drizzle to be crunchy, gently heat it in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved in the lemon juice.  Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4

For the marinade/Chicken Tikka:

• 750g chicken breasts cut into 4cm chunks
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp of mild paprika
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• A few drops each of red and yellow food colouring
• Seeds from 12 green cardamom pods
• 25g garlic, roughly  chopped  
• 25g peeled ginger, chopped
• 4 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 25g ghee

Cut the chicken breasts into 4 cm chunks, put into a bowl with the lemon juice, chilli powder, paprika, and turmeric.  Toss together well.  Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a dry, heavy based pan over a medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds, and shake them around for a few seconds until they start to smell aromatic.  Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.  Set aside one teaspoon for the sauce.  Add the cardamom seeds to the rest and grind once more. 

Put the ground cumin and cardamom, garlic, ginger and yoghurt into a food processor and blend.  Stir into the chicken, and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Because there is no salt in the marinade, it is possible to leave the chicken, refrigerated in the sauce, for up to 24 hours)  

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp ghee
• 200g onion, finely sliced
• 15g garlic, crushed
• 25g peeled ginger, grated
• 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp mild paprika
• 225g tomatoes, finely chopped or can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 120 ml single or heavy cream
• 300ml boiling water
• 3-4 green cayenne chillies
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1½ tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Salt to taste

Heat the ghee in a large pan.  Add the finely sliced onions and fry for 6-8 minutes until soft and richly golden.  Add the crushed garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes more.  Add the reserved cumin, freshly ground coriander, chilli powder and paprika and fry for a further 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and fry until they have broken down into a sauce. Add the tomato puree, ground almonds, 300ml boiling water and salt (approx , ½ tsp) and simmer for 10 minutes.


Take the pieces of chicken out of the marinade and thread on to metal skewers (or wooden ones, but make sure you soak the wooden ones 30 minutes before using!).  Stir the remaining yoghurt marinade the cream, green chillies (split open) and garam masala into the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes until a little reduced.  Meanwhile heat a ridged, cast iron griddle over a high heat, lower heat to medium and brush griddle with a little oil.  Brush the chicken, on skewers, with some melted ghee and cook for 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and charred in places.  Push the chicken pieces off the skewers into the sauce bring back to a simmer.  Add the lemon juice and chopped coriander and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then serve.