Rick Steins pork curry with green chillies

I love curry, and I’m a fan of Rick Stein, so his latest BBC series was high on my viewing agenda. This recipe is adapted from here. I’ve said lots of times before that curries are worth the effort to make, as they taste so completely unlike anything you get in a jar.

Curries are notoriously difficult to photograph, so please excuse the colouring in the one below. It really was great! 

Pork curry with green chillies and tomato

6 sliced shallots

a lot of crushed garlic. Rick used 20 (“Rick" like he’s a mate of mine… He’s not). 20 cloves goes beyond even my grà for the stuff. I used significantly less. In my defence  they were particularly fiddly to peel.

6cm of grated ginger

6 green chillies, roughly chopped, with or without seeds according to preference

1 tablespoon of black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

2 cloves

one cinnamon stick

½ teaspoon of black peppercorns

1 teaspoon of ground turmeric

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

I used a pork fillet

I added a half of a large tin of tomato puree

Salt to taste

Rick uses coriander seeds, tamarind liquid, more chillies and even more garlic to garnish the finished dish. I didn’t. I didn’t even have any coriander.

Put the shallots, garlic, ginger and chillies into a mini food processor with a splash of water and blend to a rough paste.

Post-food processored shallots and garlic and ginger and chillies 

Fry the mustard seeds, cumin, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for a minute until toasted and aromatic. Add the turmeric and fry for another 20 seconds. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder.

The ground spices, mid grind

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying over a medium-high heat. Add the pork, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.

With all the pork in the pan, add the shallot, garlic, ginger and chilli paste, the ground spices and salt, and fry for a further five minutes, adding a splash of water if the paste starts to stick. Pour over enough water to just cover, turn the heat down to low, put a lid on and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender. I added the half tin of tomato puree with the water as the sauce needed some thickening and some colour.

I serve this, like most of my weekend curries, with yellow onion rice – gently and slowly fry a chopped onion in some oil for about 20 minutes. It really does make a difference, as the onion is able to release its sweetness. While this is going on, cook for rice according to the pack instructions with a cinnamon stick, a couple of crushed cardamom pods and a half-teaspoon of ground turmeric. Once cooked, drain the rice and mix it through the cooked onion. You could also try some homemade naan bread if you're feeling up to it. 

Stuffed Iraqi flatbread (khubz laham)

Thankfully the weather broke a little over the past couple of days. It was cool enough to awake my appetite again.

I decided to make these Iraqi flatbreads from the August 2013 edition of delicious magazine. They were really tasty and made a great light-ish dinner that could easily be made more substantial. I started the dough on Thursday to eat on Friday.

Iraqi flatbreads

The recipe is for lamb flatbreads, but as lamb mince is a little difficult to get if you don’t have a halal butcher nearby, I used pork and veal mince.

For the dough, mx:

450g of plain flour (I used strong bread flour)

7g of yeast

1 teaspoon of salt

300ml of warm water

in a bowl until they form a ball. Knead it for a few minutes (about 5 minutes) until it becomes elastic. Put it back in the bowl and cover with cling film, and leave it in a warm place. This should rise after about an hour or so. I made the dough on Thursday night and left the dough to rise until Friday evening.

When the dough is risen, knead it again for about 2-3 minutes. Cover it again with the cling film and leave it for another 30 minutes. While this is rising again, you can get on with the filing.

To make the filling, mix:

350g course minced lamb (I used 500g of pork and veal mince)

1 medium chopped onion

salt and pepper

½ a teaspoon of ground cumin

½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric

I also added a sprinkle of ground dried chili.

The recipe says that you mix this raw mixture through the dough and grill the breads for 6-8 minutes. I didn’t think this was enough to cook the mince thoroughly, so fried this mixture for about 15 minutes. I then left this to cool before adding a good handful of chopped parsley and mixing this cooked mixture though the raw dough.

Grill heating, I lined my grill tray with baking paper and a dusting of flour. The recipe says that you should now shape the dough into balls and roll out to about 0.5cm thick. My dough was by this stage too liquid to handle, so I dropped about two tablespoonsful of the dough per bread onto the sheet. I grilled these for about 5 minutes on the first side and another 4 on the other. I started getting worried as both the baking paper and the flour were burning and I couldn’t think of anything else to line the grill tray with (I don’t have this burning problem with naan bread, which I also grill).

The raw dough with the cooked mince. The turmeric turned the bread a lovely yellow!

I turned the oven on to 220° Celsius and divided the remaining dough between two baking sheets, lined with some Dr Oetker baking spray and baked the breads for 15 minutes. They turned out as good as the grilled ones, the only difference being that the grilled ones were fluffier while the baked ones were crunchier.

I got six large (about the size of a side plate) breads and served them with a tzatziki-type dip and a side salad.

Vietnamese pancakes

I first tried these about ten years ago in the Vietnamese village of Hoi An, about halfway up the country, while travelling with my childhood friend Sinead. We accidentally spent a week in the village. Every second shop is a tailors, and we kept ordering more clothes every time we went to pick up our previous orders, postponing our onward travel. We had to buy extra suitcases, we got so much stuff made (it was very cheap to get clothes made). I have fond memories of having winter coats made for us, and trying these on in the 30+° heat!

The week in Hoi An was one of the highlights of the trip. It was just wall-to-wall craic, and we met so many brilliant people, both travellers like ourselves and locals.

We had these pancakes, which are a local speciality, in a WWF café, listening to Buena Vista Social Club (yes, Cuban music in Vietnam…). They were so good we went back a second night. I have never seen these in a western Vietnamese restaurant. I think the Vietnamese know hey are too good to export ;-) 

Vietnamese pancakes

I found this recipe in Rick Stein’s ‘far eastern odyssey’. He says this does four people, but I get four pancakes from this and two of us eat them.

For the pancakes

100g rice flour (I’ve used normal flour with no problem)

2 eggs (these are the one ingredient which cannot be substituted or omitted)

175 ml coconut milk (I’ve used full fat and low fat coconut milk with no problem. I’ve also used normal cows milk, and milk mixed with water, no problems)

½ teaspoon of ground turmeric

½ teaspoon of castor sugar (I have left this out on occasion)

½ teaspoon of salt

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth, and leave this to the side for half an hour.  The batter is an alarming yellow colour – as you will see from the picture. When you’re ready to cook them, put a little oil in a pancake pan and add a little batter – enough to cover the pan. Cook on one side for about two minutes, flip, and cook on the second side for about one-to-one-and-a-half minutes, until they are a little browned.

For the filling

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 teaspoon of palm sugar (castor sugar is fine, or leave this out)

200g of pork fillet (if you’re not a fan of pork, use chicken)

150g of prawns

Mix the fish sauce with the sugar. Slice the pork into slivers, about the size of lardons. Put them into a bowl, and the prawns into another, and divide the fish sauce mixture between the two.  Leave them to marinade with the batter.  When you’re ready to cook them, stir fry the pork for one minute before adding the prawns and cooking the whole lot for another minute, until they are cooked through. Season well with a good dose of pepper.

Extras

You will also need some salad for the pancakes. I love some bean sprouts, a mix of herbs like basil, coriander, mint and a little flat-leaf parsley, and some normal salad leaves.

Make a dipping sauce for the pancakes by mixing two tablespoons of lime juice, two tablespoons of fish sauce, two tablespoons of water, one teaspoon of sugar, one tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger, a finely chopped red chilli and a crushed clove of garlic. 

When you're ready to eat, fill your pancake with the stir-fried pork and prawns and the herby salady bean sprouts. Dip liberally into the sauce. 

Is there any dish that transports you back to an exotic location or reminds you of holidays? 

Pork and Triple Karmeliet stew

Inspired by the beef and Guinness stew I made a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try a Belgian variation of this using pork fillet and Triple Karmeliet. The results were spectacular, myself saying so, and like any stew, it’s low maintenance to make.

Pork and triple Karmeliet stew

Tripel Karmeliet is one of my favourite beers. It’s a light golden colour, with a large head, smells yeasty yet fresh, and slightly apple-y (I think). It’s got quite a dry taste. It packs quite a punch, at 8.4%.

I find that the cuts often recommended for slow cooking always end up being tough, even after three or four hours on the stove, regardless of the cut or where I bought the meat from, so I used pork fillet. At the end of the day, it's cheaper then making an inedible dish...

We got five servings from this.

A little olive oil

400g pork fillet, chopped into bite-sized chunks

An onion, chopped finely

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

A tablespoon of flour

A bottle of Triple Karmeliet

One stock cube

Salt and pepper

A teaspoon each of savory, fennel seeds and sage

A parsnip
A leek
A carrot or two if you have them (I didn't)

Two or three potatoes per person

Two eating apples ( I used pink ladies)

You could also add a packet of lardons towards the end, but we had none of these.

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy casserole dish such as the Le Creuset one you have in your cupboard that you never find a use for. Once it’s hot, brown off the pork chunks. This will take about 5 minutes.

Remove the meat but leave as much of the oil as you can. If you haven’t got a lot of oil left, add a little more. Reduce the heat and cook your onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until they get soft.

Put the meat back in and add the flour. Mix it all through the onions and meat until they are coated. Then, slowly add the beer and all the seasonings and herbs. Add the peeled and chopped parsnip, the diced leek and the carrots if you have them. 

Cover with a lid and leave this for about 40 minutes over a low heat, so that the liquid is simmering gently but not bubbling.

After your 40 minutes, and the scrubbed potatoes, nestling them all into the liquid so that they cook. Peel and chop the apples into small chunks and scatter them over the top of the stew. Cover the whole lot with the lid again, and leave for another 30 minutes or so, until the potatoes are cooked. The sauce should have thickened slightly in the cooking process.

Taste your dish and adjust your seasonings if needed. Serve hot, to your appreciative crowd.

Update 14.09.13: I made this again for tonights dinner, using Duvel instead of the Karmelite. It was also good, with a slight bitterness that the Karmelite doesn't have. 

Aubergines stuffed with spiced pork

I made these stuffed aubergines for dinner last night, from Domini Kemp in the Irish Times. I guess it took about an hour. It was delicious, and went down well with all of us. The mince stuffing is particularly good (I used pork and veal). It’s going to be my go-to mince recipe from now on.

Aubergines stuffed with spiced pork

The recipe is a bit ambiguous on when you are meant to add the breadcrumbs, so I added these just after the aubergine.

I’m still on the look-out for fresh breadcrumbs for sale in the supermarkets. No luck so far, so I make my own.

Serves 3-4

2-3 aubergines, each weighing 220g approximately

150ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

100g breadcrumbs

80ml milk

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

250g minced pork (and veal as you get in the Belgian supermarkets)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp ground cumin

1 large tomato, roughly chopped

1 dessertspoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

50g Parmesan

1 egg

120g grated Cheddar

Chopped parsley, to serve

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas 4. Cut the aubergines in half and place them on a baking tray or two. Score the flesh, drizzle them generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Let them cool down and when they are easily handled, spoon out the flesh and leave it aside in a bowl.

Mix the breadcrumbs and milk together. Sweat the onion in a good two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the minced meat and cook for a moment. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a few minutes. Season well, and then add the vinegar and tomato.

Stir and continue to cook out till the mixture gets quite dry and the juice from the tomato and vinegar disappears. The meat will cook out fully, so don’t worry about this. You are stuffing the aubergines with a fully cooked mixture. Stir in the cooked aubergine (chop up any big bits) and the breadcrumbs.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for five minutes. Add the Parmesan and beaten egg. Mix well, then spoon the filling into the hollow boats of aubergine. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese another glug of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Let them cool down for about 10-15 minutes before serving. They are also good cold and they re-heated well the next day at about 180 degrees/gas 4 for 15 minutes. You may want to cover them loosely with foil so the cheese doesn’t brown too much.

A good sprinkle of parsley, some bread, and a mixed green salad make this a wonderful supper dish.

Pork and fennel tray roast with lemon and coriander

I’ve made this three times now, and this is the first time I’ve been quick enough to get a photo before it’s devoured! It’s really simple, and the kind of dish you can pretty much prepare, pop in the oven and leave there while you potter around. From fridge to table, it takes an hour.

Roast pork and fennel with lemon and coriander

The recipe comes from the May 2012 edition of delicious magazine.

For four people:

2 large red-skinned potatoes cut into chunks (new potatoes are in, so I used 3-4 per person)

2 fennel bulbs, sliced into eights

3 red onions, quartered

Olive oil

2 pork fillets (I used 600g), trimmed and cut into 8

Paste

2 preserved lemons, rinsed and dried and cut into pieces

A dribble of olive oil

Garlic cloves (I love garlic, so I use lots)

Chili – whatever amount you like, either flakes, dried or fresh

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of honey

chopped coriander

Heat your oven to 180°.

Put the potatoes and fennel into a pot of salted water, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Drain well and put into a roasting tin together with the onions and the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

While all that’s going on, either blitz all the paste ingredients in a blender or chop up finely and mix together (second option = less washing up). I always add a crumbled stock cube too, and of course a little salt and pepper.

Rub the paste all over the pork pieces and leave aside.

When your veg have hit the 20 minute mark in the oven, tumble the pork pieces on top and return the lot to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.

As I’d some parsnips in the fridge this week I used these too. I just boiled them with the potatoes and fennel first. Yum.

Photos are en route (probably tonight).

Pork bhuna – easy weekend Indian food

Long before I moved to Belgium, I loved spicy food, which often meant Indian. Nothing’s changed, except nowadays it’s a lot easier to find Asian/Indian food here. However, finding something sufficiently spicy hot can be a challenge. I have used jars of sauce and added a bit of chilli. Unfortunately, these are usually very high in calories and fat, so I started making my own curries a few years ago.

Pork bhuna with spicy rice

Many people think that making curries from scratch is difficult. In fact, the most difficult part is finding the spices you need. You can find many of these in supermarkets and for the more ‘exotic’ ones, check out the Asian supermarkets at St. Gery in Brussels city centre (near St Catherine and de Bourse) or the many ‘ethnic’ ones dotted around the city (such as the Chaussee d’Ixelles, etc…).

The list of ingredients in the bhuna here can appear daunting, but once you have the basics, you’ll find you can make a lot of other curries. A huge plus is that you can make your curry as weak or as strong as you like. Also, with this curry, you put everything in the pot and leave it to cook, making it low-maintenance.

I served this with spiced rice and homemade naan bread. The recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s 100 essential curries. A * marks the spices I’ve found in supermarkets.

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds*

4 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole mustard seeds (I used black mustard seeds)

2-4 whole chillies* (you can used fresh or dried, the quantity depends on how hot you like it)

2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds*

2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds

Oil (the recipe says peanut or corn oil, I used olive)

3 large shallots (I used a large onion)

4 cm grated fresh ginger (tip: use the side of a teaspoon to peel it; also, if you’ve no fresh ginger, a good teaspoon of ground ginger is fine)

5-6 garlic cloves

10-15 curry leaves (you’ll get these in an Asian supermarket)

2 medium tomatoes (I used 200ml passata as I had some in the fridge to use up)

900g shoulder of pork (for 4 people – I used 400g filet pork (for 2 people), chopped into bite-sized chunks (you can use chicken, lamb or beef either)

Unorthodox ingredient: about 150g mushrooms (upping the veggie count, cutting the calories of the dish, and they had to be used up)

In a dry, heavy casserole or pot (ie: don’t add any oil) and over a medium-high heat, toast the seeds and chillies for about 2-3 minutes, until they start releasing their smells. Keep a close eye on them so that they don’t burn. When they are done, either grind them in a pestle and mortar, a coffee grinder or a small food processor until they are powdery.

In the same pot, heat a teaspoon of oil and cook the chopped shallots, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the curry leaves. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down and are a bit gloopy.

Add the ground spices, 250ml water and the meat. Season, stir and reduce the heat to simmering. Cover and cook for at least 20 minutes if you’re using a filet. If you’re using shoulder, the meat will need longer cooking, so around an hour and a half. Check the sauce. If it needs thickening (it should cling to the meat), remove the lid and cook until thicker. If you need to adjust the chilli heat, do it now too. If it’s too hot, add some (low-fat) yogurt to cool if down.

For the spicy rice

100g long grain rice (recommended guidelines state 125g for 2 people, but as I was serving the naan bread too, I didn’t need a whole lot of rice)

One onion

Oil

A couple of cardamom seeds

A stick of cinnamon

One teaspoon turmeric (‘curcuma’ in French)

Peel and chop the onion into rings. Fry this on a low heat, in a little oil, for about 10 minutes, until soft and golden. From experience, don’t think that upping the heat will cut the cooking time; it doesn’t and the onions burn. Long n slow is the name of the game here.

Meanwhile, pop the rice and everything else into a pot with some salt and loads of water and cook according to the instructions. The rice will go a lovely radio-active yellow colour.

Once cooked, drain the rice and stir the cooked onions through.